Sara Driscoll

Echoes of Memory by Sara Driscoll is a stand alone, and once again Driscoll demonstrates that she can keep the suspense high.

Driscoll is able to incorporate a lot of details about memory loss and keep it interesting the way she does it. And even though Quinn is trying to rebuild her life after an attack and her short term memory loss, after she witnesses a murder, she does her darndest to try and help solve it. She uses techniques of writing things in a notebook and sketching things that she glimpses from her dreams or things that she remembers during the day.

I was a bit concerned that it would get repetitive with Quinn having to go over everything over and over again, but after a bit in the beginning, Driscoll was able to keep it interesting. Although it did start a bit slow for me, once Det. Reyes is introduced, the story really started to move, and kept me quickly turning the page to find out what would happen next.

The mystery was very well laid out, with some really good turns along the way. I’m not sure if Det. Reyes is in any of Driscoll’s other books, but if so, I would definitely read them since the way she treated Quinn and this case makes her a wonderful, strong female character.… (meer)

Lockdown by Sara Driscoll is the third book in the NYPD Negotiators series, and it is intense. Normally a fast paced thriller like this would take me a day or two to read, but it took me five days because I had to keep stopping to absorb information and calm down from what I had just read.

Trigger warning; Lockdown is about a school shooting, so at times it was very difficult to continue reading because of the subject matter, not because of any gore. I feel Driscoll handled the death and viewing of bodies very well.
There was also so much information regarding police procedures and weapons that I would find myself having to stop reading so I could process it all.

I believe all the information was needed though and really enhanced the story, and since Lockdown focused more so on the hostage negotiator aspect of this kind of situation, it made for a very interesting read. I think readers who enjoy Clive Cussler, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, etc… would also really enjoy the NYPD Negotiators series.

There were a couple of parts that really stood out to me, the main character’s, Gemma’s, nephew and a girl in one of the classrooms who knew ASL.

I thought for sure I knew which direction the story would be heading with Gemma’s nephew, but I was not even close. That always pleases me when a suspense or thriller is able to surprise me. And the girl in the classroom added an extra thrill to the hostage situation, plus I love when books add in characters that are not as common.

I am excited to see in what direction Driscoll takes the NYPD Negotiators series, and highly recommend that you give the series and read.
If you want to start with book one, it’s Exit Strategy, although Lockdown is easy enough to follow without having read any previous books in the series.… (meer)

Before It’s Too Late by Sara Driscoll
FBI K-9 series #2. Police procedural, mystery thriller. Can be read as a stand-alone, but relationships are advanced from the first book.
FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings answers her search-and-rescue Labrador, Hawk, race against the clock to find women that are being held under threat of suffocating, by a killer out for revenge. Clues turn personal as Meg and Hawk try to figure out clues to find the women and prevent their death but beating the clock takes clever puzzle skills and historical knowledge of the DC area.

Fast moving thriller and suspenseful action as they run from place to place trying to save the women in jeopardy. Of course, we all want to see Meg and Hawk successfully save the women, but just following Hawk is entertaining. Such a professional and such a good boy! Ok, some kudos to the firefighter and the journalist that help with the puzzles and life saving. This book cemented them both on the good side.… (meer)

Wow! This one will keep you on the edge of your seat. A 12 story building in downtown Washington DC has suddenly collapsed. Between Meg and Hawk, her K-9 gingerly searching through the collapse to Todd, her fiancé, attempting a rescue in the scariest of settings you will learn how incredibly dangerous it is for those who put their lives on the line to try and rescue the victims.

Buildings don’t just collapse so the research began attempting to find out why. Learning all about structural details was absolutely fascinating although it might make me think twice before I stay in a high rise building. Will they manage to figure out if this was done by terrorists or just the result of building deterioration? There seem to be some rumblings about another possibility. Can any conclusions be made?

An early copy was received through Kensington Publishing Group and NetGalley. These impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.… (meer)