Book Talk: Lisa Gardner, ‘Gone’

Sergeant Detective Kincaid, Major Crimes, Oregon State Police, is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from one of his officers. He gets information and starts to get out of bed. When his wife asks what’s going on, he says that the call involves an abandoned car. Naturally, she asks, “Baby, what’s that got to do with you?” Obviously, an abandoned car is not a major crime. He replies, “Driver’s-side door’s open, engine’s still running, and purse is sitting in the passenger’s seat.”

Things get interesting when a search of the purse reveals that it belongs to Lorraine “Rainie” Conner, a recent graduate from the FBI Academy. She’s missing. And, she is the lover/partner to Pierce Quincy, a former FBI profiler. Immediately, she’s got the Bakersville police, the county sheriff’s office, and her husband searching for her. Then, Rainie’s daughter Kimberly and her boyfriend Mac hop a plane in Atlanta and arrive in Portland to join the multi-agency task force. Kimberley is also an FBI agent, and with this much law-enforcing muscle involved, you’d think there’d be a quick resolution.

That’s not Lisa Gardner’s style. In “Gone” (2006, 448 pages in paperback format) she introduces a cagey kidnapper who doesn’t give them a chance to get properly organized. Beyond that, Rainie has become an alcoholic and is on medication which, if stopped abruptly, has serious consequences. So, it’s imperative to find her quickly.