Book Review: Love You More by Lisa Gardner

Love You More
Author: Lisa Gardner
Series: D. D. Warren (Book 5)
Publication: Bantam (March 8, 2011)

Description: WHO DO YOU LOVE?

One question, a split-second decision, and Brian Darby lies dead on the kitchen floor. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defense, and bears the bruises to back up her tale. For veteran detective D. D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter?

AND HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO . . .

As the homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic statewide search for a missing child, D. D. Warren must partner with former lover Bobby Dodge to break through the blue wall of police brotherhood, seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper’s mind while also unearthing family secrets. Would a trained police officer truly shoot her own husband? And would a mother harm her own child?

. . . TO SAVE HER?

For Tessa Leoni, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with nowhere to turn, no one to trust, as the clock ticks down to a terrifying deadline. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training, every trick at her disposal, to do what must be done. No sacrifice is too great, no action unthinkable. A mother knows who she loves. And all others will be made to pay.

My Thoughts: This excellent thriller is the fifth book in the D. D. Warren series. It is a complex story which asks the question: who do you love? Tessa Leoni is a state trooper and the mother of six-year-old Sophie. She has married Brian who works as an engineer for an old company. He works 60 days on-60 days off. 

One day Tessa calls the police because she has shot and killed Brian and her daughter is missing. Since Tessa is concussed, has a broken cheekbone, and numerous other bruises, it looks like a case of self-defense against an abusing husband. 

D. D. Warren is given the case and works with her former lover Bobby Dodge. She has questions about the story she's been told, and the pressure is on to find the missing child. She is not convinced that the crime is what it looks like. She becomes even more convinced with the pathologist learns that Brian's body was frozen before it found its way to the kitchen. D. D. is sure that Tessa is lying about what happens. She believes that Tessa murdered both her husband and daughter. 

D. D. is also dealing with some personal issues. She has found herself pregnant and is dealing not only with the nausea and lethargy but also whether or not she wants a baby and a relationship with the baby's father. 

Flashbacks and Tessa's point-of-view sections give more about the things that D. D. cannot see and paint a whole different picture that what is apparent. 

This was an excellent, fast-paced thriller. I'm eager to read more about Tessa and more in D. D.'s series.

I bought this one March 2, 2026. You can buy your copy here.