Ready to Die
Written by Lisa Jackson
Narrated by Natalie Ross
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
One by one, he’ll stalk them, then he’ll squeeze the trigger, savoring the way each lifeless body crumples to the reddening snow. One down already. And then there were five…
When Detective Regan Pescoli drives to Sheriff Dan Grayson’s house to present her resignation, she’s prepared for an argument. She’s not expecting to find Grayson shot and bleeding out on the frozen ground. The assassination attempt leaves Grayson barely clinging to life and the entire police department of Grizzly Falls, Montana, in shock. Every lawman has enemies, but something about this shooting suggests more than a simple grudge.
Now Pescoli feels compelled to stay on the force until the case is solved. She and Detective Selena Alvarez—who is torn between a new relationship and her loyalty to Grayson—work to whittle down the list of suspects. But the deeper they go, the more personal and dangerous the case becomes.
Then a prominent judge’s body is found and the killer sends a sinister warning to the press: “Who’s Next?” Headstrong and eager for justice, Pescoli has no intention of waiting around to find out. She’ll track the scant clues on her own if she has to, but she has no idea where her search will lead.…
Two down, four to go…and now Alvarez and Pescoli are at the top of a killer’s list. And when hunter meets prey, both must be willing to kill—and ready to die.…
Lisa Jackson
When asked what has inspired her to write more than 50 novels brimming with adventure, intrigue, hot passion, and high emotion, bestselling Oregon author, Lisa Jackson gets a mischievous smile on her face. Then the words flow as fast as her fingers fly on her computer keyboard when she writes. Her eyes sparkling with memories, she tells stories of her youth, stories of a Huckleberry Finn childhood in the small lumber town of Molalla and on her grandparents' nearby farm in the hilly region of western Oregon. There in the old growth timber, Lisa rode bareback and raced along the ages-old sheep, cattle and deer trails. In the nearby river, she skinnydipped and caught crawdads in her bare hands. An inventive child, she sneaked out of the house and rode her bicycle or horse in the moonlight and dreamed up childish pranks that would have done Tom Sawyer proud. "Nobody could have had a better childhood," Lisa remarks, her twinkling eyes and got-away-with-something-grin giving her a youthful appearance that defies the fact that she is in her mid-40s and the mother of two college-age sons. "My childhood was enchanted. We were a small, tightly knit family. My mum and dad were and still are my greatest supporters." Why then does Lisa write lousy dads and conniving relatives into the plots of books that regularly earn berths on such national bestseller lists as USA Today's and Waldenbooks'? "I think the deepest angst people can experience is what can develop among family members, because our emotions run so deep there," Lisa replied. "Deep down, we care about these people, but being related doesn't mean we think alike or want the same things. I also think manipulative people are fascinating. Characters like those help me to keep the readers' interest. I love it when readers write me to complain that they didn't get any sleep the night before because they had to finish my book." Lisa studied English Literature at Oregon State University for two years before she married. In 1981, when her younger son was a year old, she began writing novels. But she decided she needed a steady income and landed a nine-dollar-per-hour bank job. Before she could begin work, however, her supervisor was arrested for embezzling. "About then I sold my first book, A Twist of Fate, which — guess what! — was about a woman suspected of bank embezzling. It was purely coincidental. The story came out of my background in banking," Lisa provided. "But I guess you could say, if not for a bank embezzler, I might not have made it as an author." In addition to suspenseful contemporary page-turners, Lisa also delivers medieval romances set in eleventh and twelfth century Wales. "I enjoy doing these medieval period pieces, because women were so trod upon then. By nature of their lot in life, I can generate empathy or sympathy for the medieval heroines. They're underdogs from the get-go. Tell me what woman doesn't root for the underdog!" Britannia Roads, a creative Lansing, Michigan tour packager, read the first in Lisa's medieval trilogy and loved her writing so much that she designed a tour of Wales, with Lisa as the featured guest. Tour members will visit some of Princess Diana's favourite places to stay in Ruthin Castle. They'll be in for a treat when Lisa regales them with author stories during the tour, for she is as talented at public speaking as she is at writing novels. When not writing, Lisa enjoys spectator sports, reading, watching The X-Files and socialising now that she's a single mum. Her favourite authors include Pat Conroy, Nelson DeMille, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Dick Francis, and other authors who also write compelling page-turners.
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Titles in the series (10)
Left to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Afraid to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chosen to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Afraid to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ready to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deserves to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Expecting to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Expecting to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Willing to Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Ready to Die
45 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Winter in Montana. Snow & ice. Serial killer. All the stuff we've seen before in this series. Again a family drama that doesn't seem to meld with the main plot, and I didn't really care about it. Detective's bratty kids still bratty, though there seems to be some redemption for the older one. The murderer is pretty obvious about 1/2 way in.Can't say I'm going to read the next installment, assuming it will suffer from the same lack of creativity this one does.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ready to Die by Lisa Jackson is a 2013 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. When I heard Lisa Jackson was coming out with a new novel soon, I realized I had not read any of her books in quite some time. Scrolling through my TBR list I discovered I had added this book to my shelves under ‘Netgalley’ but I had never reviewed it. Sure enough, I found it on my Kindle, stored in the cloud, never read or reviewed. Geez. Better late than never? I hope so, since I usually enjoy Lisa’s work and hate that so much time has passed since I read one of her books. This book in the fifth in this series, and starts off with a huge emotional shock, which has Alvarez and Pescoli under pressure and very much on edge. Their beloved sheriff, Dan Grayson, is now lying in a coma and the ladies are determined to take down the person who shot him. On a personal level, Pescoli is dealing with two petulant kids, a marriage proposal, and a new boss who has made it clear he doesn’t like her. Can the women discover who shot Dan and if the disappearance of a prominent judge has ties to this case? This story is one part police procedural, and one part family drama. The crime is very well plotted and kept me guessing all the way to the very end where a stunning twist left me floored. The only part I hated about the investigation was that Dan was the victim. The personal dramas and side stories were sort of puzzling to me. Jeremy needed to be taken down a notch, even though he did earn a little bit of respect from me by the end of the book. The other side story involving Dan’s brother and former sister-in-law was pretty sudsy and after it got my blood boiling a little, this sub-plot simply faded away and we got a one sentence update on the situation in the epilogue that was very disappointing. I hope this storyline is continued in the next book and that there is more of upbeat feeling to it as well. But, as far as I’m concerned that whole setup didn’t do one thing for the investigation into Dan’s shooting, nor did it address the suspicious death of Dan’s brother several years ago, another thread that got left flapping in the wind, but there is a hint that storyline is not yet closed. Still, I was left with the feeling I wasted all that emotion on nothing and wondered why it was even in this book. I think the story would have flowed a lot more evenly if the focus had stayed on the crime and on the ladies doing the leg work. The crime novel sections, the investigation, and the police work is the bread and butter in this book and all the other sub-plots were more or less filler, except for the inside look into Pescoli’s life and the pressures she was under on all fronts. I like Alvarez and Pescoli being paired together as partners and believe they work well together. So, overall, this book is a solid thriller and crime novel, and for the most part was an enjoyable read. 3 stars
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listened for Review (Brilliance)Tracking Books Read Review (Short)Overall Rating: 4.25Story Rating: 4.00Character Rating: 4.50Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)First Thought when Finished: Ready to Die was the most twisty turny story in the series so far! Plus that very last scene--OMG!Overall Thoughts: Ready to Die was probably my favorite in the To Die series to date. There was action, twists, turns, and a few shockers. The story was the strongest when it was focused on the case. It wasn't so much a "who dun it" but more of a "how we gonna catch him" that had me on the edge of my seat. The only time the story was a little off was when it was focused on the various romances. I don't know why but I just can't connect with the romances in this series. However, since they are background and not pivotal (IMHO) they don't distract from the overall plot line. That being said, I love the characters in the To Die series. There are 2 really strong female leads (Pescoli and Alvarez) that just quite simply rock. Fans of the Eve Duncan or Rizzoli and Isles series would love these two!Audio Thoughts: Narrated By Natalie Ross / Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins Natalie does a fantastic job with the To Die series. I think she nails Pescoli and Alvarez. She does a decent job with the male voices and her pacing is pretty darn good. I enjoy listening to these on audio.Final Thoughts: I am counting down to the next release!Especially after that last moment.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good story, good writing. I'd gladly read another in this series. This was a free Goodreads First Read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I loved it. I have read and enjoyed all of the books in this series. The action is good and I enjoy seeing how the main characters' lives change with each new book. Highly recommended and looking forward to the next.