Right Behind You

Author: Lisa Gardner
Genre: Suspense
Type: Hardcover
Source: Local Public Library
Pages: 400
Series: #7 in the Quincy and Rainie series
Publisher: Dutton Books
First Published: January 31, 2017
First Line: "I had a family once."

Book Description from GoodReads: 

Is he a hero?

Eight years ago, Sharlah May Nash’s older brother beat their drunken father to death with a baseball bat in order to save both of their lives. Now thirteen years old, Sharlah has finally moved on. About to be adopted by retired FBI profiler Pierce Quincy and his partner, Rainie Conner, Sharlah loves one thing best about her new family: They are all experts on monsters.

Is he a killer?

Then the call comes in. A double murder at a local gas station, followed by reports of an armed suspect shooting his way through the wilds of Oregon. As Quincy and Rainie race to assist, they are forced to confront mounting evidence: The shooter may very well be Sharlah’s older brother, Telly Ray Nash, and it appears his killing spree has only just begun. 

All she knows for sure: He’s back.

As the clock winds down on a massive hunt for Telly, Quincy and Rainie must answer two critical questions: Why after eight years has this young man started killing again? And what does this mean for Sharlah? Once upon a time, Sharlah’s big brother saved her life. Now, she has two questions of her own: Is her brother a hero or a killer? And how much will it cost her new family before they learn the final, shattering truth? Because as Sharlah knows all too well, the biggest danger is the one standing right behind you.

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review:  I'm a fan of Lisa Gardner. She's kept me on the edge of my seat more than a few times with her DD Warren series. Right Behind You is her latest bookish offering and the 7th book in the Quincy and Rainie series. 

The most surprising thing about this book is that I wasn't captivated. Not a good surprise, for sure.  There were some twists but I can't say I was ever captivated by the characters or the plot. It felt predictable, more than a little long-winded and I can't say that I was a drawn to Quincy and Rainie.  They weren't driving the story and felt like secondary characters alongside characters like Cal, who readers will forever remember as the 'tracker/cheese maker' because it's mentioned repeatedly about his mad skills at cheese making.

One of the things I enjoyed about the book is how Gardner addresses the idea of familial bonds (both blood and other) and how much those bonds can influence who we become. She paints a strong picture of the sad childhood that Sharlah and Telly experienced at the hands of their birth parents and shows how vastly different the siblings' experiences were within the foster care system.

This is a decent read but not up to the standard that I had expected from Gardner.  Unfortunately, this book won't stay with me for long. I'm going to stick with her DD Warren series (Find Her was fantastic!).