Shiver – Lisa Jackson

Lisa Jackson’s Shiver once again highlights the skill of this New York Times Bestselling author as she tells a tale cloaked in subtle darkness that includes elements of murder, lust, and secrecy among those who have pledged to protect the weaker members of society. Painted with her usual atmospheric brush Jackson focuses more on Chastain than Montoya, yet Montoya is a brooding, attractive presence as he draws in the killer and pirouettes around Chastain as they’re pulled slowly yet inexorably closer, and Chastain becomes the penultimate target of a killer who is as mysterious and brutal as he is clever and cunning.

The book centers around Abby Chastain, who, at the age of fifteen, witnessed her mother’s plunge to death from the third story window of a mental institution where she was a patient. This event, which twenty years later she still cannot remember in its entirety, is still causing her terrible nightmares and has shaped her entire life from her strained family relationships through a recent bitter divorce causing her to believe that she going crazy. However, the real focus of the story is not on the death of Abby’s mother but on a current series of murders that all seem to have a connection to the old hospital that has recently been scheduled for demolition.  Investigating the murder is Detective Rueben Montoya, who’s Aunt, Sister Maria, is a nun at the convent that shares the grounds of the old hospital. As the murders and investigation continue, it seems as if everyone holds a piece to the puzzle but no one has been willing to bring any of the information to light. Of course this would not be a Lisa Jackson tale without some romance so as would be expected Montoya falls for our protagonist, who is recently divorced from Luke a shock jock at the local radio station, and does all within his power to protect her as he is convinced that she will also be a target. After Luke mortifies and incenses Abby over the radio, he ends up dead in the arms of a young virgin in what appears at first glance to be a murder/suicide, placing Abby at the top of the suspect list. Meanwhile, however, Montoya quickly realizes that this is the work of a serial killer but believes that Abby is somehow an integral part of the killer’s motivation, and begins to fear that if he does not find out what Abby is withholding they both might end up dead.
Jackson does a great job of keeping the killer concealed throwing out numerous possible suspects and making the killer’s inspired MO clever and ingenious.

Shiver is obviously one in a series of books written by Jackson, but Lisa Jackson is one of those authors with the ability to balance compelling characters, a plot that dials up the thrill index, just the right mix of romance and a setting that makes a difference. However, in Shiver, the intensity seems more like a roller coaster Thriller than
Jackson’s usually pegged Romantic Suspense. The only fault I found with the book was its poor editing, which caused me to stop and reread several portions of the text to ensure that I understood what was supposed to be happening. Overall, I still thoroughly enjoyed Shiver and feel that it is a prime example of how a talented writer can broaden the horizons and appeal of her work for disparate audiences.

[tags]Siver, Lisa Jackson, fiction, mystery, religion, murder, suspense, romance, romatic suspense, thriller[/tags]