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Hot on the heels of her March paperback release of FATAL BURN, Lisa Jackson's first hardcover novel, SHIVER is another installment of her handsome New Orleans Detective, Reuben Montoya. Montoya is a little older, a little wiser, but no less devastating to women. New Orleans is being stalked by its third major serial killer in recent years, and Montoya is on his trail. Abby Chastain, a wedding and portrait photographer, is haunted by the memories of her mother's death. The spirit of Faith Chastain rules this book, from the opening scene depicting her alleged suicide, to the final twist. She and Abby are inextricably linked, much more than simply being mother and daughter, they share a birthday. Abby is celebrating her 35th , and the 20th anniversary of her mother's death on the same day. Faith committed suicide in front of Abby 20 years ago -- the victim of paranoid schizophrenia. She was housed in the Our Lady of Virtue mental hospital for a great portion of Abby and her older sister Zoey's lives. Abby is estranged from Zoey for the worst of all possible reasons -- a man. Luke Gierman, now Abby's ex-husband, is a Howard Stern-esque shock jock rocking the New Orleans airwaves. Handsome and likable, Luke was a serial adulterer during their marriage, including a transgression with Abby's own sister. The rift has been irreparable, and Abby is truly alone in her adopted town of New Orleans. She plans to pack up and move back to Seattle, rid herself of the demons of the past and start her life over. But Luke is killed, staged in a murder-suicide scenario with a female college student about to become a Catholic novitiate. The incongruity of the murder attracts Montoya, who follows Luke's trail right back to Abby. Their combustible relationship seems inevitable given their combined physical beauty and emotional vulnerability. But the match is a good one, steaming up the pages of the book whenever they appear together in a scene. Abby's memories may not be what she's always believed, and she becomes more of a target than either of them imagined. The first half of SHIVER had me looking over my shoulder. The tension builds quickly; despite Jackson's writing style which tells the reader the character is feeling nervous and uncomfortable, I was captivated and disturbed by the suspense. The second half didn't work as much for me, mostly because I realized who the killer must be and was reading to see if I was right rather than letting the story unfold for me. But Jackson is a solid writer with a keen ability to capture fear. The murders are just weird enough, the motive a surprise, and the entire voice of the book well crafted and just plain creepy.
Reviewed by J. T. Ellison, March 2006
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