From Booklist In Palmer’s latest, a couple who came together under tragic circumstances—they met at a support group for parents whose children have died—decides to adopt. This doesn’t sound especially implausible, but theres also the fact that the child Gage and Anna decide to adopt is the unborn baby of Lily, a young woman they happened to meet at a bus stop (who then tracked them down to their house and offered them her child). The book is full of crazy-person red flags, and, to be fair, Gage does see them, does think something’s not quite right with Lily. But every time he accuses Lily of something, Anna jumps to the girl’s defense, and there’s always a seemingly simple explanation. This is one of those thrillers where you know something is going on, and the writer gives you plenty of clues, but there are still some twists and turns he keeps hidden away until just the right moment. A smartly constructed tale that operates on multiple levels. --David Pitt Read more About the Author Daniel Palmer is the author of numerous critically acclaimed suspense novels, including Delirious and Desperate. After receiving his master's degree from Boston University, he spent a decade as an e-commerce pioneer before turning his attention to writing. A recording artist, accomplished blues harmonica player, and lifelong Red Sox fan, Daniel lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children. Visit him online at www.DanielPalmerBooks.com Read more
M**H
Desperate: slow-starting thriller with a surprise ending
Gage Dekker is a QA Manager for a hi-tech battery manufacturer, who lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. He meets Anna Miller, who has also lost a child, in a grief counseling session, and they marry. After a miscarriage, they decide to adopt. A chance meeting with a pregnant girl, Lily, presents opportunity to shortcut the adoption process, so Lily moves in with them. Strange things start to happen that cause a rift between Gage and Anna. When Lily's ex-boyfriend also moves in, the ugliness of the plot is revealed. Gage tries to get them both to leave, but they're not willing to oblige.It's hard to say any more about the plot without giving things away, but I can say that it held many surprises. Unlike many thrillers, this story line was a bit slow getting started, but perseverance paid off. Although the plot line was disturbing, I like a book that takes me in unexpected directions as this one did. My one criticism - I found it a little bit hard to believe that Gage could get so taken in by these people.The author is the son of Michael Palmer, another of my favorites. It looks like he picked up some of his father's writing talent.
P**.
A real thrill of a book!
I started this book thinking what an interesting story it was; then about 100 pages in I thought oh no, I know how this is going to go, just the same old plot I've read many times before; then a couple of chapters later I realized I was wrong, it was going in an entirely unexpected way and was very exciting, and it kept it up with several more totally unexpected twists and surprises all the way to the end. So I highly recommend this book if you want an exciting, suspenseful read.
J**E
Daniel Palmer does it again!
I don't often review books because I hate to repeat the synopsis of a book that everyone else has already touched on, but I have to tell you how much I loved this book!Desperate is full of suspense along with unexpected twists and turns and a surprise ending that I didn't see coming...AT ALL. Some parts of the book dragged just a bit, and others were a little far-fetched, but the surprise ending made it worth every second.I had trouble putting this one down from about a third of the way through to the very end. I even read the acknowledgements which I normally don't bother with. The final twist was so unexpected I immediately wanted to start reading it again to see how I missed it.Fantastic book! I think I've said it before, but Daniel Palmer now has now cemented his spot in my must-read author list along with Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, and Harlan Coben. These four need only put their name on a book to convince me to buy it immediately without even knowing the plot. This book is the perfect example of why I love reading.
D**S
Outstanding!
This is my first experience with Daniel Palmer's writing and I'm hooked! Mr. Palmer has a writing style that just...glides. It's lyrical, really. The way he layers the plot to build to an unbelievable crescendo is short of amazing! I also loved his character development. I could feel palpable angst from protagnanist Gage with his unimaginable loss. Anna was also brilliantly characterized as Gage's loving wife. Lily? What can I say about Lily without giving anything away. But Roy...Mr. Palmer did an outstanding job is leading us to believe Roy is this toothpick-chewing bumbling idiot who severely messes up every time.I am off to explore more Danial Palmer books. I can't wait to immerse myself in another one of his stories. But I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
M**Y
READ ONLY IF YOUR HEART IS STRONG AND HEALTHY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
INCREDIBLE -- SHOCKING -- TERRIFYING !!!!!!!!!!!!OMG -- I CANNOT ADEQUATELY PRAISE THIS BOOK AND ITS BRILLIANT AUTHOR. THE MOST EXCITING BOOK I'VE EVER READ, AND I'VE READ THOUSANDS. IT'S A GOOD THING IT WAS ON KINDLE BECAUSE IT HAD ME SHAKING FAR TOO MUCH TO HOLD A BOOK.HOWEVER, I WAS SO ENTHRALLED, I BEGAN TO WORRY ABOUT THE COMPUTER CRASHING! IT WAS 3AM -- WHERE COULD I IMMEDIATELY GET A NEW COMPUTER? BECAUSE I COULD NOT --COULD NOT POSSIBLY STOP READING !!!!!I LOVE A BOOK WITH A SURPRISE ENDING. WELL, AT ABOUT PAGE 260 IT SEEMED THE STORY WAS OVER, BUT THERE WERE ALMOST 100 PAGES LEFT. WHAT WOULD THEY BE??? AND THEN THE SHOCKS STARTED COMING, ONE AFTER ANOTHER AFTER ANOTHER!!! BODY AND MIND SLAMS THAT WERE UNIMAGINABLE!!!! NO-ONE COULD GUESS ANY OF THEM !!!! THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING VERY WRONG WITH ANYONE WHO DOESN'T LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING MASTERPIECE OF THRILLS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
L**N
A can't-put-down thriller
The story starts with a couple who met at a support group for parents who have lost children. After one miscarriage, they feel they can’t face another devastating loss, so they put an ad on a website for parents looking to adopt a baby. They meet a young woman who is pregnant and wants to give up her baby for adoption. Her boyfriend has kicked her out and they invite her to live in the apartment above their house. Things start to go very, very wrong. The pace builds and the tension ratchets up with each new scene. There are unpredictable twists and turns as the well-meaning husband gets pulled into an increasingly impossible situation. I didn’t see that end coming. Well done, Mr. Palmer!
S**A
What happened?
Loved the first half of the book, where I was happily contemplating the come uppance of two highly dislikable characters, not to mention the rose tinted glasses being swiped off Anna's face, and her having to eat humble pie. Then much to my consternation, the plot suddenly changed track and became full of espionage and mafia gangster types. Towards the end of the book the characters were no longer who they were in the beginning, to such an extent that they were no longer believable. kept me reading, but I lost a lot of interest.
M**P
IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GUESS THE ENDING TO PALMER'S BOOKS....THINK AGAIN
I just finished reading Stolen by Palmer and was blown away by the ending. When you read a book usually you can sort of figure out the ending. NOT SO with this author. He even makes you wait until the very end to shock you. So I bought Desperate and figured he couldn't do that again to me....WRONG!.....again I was totally blown away by the ending of this book. I just found another favorite author to add to my list. Excellent, exciting, a real page turner. So happy I found you Mr. Palmer keep them coming.
