This was the first of Lisa Gardner's books that I have read, but I will definitely be looking out for more from this author. "Love you More" is a gripping thriller, set in New England that will probably appeal to anyone who enjoys the works of Linwood Barclay or Harlan Coben.
The book has two female protagonists, there's Tessa Leoni a Police Trooper who has, it appears shot her husband Brian with her own weapon, and D.D Warren, the detective on her day off who is called in to take on the case for two reasons; one she's a woman and tow the crime involves one of the Police's own. Why is Tessa strangely unwilling to co-operate so that the Police can find her 6 year old daughter Julia who has gone missing at the same time her step father has been shot? Can Tessa have committed even worse crimes? What follows is a finely crafted and pacey story with lots of twists and turns that is well worth the read.
I thought that the author did a good job creating characters that the reader could relate to, both main women were, in their different ways strong women facing the kind of issues women face; at the start of the book DD believes that she might be pregnant and is surprised at the feelings and issues this raises. There's enough focus on this to make her seem believable, without detracting from the story. Tessa too is a more complex and interesting character than you first believe, as is revealed through the book.
That's not to say that with the emphasis on female characters this is a feminist book or of no interest to male readers - this is a thriller pure and simply which is well written and a good read. This won't appeal to anyone who is easily offended by strong language or who doesn't like American settings, but to me, this is a book that, within its genre is as good as any I have read, and on that basis I am happy to recommend it.