Shiver (A Bentz/Montoya Novel)

Another great book. Loved the characters and setting.
Supposed empty mental asylums would give me the creeps.
It was detailed in a way that I could envision it when it was actually
in use!! Kept me guessing right up to the end. Great book and I'd
recommend to all others!!!!!

The plot of this book - murder or suicide from the past comes back to haunt kids of victim - was pretty good. There were enough twists in it to keep me entertained. But the characters were really not at all developed. The author tried, but just giving background info about a character doesn't do it. There has to be character in the movements and the dialogue needs to be not quite so trite.

I loved the first thrid of this book - the main character was pretty decent. but then when others started getting involved, it just ran out of steam. Honestly, I liked the cat better than the male protagonist's partner. And I don't like cats.

I got two of her books for my "summer beach reads". This one was not a great winner. Alas.

Lisa Jackson can write suspense so the reader really does "SHIVER" through most of this book. She does not let her readers down at all with this excellent and chilling tale. Mix an old closed mental hospital, a crazed killer who is positioning his victims in strange ways for some unexplained reasons, a cop that is falling for one that could be a suspect, and you have a whale of a mystery.

Abby Chastain's mother had been found dead twenty-years ago on the sidewalk of the mental hospital beneath a window three stories above. This occurred in "Our Lady of Virtues Mental Hospital" which is located beside a convent that is still inhabited even though the hospital is now closed and supposedly deserted! The circumstances of the death were really unknown. The hospital had called it a suicide but many debated this decision.

Abby was divorced when she caught her ex-husband, Luke, in bed with her sister, Zoey, a fact Zoey says was not true because when she and the ex were together, Abby and he were not married. That tiny detail kept the two apart for years. Luke was a well-known radio talk-show host. His tirades against many subjects kept him on top of his game but things came to a head when he opened up one day on the air putting down Abby in every way he could. It seems when Luke left he was given a certain period of time to get his things out of the house, but when that time had long gone by, Abby donated most his things to charity, including, Abby thought, a gun that had been in Luke's family for years. That one item really set Luke way off, on the air and off, especially when he talked to Abby on the phone. Things were worse than ever between them.

When murders started showing up beginning with the one of Luke and Mary LeBelle, two individuals that was so completely different from each other in everything they did in their lives, the cops started a strong investigation. With someone known as well as Luke, they had their hands full. And, why were the victims placed the way the killer posed them, Luke underneath Mary, completely naked, and Mary thrown across the top of him fully clothed. Abby was suspected because of her on and off the air battles with Luke. Detective Reuben Montoya was one assigned to the case. He started his interviews and investigation that brought many suspects into the picture from Abby to the radio station employees, to others not thought involved with Luke.

The spark flared almost immediately between Abby and Montoya. He was having a hard time being open-minded every time Abby came into his thoughts. Many other police joined into this crime along with other agencies when several other killings identical to Luke and Mary's posed murders appeared. What a sick mind this killer must have.

The investigation will take you into the convent, the closed mental hospital, several murder sites in the area, the morgue, and into the hearts of Abby and Montoya. Many times the reader will think they have this story figured out but believe me, you won't until you get very near the end. You will get "shivers" as you read. If you are preparing to go to sleep, you better put the book down some time before you do that!

Thrillers and horror books are my first choice of reading matter, followed closely by children's books. Lately, though, I've been side-tracked by other good books in different genres, so I was delighted to win Shiver ... a serial-killer thriller by talented author Lisa Jackson. I won it from J. Kaye's Book Blog. What a coup!

Even though I'd heard that Jackson is a gifted writer, this is my first Jackson reading experience--but it won't be my last! Shiver is her fourteenth novel, and I'm disgruntled because I've missed thirteen gripping, exciting reads like this one.

From the book's title, I expected a few shivers while reading, but never expected to shiver AND shudder practically all the way through to the astonishing ending. The only time I wasn't chilled was during the initial romantic scenes between beautiful Abby Chastain and the handsome, rugged Homicide Detective Reuben Montoya ... and the even hotter scenes as their relationship intensified.

This author's fast-paced style kept me turning pages so fast my thumb grew numb. She's great at dialogue, pacing and structure, while her characters came across so genuine I feel like I know them. Her description gave me a feel for pre-Katrina New Orleans without dragging it out, as some authors do.

And it's obvious that Jackson knows a killer's mind; the chapters written from the killer's point of view (POV) kept me on pins and needles. For example: << He slipped between the boards of the broken fence and stared up at the edifice where it had all happened so long ago. A surge of power sizzled through his bloodstream as he stepped through the overgrown bushes. Moist spiderwebs pressed against his face. He inhaled the humid, dank scent of earth and decay. ... The ornate red brick building with its gargoyles on the downspouts and windows was now crumbling and dark, a desiccated skeleton of a once great lady. He closed his eyes for a second, remembering the sights and smells of the hospital with its grand facade and filthy, wicked secrets. Prayers had been whispered, screams stifled, a place where God and Satan met. Home! >>

Frightening! Creepy! Insane! Even now, I shiver to think about the bizarre acts this evil character perpetrated on his victims.

From the chilling prologue where Faith Chastain faced her own demons twenty years before, into the present--where evil from the past is entangling her daughter in the aftermath of vicious, evil happenings at Our Lady of Virtues Hospital in New Orleans--this book grips the reader with an iron fist that won't let go until the last scene unravels.

What did the supposed "caregivers" at the hospital do to a young man at the hospital that turns him into a killer and drives him to bide his time to exact such horrible revenge? What connection does he have to Abby's mother? Why is the killer choosing "yin and yang" victims, posing them for theatrical effect? How is he choosing his many victims? Is he after Abby and her sister too? And what plans does he have for Detective Montoya? In his twisted mind is there a connection between Abby and Montoya?

As you read and reveal the answers to those questions, many others will confront you in this convoluted plot of murder, lust and revenge.

If you like romantic suspense, thrillers, and books that make you shiver, then Shiver is for you! (This review based on the hardcover version.)

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, 2008
Author of: 1106 Grand Boulevard

As a child, Abby Chastain watched her mother plunge to her death from a window in a mental institution. This event has shaped her entire life. Her relationship with her family is strained, she's been through a recent bitter divorce that only seems to get more contentious now that it's final, and she's beginning to fear that she's following in her mother's footsteps--and going crazy.

Her ex-husband is a shock jock at the local radio station, and after a nasty confrontation, lambastes Abby over the radio. Abby is naturally mortified and incensed by the attack. A few days later, Luke is found brutally murdered. Detective Ruben Montoya is sent to investigate the case, and identifies Abby as a prime suspect, despite the strong attraction he feels for her. Montoya realizes very quickly that this is the work of a serial killer, and is able to rule Abby out. But as others are killed, he realizes that Abby could be a target--but why?

Shiver is obviously one in a series of books written by Jackson, but was never difficult to follow. The characters are believable, and while Abby occasionally behaved in a way that made me question her intelligence (not her sanity), it was a very engaging read.

The murders are quite grisly, and not for the faint of heart. The mystery is solved, although the killer's motivation isn't really explained until the very end of the book.

Armchair Interviews says: Shiver provides a well-written and diverting read.

Lisa Jackson has written a number of intriguing series titles built around attractive but realistic characters who are experiencing unusual but believable adventures in exotic settings. Perhaps Jackson's greatest strength is her ability to balance the romantic with the suspenseful, providing enough elements of both genres to attract the respective fans of each and molding them into a storyline that holds the attention of both sets of readers. Her eagerly anticipated SHIVER meets all expectations and is a prime example of how a talented writer can broaden the horizons and appeal of disparate audiences.

SHIVER marks the return of Police Detective Reuben Montoya to pre-Katrina New Orleans, where he is thrust into the middle of a high-profile murder investigation. It begins when the bodies of Luke Gierman, a local radio shock jock, and a young college student are found. Initially thought to be a murder-suicide, the bizarre staging of the killing and the lack of a cohesive link between the two individuals quickly lead the police to believe that both were homicide victims.

The investigation brings Montoya into contact with Abby Chastain, Gierman's ex-wife. Chastain, the subject of an on-air rant by Gierman shortly before his death, is a logical but unlikely suspect. When a local munitions manufacturer and the head of a social organization are found murdered under somewhat similar circumstances, with a further link to Chastain, Montoya begins to understand the pattern of the killings, even as he becomes more emotionally enamored with Chastain. It also becomes clear to the reader that the unknown murderer is growing more obsessed with Chastain and that the key to it all may be the closed, but not-quite-abandoned, mental hospital where Chastain's mother fell to her death decades before; this may hold the key to her own fate as well.

As always, Jackson paints with an atmospheric brush dipped in subtle darkness. The novel is focused more on Chastain than Montoya, yet Montoya is a brooding, attractive presence as he draws in the killer --- even as he and Chastain pirouette around each other as they're pulled slowly yet inexorably closer, and Chastain becomes the penultimate target of a killer who is as mysterious and brutal as he is clever and cunning.

SHIVER is fully deserving of its status as the first of Jackson's works to be published initially in hardcover. And while it has a definite ending, SHIVER gives promise to new beginnings in its conclusions --- not only for Montoya, but also for Chastain. This is one novel that Jackson fans will not want to miss.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I actually am only about half way through this book, and just had to review it. Am I missing something? Isn't this supposed to be the 3rd book in the New Orleans Series? Suddenly more than 2 years have gone by since Cold Blooded, Bentz is married to the woman he'd just had a date with and we know for sure that Marta is dead?

I really enjoyed Cold Blooded, I was hoping to learn more about the characters from that story, but it seems to me that I've skipped over a HUGE amount of information and just got dropped into these peoples's lives with very little context.

So, like a few reviewers have said, there are a lot of editing errors, and this is in the paperback version, which should have had some time to be edited after the hard back was released.

Sorta disapointed. I'll finish it, but am really wondering if I am going to bother with Absolute Fear, then next book.

Shiver is a very will written mystery with interesting will developed characters. The story line is fast moving with lots of surprises leading to a conclusion, that leads to the next book in the series. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys will written mysteries. Enjoy reading

I shouldn't have even bothered reading this one. After picking it up, I had to groan at reading yet another serial killer novel. You would think by the way they're portrayed by writers, that every fifth person in the world is a serial killer. With so many of these types of novels out there, the writer needs to do a strong job of distinguishing it from the pack. This novel not only fails to that, it doesn't work at all. The characters are weak. The plot is generic. The melodrama is constant. There is nothing remotely believable in the story. In other words, don't bother reading this. It is a waste of time.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity

I did enjoy the plot, although the storyline became a bit repetitive and very religious. The author spent so much time rehashing the same information that she then rushed through the romance. It happened too quickly, was pretty unrealistic and felt like an afterthought.

But, the biggest problem I had with this book (and it was EXTREMELY annoying) was the lack of character development. The central male character Reuben Montoya has been in Jackson's previous books, but very little time is spent on his background in this book. During the course of the story, Reuben's past history with a woman named Marta is constantly alluded to, but never fully explained... perhaps this was a plot in a previous book, but you would think it would have been explained in detail since he is a main character! I'm still confused over that.

Overall, I'd give it a B+ for mystery, a C for romance and a D for character development. Wait for it to come out in paperback.

Detective Ruben Montoya ("Cold Blooded") is back, investigating the murder of a local shock jock and a female college student headed for a nunnery. Still grieving the loss of his lover Marta, the last thing he wants is to get involved with the prime suspect - the victim's wife Abby Chastain.

As more victims start to pile up, it is obvious that there is a serial killer on the loose, and all points lead to the Our Lady of Virtues convent and mental hospital, where Abby's mother plunged to her death decades earlier. Each set of victims are polar opposites of each other, adding to the mystery. While Ruben does not believe that Abby is the culprit, she is somehow integral to the killer's motivation - finding out why just might get them both killed.

Jackson does a great job keeping the killer under wraps (so much so that we are not aware of him until the final act); throwing out numerous possible suspects. The killer's inspired MO is clever and ingenious. But the revelation of the culprit was a let down after such a gripping tale, marring what could have been a perfect story.

There is a serial killer loose in New Orleans and he is killing people in pairs with no connection to one another. Why? Detective Reuben Montoya's only lead is with Abby Chastain, the ex-wife of one the victims. But what is her link to these grisly deaths? Lisa Jackson's SHIVER started out with some suspense and mystery, but soon failed to keep me intrigued. There was a lot of jumping around, no real character development and an easy plot to figure out. And it needed some editing. Since I borrowed this book from the library, I noticed a previous reader circled misspelled words and written question marks in various places.

Aside from this book being way too long, the editing was horrific. In the section with the real estate agent, her name changed from Laura to Laurie, back and forth, for the entire chapter, sometimes with her being called different names in two consecutive sentences! A halfway competent editor should've caught these things -- an editor for a NY Times best-selling author has no excuse.

I've liked the character of Montoya in previous books, and I liked Abby for the most part, except near the end when I thought she got stupid.

All in all, a decent read, but you can skim over big chunks of it and not miss a thing.

Chutzpah comes to Abby Chastain's mind when she learns that her former husband ridiculed her on his radio show as a frozen spouse. Still feeling rage and humiliation she is further stunned when her husband is killed in a double homicide. New Orleans Homicide Detective Reuben Montoya questions her as the wife would be the prime suspect in normal circumstances, but this time she has an extra motive.

He quickly concludes she did not commit the murders, but fears she is connected in some way that could make it unsafe for her. Montoya also fears that his desire for Abby might be prejudicing his view. Meanwhile another double murder occurs, which Reuben tries to tie to the deaths of Abby's spouse and his girlfriend. Montoya begins to believe that Our Lady of Virtues Mental Hospital, an asylum closed for years, is the connection; a place where Abby's mother either was murdered or committed suicide. However, the motive and whom remains unknown to the sleuth.

Fans have waited a long time for Detective Montoya's tale to be told; the wait was worth it as SHIVER is a fabulous romantic police procedural. The story line is action-packed from the moment Montoya begins the homicide investigation and never slows down until the final climax. The cold-blooded serial killer is cleverly shadowy enough to frighten readers as Lisa Jackson provides a powerful spine-chilling thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Bringing Lisa Jackson out as a hardback is long overdue. She is one of those authors with the ability to balance compelling characters, a plot that dials up the thrill index, just the right mix of romance and a setting that makes a difference. In this case New Orleans and an insane asylum provide the backdrop for Abby Chastain's accelerating terror as Det. Montoya, a recurring character, grapples with an accumulating set of victims that point toward Abby. Jackson's novels have been pegged Romantic Suspense, but the intensity here seems more like a Thriller. Recently I read, SHADOW OF DEATH, by Patricia Gussin. The jacket blurbs all said Medical Suspense because the author is a M.D., but I found it more a mix of Romantic Suspense and can't-put-it-down Thriller. Personally, I like this genre-mix that Lisa Jackson and Patricia Gussin have been able to exploit.

Lisa Jackson did her homework on this one. The decaying, creepy nut house would give anyone shivers. The smells, the noises, the bloodspatter on the walls, etc. Lisa Jackson does a wonderful job describing the nut house. You can almost imagine being there and what went on inside that place. The characters were great too. I am not going to give anything further away. I hope I am not mistaking this for another novel I read by another writer, but there is video you can watch of Our Lady of Sorrows on her web site. After you read the novel, check it out.

This was the first "suspense" mystery I remember reading in a long, long time. I enjoyed it though, and I might read more of them. I also liked some of the religious themes of the plot which, though I realize are overused in thrillers and horror (at least in movies), still appeal to that fan of 70s and 80s horror movies in me.

For more reviews, please visit my blog, CozyLittleBookJournal.

Lisa Jackson is a really good writer. Shiver was one of her best works. The murder mystery was really compelling to read. The two lead chararcters were pretty one-dimensional but other then that the book was great. There could have been a little bit more character dissection in my humble opinion.There were some mistakes spelling/editing mistakes but that is normal for any book and can be easily over looked. It does not hinder the plot or story in any way.

I think this was a really good book for people who like suspense/romance books.

Fast moving and as always eerie. I like her characters as they seem to be real with all the problems people have today. Relationships, children and how we manage our jobs in today's world. Great read and I recommend this book.

I have been disappointed with Jacksons other books. They are waaaaay too long, and lack consistent suspense.

This book, while long again, was better in the suspense action. There was activity going on throughout the entire story this time. I still think her books are too long. But, I actually liked this one.

This is my first Lisa Jackson -- it defintely won't be my last.

Loved it -- the characters were well drawn; the plot suspensful and believable. I am adding her to my list of must read authors.

Beth

Renton,WA

I love the romantic suspense genre. This was my first Lisa Jackson novel and I'm a little disappointed when comparing it to my other favs in this genre. Here are a few of my gripes:

The story kind of jumps around from character to character, storyline to storyline. It gets to the point where often times you skip a few pages because she's going on and on in an annoying fashion. She transitions from one thing to another, straying from the plot, and goes on about something else for 3-4 pages at a time sometimes. It kind of takes you a minute to realize the point.

The editing is surprisingly poor. I didn't expect to notice as many grammatical problems as I did. I found myself rereading a few sentences that simply didn't make sense. Now the whole book isn't full of typos, but there are enough to notice and make you reread and wonder how such a simple mistake went unnoticed. It gets a little maddening towards the end. I'd say I noticed 10-15 grammatical errors, which shocked me personally for such a popular author

Some of the criminology terms and personalities she uses come off as very fake. She says in the beginning of the book that she created a fictional department and changed some protocol and policies to fit her story. That's fine, but at times, it came off as trying a little too hard with the cop stuff.

Like another review said, the romance really did feel like an afterthought. The book is about 420 pages, and you don't get any romance whatsoever until page 299! It was insane. I kept waiting for it and it kept being put off.

The character development is indeed poor. She writes a lot of flashback memories but at times it's hard to piece them together and make sense of where she's going with it. At other times it simply annoys you that she keeps jumping from one part of the story to another. She refers to a past w/ a woman named Marta for Detective Montoya but never really elaborates on the meaning.

Unlike others in this genre, it's taken me weeks to finish it. With other books, some being 500 pages, I've finished in a matter of 3 days! This one was harder to push through. It was just full of uninteresting parts at times, and definitely not enough of the "romance" part of a romantic suspense.

If you really like this genre, I'd highly recommend Karen Rose. A couple of her books get up to the 500 pg mark but don't let that run you off. You never feel like you're actually reading a 500 pg book. I flew through 3 of her books in less than a week and a half. I'd recommend You Can't Hide, I'm Watching You, and Have You Seen Her? That's also the order in which I liked them. You may want to read "I'm Watching You" first as "You Can't Hide"'s male hero is introduced, but it's not absolutely necessary. You WON'T be disappointed with Rose. She's phenomenal with both the romantic story line, and the crime drama plot. She also doesn't get excessive and make the romantic plot cheesy and fake. Very good author!

Overall, I give Shiver a B for the crime drama aspect and a D for the romance. I'm wondering if some of these 5 star reviews are coming from dedicated Jackson readers, because this novel simply didn't hit the mark. I'm not sure I'll try another Lisa Jackson novel.

Hope this review helped. I went into this book with such excitement(obviously! because I rarely buy hardcover) and came out with huge disappointment. Try Karen Rose instead

Shiver literally had me shivering! Lisa Jackson continues to keep me coming back for more. Each time I think she's written the best, the next one just gets better - can't wait for the follow-up to this one!!!!