All Fall Down
Lucy Kendall #4
By Stacy Green
ISBN: 1519238959 (ISBN13: 9781519238955)
Author’s Website: http://www.stacygreen.net
Review brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Synopsis:
A killer rises…
Determined to start over, Lucy Kendall moves to Washington, D.C., and takes a position with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
But the past doesn’t want to let her go.
When a police officer walks into her office and tells her the unthinkable, she knows she has to go back. But it’s too late. The gauntlet has been dropped, and Lucy has no choice but to play a sadistic killer’s game.
Unable to trust anyone, Lucy scrambles to find the truth. But time runs out, and she must do the one thing she swore she’d never do: tell the truth about the people she’s killed.
Will Lucy’s ultimate sacrifice be enough?
Review:
Wow…what an auspicious ending to a wonderfully gripping series. I have been continually amazed at the wonderful storytelling of Stacy Green. Reading the Lucy Kendall series from start to finish has been a true pleasure……though one that has kept me on the edge of my seat more than once in the middle of the night! Note: I would not suggest starting this final book in the series unless you have read the series from the beginning as an appreciation and understanding of Lucy (and all the characters really) is necessary to fully appreciate the complexity of each character and how everything is inter-twined. So if need be, begin your journey with All Good Deeds – book one of the Lucy Kendall series.
The story begins in Washington, D.C., where Lucy has taken a new job with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a position that seems to fit her like a glove. Lucy has left those whom she cares about back in Philadelphia: Kelly, Chris and Todd. All was going well with the new life when her past yet again intrudes in the present; a murdered woman (Shannon) is discovered and there is a message at the crime scene specifically for Lucy. As the mystery unravels, people that Lucy cares about are at risk. When Kelly turns up missing, Lucy rushes back to Philadelphia to help locate her best friend. Lucy has such self-doubt and guilt surrounding her previous life…she is convinced that all the bad events happening are a result of the myriad of `bad` decisions she has made in the past. What if she had not taken the law into her own hands? Would Kelly have been taken?
Once back in Philadelphia, Lucy discovers that the search for Kelly has an expiration date. Rushing to beat the clock, we see Lucy at her best…and worst. What I found interesting is that we get to see a side of Lucy that has been hidden for so long. To beat the clock, Lucy may have to rely on others to find Kelly. Certainly a departure from the rouge vigilante I have come to know and appreciate. Will Lucy ask for help from Todd and Chris (and possibly Agent Lennox) in the race to save Kelly? Will Lucy beat that clock and save Kelly?
I appreciated finally learning the complete story on what happened with Lucy`s sister Lily. It certainly put a whole new twist on my understanding of “`Mommy Dearest”. Joan Kendall is quite a piece of work. But then, we all come with baggage and our own unique way of handling tragedy.
The complexity of the characters is what really drew me in and kept my interest throughout this series. The writing is suspenseful and engaging. Additionally, the corralling of all the characters in the series into this final book, tying them all together was very well done and I really did not want the story to end. But alas, all good things must end. I want to thank Stacy Green for penning such a gripping, intriguing and one of the best psychological thriller series I have read to date.
