An arrested prostitute calls FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy, telling her that she has information for her. A john is taking prostitutes to his place and then putting poisonous spiders on them, forcing them to engage in other dangerous activities. Her friend Ginny has gone missing and she wants Kimberly to stop the man.

Kimberly's associate, Sal Martingnetti is also worried. He tells her that he thinks someone is picking off hookers. Twice he's found the driver's licenses of three women stuck under his windshield wiper. The women were prostitutes and are missing. However, no bodies have been found so he can't get his superiors to permit him to open a large scale investigation. Even though Kim is five months, pregnant, she agrees to help.

One night they follow Delilah down a road where they know Ginny's boyfriend had been murdered. They confront Delilah and she admits that she really is Ginny. She tells them that the john, she calls Dinchara, has a fetish for spiders. He gets a kick when someone shows fear and when he put a black widow spider on her and she didn't scream, he let her live.

Kim and Sal must find a way to get Ginny to take them to Dinchara's and get enough evidence to convict him of his crimes. Then they learn that Dinchara has a teenage boy helping him and is grooming a younger boy to do the same. The FBI agents decide that they must stop Dinchara and rescue the boys.

The author knows suspense. This story will keep the readers mesmerized until the last page. The characters are well described. Kimberly and Sal are brave, honorable characters and Dinchara shows his evil, not only in his acts but in training young children to help him with their crimes.

A well done novel that will keep Gardner's fans coming back for more. ( )

I really got into this book and found I couldn't put it down. Gardner really knows how to write a murder mystery. Not only does she write an exciting plot line but she also develops all her characters including the killer. What I really like about this book is the fact that you never know what is going to happen next; predictable is not a word I would use to describe this book. **** SPOILER ALERT**** At times I found it really hard to believe that someone who went through as much abuse as he did, Dinchara continued the legacy of sexual torture on other young boys. That being said, I can see how it might happen if that is the only life he remembers. I guess there is the Stockholm Syndrome for a reason. I really like how all the characters were tied together in the end. Again, this was another book that I read within a day or two. I couldn't put it down. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars ( )

I love Gardner, and own many of her books. This one did not disappoint! At one point, I had to put the book down and decide if I could continue reading. There is a very disturbing part about sexual child abuse and murder that really got to me. I know it happens in our world, but reading that made me want to lock my children up and never let them outside around anyone! I did finish the book and was truly scared for the first time since reading Stephen King's IT many years ago. ( )

Lisa Gardner writes thrillers realistic enough to make a reader look at any stranger twice. Her ability to find the evil in everyday things and happenings makes this book hard to take. The writing is first-rate: plot, characters, pacing, dialogue...all well-done. The violence is graphic enough to make one want to stop reading for a few times. Finally finished reading it, wanting closure but knowing evil is still out there. The ending was not as dark as I feared but actually added a little sense of justice. The child pornography rings are so prevalent and hard to catch, while the good guys have so few resources, argh, Gardener has at least brought a depressing subject into the open. ( )

Excellent! I don't think I've been scared this bad by something I've seen or read in years. A complete page turner, can't put it down and afraid to sleep with the lights off at night book. ( )

This is a great book. The story, plot, and characters all flow very nicely. Some of the scenes from this book reoccur to me often and I put it down quite awhile ago. Even though there are a few twists they are comfortable enough to go along nicely with the story. ( )

Say GoodBye is a fast paced book that moves right along. While the character development strikes me as being fairly simplistic and predictable, I really like these main guys/girls and it is easy to spend time immerged into their world. The spider angle is a fresh twist on the serial killer saga. ( )

This book was not as good as her first books. Still, a good read but disappointing. ( )

I couldn't get into it. The plot just didn't grab me. I think I'll try again, someday, since the quality of the writing itself was good. ( )

Creepy, but good.

If you're archanaophic, this isn't the book for you.

Lisa Gardener's new novel, "Say Goodbye" is a fascinating, scary and compelling story about a serial killer with a fascination for using spiders as he preys on prositutes and young boys. The novel shifts perspectives from a young boy held prisoner by the killer (and getting ready to "graduate") and special agent Kimberly Quincy, who is five months pregnant.

Kimberly is contacted by Jenny Jones, a prostitute whose mother was killed by the killer. The killer has a twist--he makes the victim choose his next target. In this case, Jenny's mother gave up Jenny as the next prey to be drawn into his spider's web. Kimberly is determined to track down the killer and comes periliously close to losing her marriage to a fellow agent over the conflict.

At times, Gardner's novel is gripping and suspenseful. The idea of using spiders literally and as a metaphor for the killer is nicely done and will have you shuddering if you're not a fan of arachnids. Unfortunately, the novel tends to fall apart in the final quarter of the story as the FBI closes in on the killer. The wrap-up is confusing and not nearly as satisfying as it should have been. ( )

This is a disturbing, circuitous story of a man abducted and abused as a child who continues the pattern. This fiction (thankfully) story is told by Kimberly, the five month pregnant agent who becomes involved with the case. I have never read anything by this author, so I do not know if this type of horrifying story is her usual genre. But this is very, very disturbing. ( )

Very Weird - Did not finish

Really enjoyed, quick reading. I too was disturbed by the child molestation etc but also realise it is part of our society and that we continue to fight against it. On that note I loved the ending.

Ugh! I know she is hugely popular. I know her books are compulsively readable. But why? How? I have to give Gardner credit - she has mastered the technique that keeps the reader turning pages. Even though I hated the story, I actually had to FORCE myself to stop reading it! Maybe I should compare her writing to potato chips - can't read just one (page!). Overall, too violent and formulaic for my tastes. Now, if I can just keep myself away from the next one . . . ( )

I am currently half way through this book. Like any crime reading, the suspense is there. The only thing I'm bothered with is when she writes about the child abuse/molestation. A good writer Lisa Gardner is for even as disturbing as the read is, it captivates me and urges me to continue in hopes that there will be justice.

I am looking forward to reading her other books. ( )

I think that Lisa Gardner may be one of my favorite authors of all time. I have read only two of her novels but they were both great. From the very first page the action is nonstop. Once I picked the book up, I couldn't put it down. Whatever the cliche for a great read, insert here, and that's what I have to say.

When I began reading this novel, I was unaware that it was part of a series. As a matter of fact, not until the mention of Kimberly's father, Quincy, did I realize that it wasn't a stand alone novel. It was definitely good enough to be, the story line was incredible, characters more real than I could ever imagine, and scenes that left me feeling vulnerable. Reading this book, made me scared, really! Not often can a story invoke such strong feelings of fear, but knowing that humans can have a side like that of Dinchara, was enough to give me goosebumps.

I would not only recommend this book, but I would say that it is a must read for suspense/thriller fans everywhere, but, beware that there are places that are difficult to get through.

Interesting psychological thriller featuring FBI Agent Kimberly Quincy. A satisfying, spooky read, if a little slow moving at first. If you have a real aversion to spiders, this book is not for you. ( )

I love author Lisa Gardner and have read all her books over the years. I was very excited to finally get a copy of her newest book, Say Goodbye, and I was not disappointed.

Say Goodbye is Lisa Gardner's sixth novel that involves members of the Quincy FBI family. This one focuses on Quincy's daughter Kimberly, an FBI lead investigator, and her husband Mac, a GBI Georgia Bureau of Investigation) detective.

Kimberly is pregnant and she and Mac are having "discussions" about her work: amount, level, dangerous-ness. Mac wants her to take a step back to protect herself and their child but Kimberly does not think she is putting herself in any danger and resents the implication.

Kimberly is contacted by a pregnant hooker who claims one of her customers has gotten rid of one of her friends. She calls her customer Mr. Dinchara, which is arachnid backwards, because of his love and ownership of many spiders.

Mac's friend and co-worker Sal has been working on a potential case involving missing hookers. Sal thinks his case is related to Kimberly's hooker and this Mr. Dinchara. Kimberly does not get an official 'okay' to work on the missing girl but continues to investigate on her own (and the discussions with Mac continue because she's adding MORE to her plate).

As you can guess, this turns into more than anyone could see at the beginning. Lisa Gardner has the unique ability to write a mystery/thriller that has you turning pages wanting to know more of what happens while developing her characters in real and significant ways. I'm always impressed (and maybe a little scared - lol) with how well I can understand and relate to her characters - both the good and bad. I would argue with Kimberly and Mac, seeing both sides of their discussions. But then I also thought "don't do it!!!" when Kimberly ... well, you can find out for yourself.

Say Goodbye, as with all of her novels, can stand alone and you will thoroughly enjoy the book. However, if you want to understand the characters even more deeply and appreciate the story even more, I recommend you read the series in order. The books in this series are (from the author's website):
— THE PERFECT HUSBAND (introduces Quincy)
— THE THIRD VICTIM (Quincy and Rainie meet)
— THE NEXT ACCIDENT
— THE KILLING HOUR (focuses on Quincy's daughter, Kimberly)
— GONE
— SAY GOODBYE (focuses on Kimberly, Mac, Rainie and Quincy)

If you are a mystery/thriller lover and have not read any of Lisa Gardner's books, you are missing out on one of the best. She has other books that are not related to the Quincy family that I also love. I highly recommmend you get these on your list! ( )

The story begins with a plane crash which appears to be an accident until extra body parts turn up. This investigation leads the main character, FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy to a serial killer that might not have been discovered for years if not for the accident.

While Agent Quincy connects the dots, the story flips back and forth from the the killer’s point of view to his past to the present investigation. The reader will get the inside scoop on how this killer was created. And warning folks, this psychopath has a major creep-out factor going for him. Also, the killer’s voice is where this writer is at her most creative state.

Another place where Gardner exercises her creative skills was with the main character. Quincy is pregnant, but aside from the food cravings, not your typical stereotype first time mom-to-be. All she has ever known is has been put into work and she’s not ready for motherhood. She puts herself and her unborn child in danger more than once and I don’t know if readers will be cool with that.

When I compare SAY GOODBYE with her previous work such as HIDE or ALONE, this latest book is probably her most extraordinary piece of work. Her characters are deeper, richer than ever before. HIDE will remain my favorite, but this book exposes her incredible talent. ( )

Say Goodbye (ARC version) is a reasonably well written suspense/thriller about a variety of intelligence agencies and police forces, (including the usual plethora of acronyms that are recognizable or not), coming together to solve the mystery of a large number of missing prostitutes. Ms. Gardner works at keeping the suspense level high and the villain(s) ambiguous. A secondary storyline about child predators and child victims is particularly gruesome and heartrending. The author does a good job of keeping the action moving with interweaving stories, creative crime scenes and sidebar information.

However, this novel is overly ambitious as the author attempts to speak out against a multitude of evils, including rape, child pornography, prostitution, murder, abduction, kidnapping, sodomy and other sexual depravities. She could have chosen one or two of these and still had a good story to tell. All of these crimes are equally horrific in their own way, making the use of all these evils in one storyline is a bit overwhelming. She also has numerous sub-themes that are never fully developed, including pregnancy, foster parenting, the financial problems of the elderly, marital issues surrounding mothers working outside the home, the possibility of ancestors hanging around as ghosts, etc.

There is little relief from the horror, with the added perplexity of the italicized voice of the villain(s)/victim(s) threaded throughout the narrative. In attempting to make the reader really work to discover who the villain(s) and victim(s) are, a great deal of ambiguity is written into this part of the story, including an undefined timeline that is used to shroud the mystery further. The problem is that this device distracts the reader from the story, as the reader keeps attempting to determine if it is a flashback or the present time.

Added to the criminal horror, you also get a lot of spiders, bugs, snakes and other creepy crawlies sliming around the perimeter of the story. Although this aspect of the novel rates high on the yuch-o-meter scale and may be TMI, there are some interesting arachnid tidbits quoted as lead-ins to the chapters.

If you are a first-time reader of Lisa Gardner, beware of choosing to read this book first. Say Goodbye includes a number of characters from her prior publications (of which this reader was unaware), such that much of the lead characters' back-stories are contained in other novels. There is no indication of this anywhere in the front pages of the book or back cover blurb, so the reader is stuck out on a limb once you start the book. This novel can certainly be read as a stand-alone, but the reader's knowledge of the lead characters and their motivations is rendered incomplete, making the reading less satisfying.

In conclusion, I generally enjoyed the pace of this novel and read it in one sitting. It was a tense and suspenseful read, even though I gritted my teeth every time my concentration was invaded by the author's use of fragments instead of full sentences, her somewhat oddly written unsynchronized conversations and incorrect verb tense. I did feel it was too ambitious with the multitude of crime elements and themes; it could have been a tighter story and more suspenseful if only one or two crimes were developed. I was annoyed with the undefined timeline in both the general narrative and the italicized storyline. I felt that most of the characters were either undeveloped or that I should have read earlier books to better know the lead characters. Confusion exists at the end with regard to the villain that makes the denouement unsatisfying. ( )

“Say Goodbye” by Lisa Gardner was easy to say goodbye to. Frankly, I can't understand the great reviews this book is getting. I was excited about the book because I like mysteries, detective novels, and strong female leads, but this book was a letdown.

THE GOOD

The plot, for the most part, was well thought out, and was definitely a good book idea, but it needed a little tweaking to make the various parts flow.

Kimberly's character was fairly well-developed, although the intrusive references to her backstory just didn't fit with the flow of the novel. Perhaps this was an homage to her previous work, Hide, which I believe featured Kimberly's father. However, for those of us who haven't read Hide, it just didn't make sense that these facts were thrown in there. Also, the constant references to her pregnancy were unnecessary; yes, we know she’s pregnant so we’re supposed to feel more empathy with her. Empathy, check.

The facts about spiders were pretty interesting and I enjoyed those. They weren’t necessary, per say, but were fun to read. If you’re not a spider lover, this won’t endear you to the little critters at all. 

The backstories of the antagonists were told as flashbacks that you're supposed to eventually tie back to the individual characters, and are revealed via little snippets throughout the book. It was an interesting way to develop the backgrounds of the characters and reveal their motivations for what they are doing, but it felt confusing. I found myself wishing all this background had been a chapter at the beginning of the book, because it would have given you more of a feel for the actions of the antagonist. Especially confusing were the bits with Rita, because I was under the impression that these were past events, not current, so was forever trying to figure out who the boy was supposed to be. However, these snippets were, in my opinion, the best parts of the book. They were interesting, the characters were compelling, and you could really feel their anger and frustration, unlike the MAIN characters.

THE BAD:

Writing. Pure and simple, the writing is bad. It's amateurish. It feels like she has an entire plotline and characters in her head, but we're receiving it through the voice of someone who's never written anything before. It makes me wonder how good the writing was in Hide that it warranted another book by this author. Facts were stated, then contradicted. Some details didn't make sense. For instance, at the beginning of the book, it talks about her meeting her husband for the first time at the FBI Academy. The author writes that the first time they saw each other was when she'd gone after him with a knife and he responded by trying to steal a kiss. In FBI training? Huh? And then, on the very next page, she contradicts by saying that they'd met over a crime scene. Another instance, there was no air of any sexual tension between this married, 5-months pregnant investigator and Sal, another investigator, yet all of a sudden, she's sitting next to him outside a hotel room wondering what it would be like to kiss him and run her hands all over him. Then she accidentally calls him Mac, her husband's name. It was revolting and didn't make any sense.

Dialogue. Another bad. It was terribly unrealistic. Example (and I'll block out the character's name her to not give anything away): "[character] leapt to his feet, shouting, 'Well, look at that!' Then a rifle boomed from the trees and red bloomed across [character]'s shoulder and he exclaimed a second time, 'Well, look at that!' [Character] fell to the ground." The guy gets shot and exclaims "Well, look at that!"? Sure. And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the dialogue just doesn’t seem real and therefore doesn’t allow the reader to be immersed in the action.

The antagonists were interesting, as their motivations were clear and understandable, but the main characters, including Kimberly’s husband Mac, her father, and her father’s wife were poorly developed and seemed to be there just to move the plot along. The actions and dialogue of Kimberly’s father and his wife were the worst in the book. And, I didn’t understand why FBI agents would lug along a civilian on investigations, even so far as taking them to a different town and staying in a hotel. Why were these people along for the ride?

All in all, it was very difficult to get through this book. Although it would seem to have all the elements that I look for in a novel, this one just didn’t ring true. The characters, dialogue, and writing made it a chore to read and didn’t allow for me to step into the reality of these characters. I think the same plot, in the hands of a better writer, would have made “Say Goodbye” much more interesting and a compelling read. My advice would be to read a few random pages before buying to see if you can get over the writing. As for me, I’ll say goodbye to the wasted hours spent plodding through “Say Goodbye.” ( )

Say Goodbye stars FBI agent Kimberly Quincy as she investigates missing prostitutes, which leads her to a spider obsessed killer who calls himself Dinchara. Kimberly deals with many different issues throughout this story. Her relationship becomes strained with her husband, Mac, over work issues and her pregnancy. She also becomes somewhat involved with Salvadore Martignetti, a GBI Special Agent, whom she teams up with to help solve the mystery of Dinchara.
Say Goodbye is a story with many twists and turns, which is confusing at times. It was hard to tell which character was telling which part of the story. The story is suspenseful, the characters are likeable and intriguing, and the ending has lots of surprises. This was a good read, but not my favorite Lisa Gardner book. ( )

This is one of the best books I have read for quite a long time. It has all the things I look for in a great suspense book: page-turning action, great characters, lots of twists and turns in the plot, and a great general 'creepyness' LOL
It does have a lot of adult themes (ie. serial killers, child molestation, rape etc.), so if you are upset by reading about these then this book is not for you. But, I would recommended this book for anyone looking for a roller-coasterlike suspenseful summer read. I can't wait for her next one. :-) ( )

Kimberly Quincy, FBI agent, is told a strange tale by a prostitute of a very scary man who is taking and killing prostitutes and has been for years. Another agent finds an unmarked envelope under his car wipers with driver's licences for 6 young women. When a few names match the prostitute's story Kimberly believes the tale. But with no missing persons reports and no bodies the word of one hooker does not make a case. As the story progresses we are introduced to one of the most vicious serial killers I've read about recently. There is more than just the one story here though, a child who has been abducted and leads a life of fear and degradation enters the scene and this thrilling thriller takes the reader on a roller coaster ride.

This is my first Lisa Gardner book and I can't believe I've waited this long. I enjoyed this thriller just as much as any by my other favourite authors (ie. Slaughter or Gerritsen). This read is fast-paced, very disturbingly gruesome, with a plot that twists and shocks. You can't ask for more when it comes to a serial killer thriller. As a first-timer with this series I found it very easy to jump in with this sixth book, enough past details are given to explain what drives the characters and also to make me want to go back and read the other books. I will definitely be reading more Lisa Gardner.
( )