Touch And Go By Lisa Gardner

A Read-Through of Touch And Go by Lisa Gardner

Touch And Go is a 2023 thriller from Lisa Gardner, part of her of police procedural novels featuring Detective D.D. Warren and her team in Boston. The book follows a missing persons case that spirals into something much darker when a serial predator starts leaving evidence that mirrors a cold case from decades ago. I read it over a long weekend. It's the kind of book that keeps you turning pages even when you know exactly how it's going to go. Gardner knows her pacing, and she doesn't waste time on unnecessary subplots. The prose is clean and functional, which is exactly what you want from a genre novel.

What You Should Know Before You Download Touch And Go By Lisa Gardner

The book was published by MIRA Books, an imprint of Harlequin. You can find it in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. The audiobook is narrated by Rebecca Lowman and runs about 12 hours. It's well done if you prefer listening, though some of the dialogue tags get a bit repetitive toward the middle. There are a few things that catch people off guard. The first is that the victim profile shifts somewhere around page 180, and if you think you've solved the mystery by then, you're probably wrong. Gardner plants clues that look like red herrings but aren't, which is a trick that works better on rereads than first passes. The second issue is the romantic subplot involving D.D. and her partner. It's handled with more restraint than her earlier books, but if you're only reading for the procedural aspect, you might find yourself skimming those sections. I usually skip them too.

I ran into a problem with a particular paperback edition where the chapter breaks were inconsistent, making it harder to track the timeline of events. The digital version handles this better because the page numbers stay consistent across devices. If you're planning to reread or take notes, grab the ebook.

The Structure of the Narrative

Gardner uses alternating POVs, which is standard for the genre. The primary perspective belongs to Detective D.D. Warren, with occasional chapters from the perspective of her forensic team and, intermittently, from the antagonist's point of view. The antagonist chapters are brief and strategically placed to create tension rather than to provide genuine insight into the criminal's mindset. One thing that separates this from Gardner's earlier work is the use of a secondary investigator character who has a personal connection to the original cold case. This wasn't something I expected, and it adds a layer of complexity that keeps the investigation from feeling like a straightforward chase. The connection is revealed gradually, and the payoff works, though it does require you to remember details from the first act. The setting is primarily Boston, with some scenes taking place in rural Massachusetts. Gardner writes the city well, and the atmosphere contributes to the tone more than I initially expected. The weather descriptions, while sometimes excessive, serve a purpose in grounding the narrative.

Common Criticisms and What Actually Holds Up

The main complaint I see is that the villain's motivation feels thin. Some readers find it underdeveloped, and there's a point where the legal proceedings don't quite align with real-world procedure. Gardner has addressed this in interviews by saying she prioritized narrative momentum over forensic accuracy, which is a fair tradeoff for a fictional crime novel. Another issue is the pacing in the middle section. There are about 40 pages where nothing particularly new happens. I found myself losing focus during that stretch, though it picks back up before the final act. If you're reading on a device with a built-in timer, this might be the section where you lose track of how long you've been reading. Despite these issues, the book holds together because Gardner has written enough of these novels to understand what works. The dialogue is sharp, the reveals land, and the ending, while not groundbreaking, provides a satisfying closure for readers invested in the characters.

If you're looking for something lighter, try one of her standalone thrillers instead. If you want continuity in the D.D. Warren series, pick up He Said/She Said first to get the full context, then come back to this one.