Momma Says to Read

This is my first read in Lisa Gardner's D.D. Warren series, and from the opening scene, I expected a gripping, edge of your seat thriller. The story is quite dark, and parts were both disturbing and heart-wrenching, including Roxy's poignant personal narrative. Unfortunately, the bulk of this one didn't quite live up to my expectations. The story is lengthy, which wouldn't be a problem if the pace and flow had held my attention, but in this case, it's just long-winded and repetitive. Much of the book bounces back and forth between D.D. Warren and Flora, and often times things we learn from one are reiterated by the other. There's a large amount of dialogue and when there is actually some real action, it feels rushed through, and then on to the next conversation. I gathered from this story that Flora was a victim in an earlier book, and while I appreciate some back story, I got enough from this one that I don't feel the need to read Flora's tale. The repetitiveness of this one became tedious to the point that I set it aside several times and finally pushed through just to see who the killer would be. We do get that answer, but there are so many villains here that it all becomes a bit convoluted. In the end, I didn't hate it, but with so much talk and so little action, I was left with more of a 'meh' feeling than anything else.