Tell Me

Author: Lisa Jackson
Genre: Mystery
Type: ARC (Kindle e-book)
Series: #3 in the Pierce Reed/Nikki Gillette 'Savannah' series
Series Order: 'The Night Before" (2003), "The Morning After" (2004)
Publisher: Kensington Books
First Published: June 25, 2013
First Line: "His hand was cool as it slid up her leg, smoothly brushing her calf, tickling and teasing, causing her spine to tingle and a warmth to start in the deepest part of her."

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Description:  The most hated woman in Savannah, Georgia, is about to be set free. Twenty years ago, Blondell O'Henry was convicted of murdering her eldest daughter and wounding her two other children. The prosecution argued that beautiful, selfish Blondell wanted to be rid of them to be with her lover.

Now Blondell's son, Niall, has recanted his testimony and demolished the case in the process. Reporter Nikki Gillette is determined to get the true story, and not just for professional reasons. Blondell's murdered daughter, Amity, was Nikki's childhood friend.

The night she died, Amity begged Nikki to meet with her, insisting she had a secret to tell, but Nikki didn't go. Her guilt is compounded by other complications—Nikki's favorite uncle, Alexander, was the attorney who helped save Blondell from execution. And rumors swirl that he was one of her many lovers.

Nikki's fiancé, Detective Pierce Reed, is concerned she may be compromising the case. As she digs for answers during one of the most sweltering summers in Savannah's history, he also worries for her safety. Everyone involved seems to have secrets, from Blondell's old boyfriend and his fundamentalist, snake-handling in-laws to the cop who led the original investigation. And somehow, the events of that tragic night connect to Nikki's own fractured family.

But now the killing has begun again. Is Amity's murderer still at large, or is this a new, darker danger? Soon Nikki will discover what really happened twenty years ago, but the answers may come too late to save her life. . .

My Thoughts:  This is the third book in the Nikki Gillette/ Pierce Reed series but the first book that I've read by Lisa Jackson.  Normally I don't like to jump into the middle of a series because I'm afraid I'll miss seeing how the characters develop and what's happened to them up to that point.  Luckily Ms Jackson came through for me and did a really good job of not making me feel like I was missing out on major storyline info.

Unfortunately, even though I didn't feel lost jumping into this series, I also didn't feel like it really ever had me on the edge of my seat.  I suppose going into this mystery/suspense series I was expecting assuming more of a Lisa Scottoline-type read -- a strong female character and an edgy mystery that keeps me guessing 'whodunnit'.  Unfortunately, this book just didn't meet my expectations.

My initial issue with the book is Nikki as the main character.  I had a really hard time rooting for her or even liking her.  She came off as annoying as she complained about wedding plans and the way she played the clichéd 'do anything for a story' reporter got old quick.  Nikki backstabs family and coworkers in order to get info on the story she's following and regularly harasses her fiancé for information that she knows he can't give her.  Those actions didn't endear her to me at all.

The mystery itself was OK but I never felt riveted or got a suspenseful feeling either.  There were a lot of characters to keep track of and not nearly as much action as I was expecting (except for the beginning and the very end).  There's nothing inherently bad about this book but I can honestly say that this is a book whose storyline or characters will stay with me.

From what I've read about Lisa Jackson's other books "Tell Me" is far from the calibre of writing that she's been known for in the past.  So for that reason, even though I don't recommend "Tell Me", I won't give up on this author and hopefully the next book of hers that I read will be as good as her fans have come to expect from her.

My Rating: 2.5/5 stars