Book Talk: Lisa Gardner, ‘Never Tell’

Lisa Gardner has a talent for writing prose that is both raw and visceral. It pulls the reader into the story on an emotional level. In “Never Tell” (2019, 399 pages) the book unfolds through the narration of several characters, including Detective D.D. Warren, Evie (a former and present suspect), and Flora (a former victim of a vicious kidnapper, survivor, confidential informant for Det. Warren, and street-smart amateur sleuth). Sounds confusing, but it’s not because of the brilliant way that Gardner tightens the plot.

The novel, Gardner’s 24th at that point, revolves mainly around the killing of Evie’s husband, whose name becomes something of a mystery in itself. He’s a window salesman in Cambridge, Mass., who spends a lot of time on the road and may otherwise be found working on his computer. Evie is newly pregnant with her first child, and her husband is looking forward to the birth of their baby when he is killed in his home office. Three bullets from his own gun to his head.

When Evie finds her dead spouse, she immediately picks up the gun and fires the remaining 12 bullets into his computer. So, when Det. Warren arrives, Evie’s prints are on the murder weapon, there is gunshot residue on her hands, and she is much more cooperative with the police than her lawyer, an old family friend, wants her to be. She even reveals a secret that she’s kept for 16 years.