Author: T.R. Ragan
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Published on: August 12, 2014 by Thomas & Mercer
Desperate for better ratings, radio psychologist Madeline Blair tells her listeners she’s being stalked, unaware that her long-time listener and biggest fan, Seth Brown, will do anything to protect her. When her publicity stunt is revealed, Seth becomes enraged by her deceit and dangerously unhinged.
When her friends mysteriously begin to vanish and damning evidence points to Madeline, she turns to private investigator Lizzy Gardner for help. Lizzy knows her way around a murderer’s mind, after surviving her own horrifying ordeal at the hands of a serial killer years ago.
As Lizzy closes in, Seth Brown is undeterred. Madeline wanted a stalker and now she has one. Nothing is going to stop him. He’s obsessed.
Lizzy Gardner and co. are back for yet another suspenseful case. I thought this series would be a trilogy. I'm glad that's not the case. In Obsessed, the main villain is a man fixated on a love that cannot be. The guy, Seth, dreams about Madeline Blair (even though he has a wife). She is a celebrated radio psychologist in the Sacramento area. When Madeline tells her listeners that she has a stalker, Seth makes himself her protector. Let me note that Seth has mental issues going back for decades. While Seth is standing guard outside Madeline’s one day, something bad happens.
Meanwhile, Lizzy and her assistants are working on other cases. Hayley Hansen now lives in an, ahem, shitty apartment. I thought she had become bad after what happened at the ending of A Dark Mind, but Hayley is still on the side of good. That impressed me. This girl has so much strength. Jessica Pleiss, Lizzy’s other assistant, has been at the FBI academy for the past several months. She returns to seek Hayley’s assistance in a criminal case. Although Hayley isn’t happy that Jessica hasn’t called or even texted her for so long, she accepts.
Since Jessica is no longer under Lizzy’s employment, the latter seeks a new assistant. After a bunch of interviews, Lizzy hires newcomer Kitally. She’s a girl that Hayley met during her brief stint in juvenile. At first glance, Kitally seems even more like bad news that Hayley. While she’s pretty, Kitally’s appearance can seem startling at first. She doesn’t have nearly as much darkness within her as Hayley does, though. Kitally also has an...unusual idea of fun. She landed in juvenile for blowing up her own car just for the thrill of it. Kitally's not insane or bad; she's actually super intelligent. Kitally isn't even twenty and she has a master's degree from Princeton. That's no small feat. Also, I sort of like Kitally's name. It sounds nice. Anyway, Kitally helps Hayley in her quest for revenge against the man who made her the way she is today. Kitally’s family is rich, which helps.
T.R. Ragan also weaves a few subplots (minor cases Lizzy and co. are handling) throughout the book. These have been more common since Dead Weight, and they don’t detract from the story. A few of these don’t have much to do with the main plot. One of my favorite subplots in this book is a missing-person case that Hayley and Kitally handle. The way Hayley decides to close the case speaks a lot about her. She’s a strong believer in justice, almost whichever way it’s served. If Jessica had been handling that case, the ending would have been a lot more different.
There wasn’t much I didn’t like about Obsessed. Once again, T.R. Ragan manages to create a villain who isn’t boring or lackluster. You can tell the author's skill has grown, four books in. Solving the case brings more trouble for Lizzy and her friends. The aftermath leaves it clear that there will be another book. This ending is the biggest cliffhanger that the Lizzy Gardner series has ever had. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you eagerly awaiting the next book. You must read Obsessed to experience this thrill ride for yourself.
My rating: ★★★★★
5 stars - Absolutely must-read. It's outstanding!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment