We watch as Josh Bandeaux slowly bleeds to death in his home office where at the last minute he recognizes his killer. The next morning, his estranged wife Caitlyn Montgomery Bandeaux wakes to a horrifying scene. Blood is everywhere…on the bed, the walls and in her bathroom. None of it appears to be hers and there’s no one else around, dead or alive. Unfortunately, she has strange visions of seeing Josh slumped in his office but has no memory of the night before. When Savannah Police Detectives Pierce Reed and Sylvie Morrisette examine the scene, it’s unclear as to whether it’s a suicide or murder. However, Reed’s pretty certain Josh didn’t kill himself and his wife is his prime suspect.
There’s all sorts of crazy sauce in this story and Caitlyn tops the list. It becomes clear early on that she’s got some serious issues with what’s real or not but she’s not alone. She’s a member of the wealthy Montgomery clan and they’re all kinds of nutty. Then enter Adam Hunt, a psychologist connected to Caitlyn’s former psychiatrist who has left town. He takes Caitlyn on as a client but struggles with inappropriate feelings towards her, even as he’s pursuing a private agenda. In the meantime, other people connected to the Montgomerys are turning up dead or missing.
The reader knows a demented serial killer is in the midst but not his/her identity and no one else seems to connect the dots. The first half of this too long story was incredibly difficult to power through, laden with meaningless information and descriptions of mundane stuff. If not being a group read, I probably would have abandoned the book. However, the second half was much more interesting as the mystery element had me hooked. I didn’t even come close to guessing the identity of the killer and fell prey to some clever misdirection. It saved a book that could have been told in about 100 fewer pages with a romance that was an epic fail for me.
Book Info
- Release Date: March 1, 2003
- Series: Savannah #1
- Page Numbers: 464
- Publisher: Zebra
Blue Mood Café 
I do like crazy sauce but I also get very frustrated with slow beginnings. I’m thinking I would probably ditch it too or do a lot of skimming until the action picked up. Insightful review!❤️
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Thank you, Tessa💜 I love crazy sauce but this was just nuts! I’m also patient with slow burns but all that prose must later connect and be meaningful. It was missing here.
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Can’t fight the crzy sauce books! Sounds like one for me!
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I’m not so sure, Marialyce💜 While it was later pretty interesting, you’d probably give up before you got there.
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Bummer that the romance was a bust but aside from that, it sounds like a pretty solid read.
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This was a group read and actually had a pretty robust and interesting discussion. It was unanimous about the romance, though😏
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Excellent honest review Jonetta. I’ve only read a few Lisa Jackson and often think of grabbing her books but have stopped short as of late. Your thoughts above summarize why. The books I read were too long and drawn out and didn’t quite capture my attention. Hope your next book is amazing!
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Thank you, Susanne💜 That’s exactly what’s wearing me out. These stories are all close to 500 pages and don’t need to be.
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Very well said!
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Oh shoot, I was absolutely intrigued, but between the romance and the slow start I might just give it a pass. xD Fab review though! xx
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If you can hang in through the first half, and that’s a big ask (~250 pages), the rest flies.
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I was interested in the crazy sauce, but not the long drawn out and not making sense. I find her books way too long for the story she is writing. I used to read them all, but have stopped, I might go back as I have many on my bookshelf upstairs. Great review Jo.
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Thanks, Carla💜 The crazy sauce was fun but it was just too painful getting there. Our group is struggling with the length of her books and we’re only halfway through the NO series (this book intersected with it).
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