Helpful Score: 3
I read a lot of reave reviews about Lisa Jackson, and maybe she's just not my cup of tea. She writes really well, but this book didn't hold my interest. There were a lot of colorful characters and she could have gone a few different directions, but really didn't. It was just so-so for me, I probably won't read another Lisa Jackson book -- but I seem to be among the minority as from what I've read, others really really like her.
Wendy H. (donkeycheese) -
CHOSEN TO DIE picks up where Jackson's previous novel, LEFT TO DIE, left off. The Star Crossed Killer case is still open, and this time he has Detective Regan Pescoli.
Set in the cold mountains of Montana, the Star Crossed Killer is still at large, and the police aren't getting any new clues. The killer shoots out the tire of an unsuspecting lone woman as she drives the treacherous canyon roads. Thinking they are being rescued, the women willingly go with their savior, not knowing that he is their worst nightmare. He tends their wounds and helps them heal. When they completely trust him, he strips and lashes them to a tree in the cold mountain air to freeze to death. The notes he leaves the police at each crime scene are cryptic, and almost impossible to solve.
CHOSEN TO DIE is a dark, spiraling ride into the mind of a psychotic killer. Non-stop action and a twisting, cold plot explodes into a brilliant climax that had me wanting more. Jackson does another magnificent job!
Set in the cold mountains of Montana, the Star Crossed Killer is still at large, and the police aren't getting any new clues. The killer shoots out the tire of an unsuspecting lone woman as she drives the treacherous canyon roads. Thinking they are being rescued, the women willingly go with their savior, not knowing that he is their worst nightmare. He tends their wounds and helps them heal. When they completely trust him, he strips and lashes them to a tree in the cold mountain air to freeze to death. The notes he leaves the police at each crime scene are cryptic, and almost impossible to solve.
CHOSEN TO DIE is a dark, spiraling ride into the mind of a psychotic killer. Non-stop action and a twisting, cold plot explodes into a brilliant climax that had me wanting more. Jackson does another magnificent job!
Marianne S. (sfc95) -
I could not get into this one. I have read alot of Lisa Jackson'sw work and normally it is a good thriller, but I got a little over 100 pages in and really just didn't care what happened and didn't want to waste my time finding out.
Phil S. reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 61 more book reviews
very good 'who done it"
Debbie B. (debs) -
This is the sequel (or continuation) of the "Left To Die" story (that being a must-read before THIS one). I liked the way it flowed and resolved the story that was left dangling in the first one (such a disappointment, that!). Like some others, it didn't start as a page-turner, but after about a quarter of the book I couldn't put it down.
Kerry A. reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 5 more book reviews
I really liked this book. I had never read Jackson before. There is a tendency to repeat things, but I personally found it useful to remember what each character was about. It is also a pretty fast paced book and I could not put it down the last couple of hundred pages!
Liza B. reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 9 more book reviews
I found this book very entertaining. I read 1/2 the book in one night! Lots of characters yet I didn't feel that any were insignificant. I actually love the character of her "boyfriend", Nate Santana. I would love for him to have his own story. (I do not believe I have read book 1). I did lose track of the timing within the book, so I am not sure how long the detective was held captive, but it seems as the tables turned quickly.
Casey L. (casey-sue) -
This book is the second in the Montana-To Die series. As with the first one in the series, I found myself putting the book down and not coming back to it for a long time. I can usually finish a book this size in two days max, and this took me 2 weeks. It was good while I was reading it, but once I put it down, I had to convince myself to pick it up again.
I do have her third book in this series but have yet to start it. I can honestly say I just want to read it to see how all this ties together and I will have to convince myself to do it.
I do have her third book in this series but have yet to start it. I can honestly say I just want to read it to see how all this ties together and I will have to convince myself to do it.
booboo1 reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 13 more book reviews
Lisa Jackson writes wonderfully. Mystery till the end.
Pat M. (PatWTS) -
Excellent page turner! Lisa Jackson's imagination and and gift for writing is a winner!
Sandra F. (runcysmom) -
This book is the sequel to "Left To Die". What a great read. I got half way through the book and could not put it down. The killer was a mystery until the end and I was guessing the whole way through the book. I was wrong! I can only say it again. What a great read! Lisa Jackson knows how to spin a thriller.
Loved this book
Rachel S. (my-3-girls) reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 28 more book reviews
suspensful, kept me wanting to read more to figure out the ending.
gripping read. good beachy, non thinking read.
REALLY LIKED IT CANT WAIT FOR NEXT BOOK BY LJ
Melanie (MELNELYNN) reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 669 more book reviews
The story starts out with a bang...literally. As Regan Pescoli is crossing the Bitterroot Mountains, heading toward her ex-husband's house, her tires are skillfully shot out and she careens off the road. What follows is a frightening imprisonment in the lair of the Star-Crossed Killer. Regan's disappearance completely takes the sheriff's department by surprise, and those close to her - her lover, Nate, and her partner, Selena - struggle to unravel the cryptic messages left by the killer with each of his victims.
There was a lot I liked about this book. The pace of the action is excellent, and the small-town characters are vivid and entertaining. Lisa Jackson is able to tell her story not only through action and dialogue, but also through images. The starkness of the Montana winter is expertly described, and even though it's currently the middle of summer, I found myself growing colder and colder as I read. I could picture each and every scene in my mind with ease, making it seem like I was watching a movie.
However, I did have a few issues with this book. Some of the characters who seem like they're going to be a significant part of the story are never alluded to again. One example is Grace Perchant, a reclusive woman who talks to spirits. She comes to the police with her psychic intuitions about the killer, never to be mentioned again. The amount of attention that Jackson gives her early on in the story made me expect that Grace would become a central character. However, she's barely mentioned again. Also, this is apparently the second book in the Star-Crossed Killer series, and some of the characters from the first book (Left to Die), show up again...but for readers, like me, who had not read the first book will remain confused as to their place in the story.
In the end, though, this book is a terrific thriller with plenty of action. The suspense is maintained extremely well, with no slow sections. I did find myself impatient for the conclusion, but that is just more proof of how well Lisa Jackson is able to draw her readers in. I'm definitely going to be reading more of Jackson's books!
There was a lot I liked about this book. The pace of the action is excellent, and the small-town characters are vivid and entertaining. Lisa Jackson is able to tell her story not only through action and dialogue, but also through images. The starkness of the Montana winter is expertly described, and even though it's currently the middle of summer, I found myself growing colder and colder as I read. I could picture each and every scene in my mind with ease, making it seem like I was watching a movie.
However, I did have a few issues with this book. Some of the characters who seem like they're going to be a significant part of the story are never alluded to again. One example is Grace Perchant, a reclusive woman who talks to spirits. She comes to the police with her psychic intuitions about the killer, never to be mentioned again. The amount of attention that Jackson gives her early on in the story made me expect that Grace would become a central character. However, she's barely mentioned again. Also, this is apparently the second book in the Star-Crossed Killer series, and some of the characters from the first book (Left to Die), show up again...but for readers, like me, who had not read the first book will remain confused as to their place in the story.
In the end, though, this book is a terrific thriller with plenty of action. The suspense is maintained extremely well, with no slow sections. I did find myself impatient for the conclusion, but that is just more proof of how well Lisa Jackson is able to draw her readers in. I'm definitely going to be reading more of Jackson's books!
Mary K. reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 14 more book reviews
Great Lisa Jackson book! Loved it
Frances H. (Dimples2212) reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 209 more book reviews
This is book no. 2 in the Grizzly Falls, Montana series. The police are still trying to catch the serial killer that seems obsessed with creating a car accident to young women, then rescuing them and nursing them back to good health. Only to tie them naked to a tree in the bitter Montanta winter and left to die with a cryptic sign and crudely drawn stars about their heads. Also the local police station is under mounting pressure as the number of frozen bodies are discovered, they reach the max when one of their own, Detective Regan Pescoli, is kidnapped and held hostage.
THe book has alot of suspense, and it's really hard to determine who the nut-case that's killing all these women could be. Definitely a quick read...
THe book has alot of suspense, and it's really hard to determine who the nut-case that's killing all these women could be. Definitely a quick read...
Brandy P. (brandyjp) reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 58 more book reviews
The premise of the story was decent. I read the first book and did not love it, but just had to know who the killer was. So I guess it pulled me in a bit. The typos, grammatical errors and overuse of certain phrases made it a bit more difficult to get into the story. Parts of the ending were down right cheesy and contrived.
Stephen M. reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 2 more book reviews
loved it. and will now be looking for more books by this author.
William B. (LoneReader) -
Lisa Jackson writes a good story but uses to much foul and irreverent language.so I cannot give her any stars.
the is the 2nd book with the 3rd coming out in spring of 2010. both were very good fast reads! i would recommend them if you like these type of books.
Patricia P. (patph65) -
I have Lisa Jackson's first Book Left to die and hope this one will be as good.
Kerri M. (aussiekez1) reviewed Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli, Bk 2) (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 26 more book reviews
I loved this book. Had me reading at all opportunities.
