The Survivors ClubGiven that Lisa Gardner is a very popular name in this business and in this genre, I had already known I was in for a surprise before I even decided on reading this book. I just wasn’t that much prepared, to say the least. The Survivors Club is an ideal start if you’re just beginning to read Gardner’s books. This is one of her few stand-alone novels, I believe, and one an avid reader should not miss from this author.Okay, the synopsis goes like this:THE FIRST RULE IS NEVER BLAME THE VICTIM. They survived what no woman should ever have to endure. Now these three women have the means, the opportunity, and the perfect motive. Are they trying to get away with murder--or is someone trying to make sure that this time they don't get away at all? The Survivors Club. . .that's what Jillian Hayes, Carol Rosen, and Meg Pesaturo call it. They won't consider themselves victims. They are survivors. They faced the blazing headlines and helped lead the investigation that caught the man who changed their lives forever. And now that Eddie Como, the College Hill rapist, has been murdered, shot down outside a packed courthouse moments before his trial was about to begin, all three women are openly ecstatic that he's dead. They are also the prime suspects in his murder. Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin knows all too well what can drive even the best people to cross the line. But he has never seen a case quite like this one. No one doubts that the murder of Eddie Como was a professional job, especially when the gunman is killed only blocks away from the shooting. But questions taunt Griffin: Who ordered the deaths of Eddie Como and his killer? Could three ordinary women have been driven to do the unthinkable? Had someone in the Survivors Club become a killer? Griffin seeks the truth--and finds himself confronted with the leader of the Survivors Club. Jillian Hayes is beautiful, successful, cool as ice, and she harbors a pain that mirrors Griffin's own. Did the horror of what happened to her push her over the thin and desperate line that separates survival and revenge? And if it did, could he blame her--or anyone in the Survivors Club? Then another woman is brutally attacked. Suddenly, with the city on the ragged edge of panic, gripped in a media and political firestorm of controversy, cover-up, and conspiracy, the hunt is on for a ruthless and cunning killer. For Griffin, this may well be the case that shatters his career. For Jillian, the harrowing nightmare is beginning all over again. Someone is out there. Someone who wants to finish what was started. Someone who wants to make sure that no one survives the Survivors Club. The concept of this Survivors Club is very interesting. While I can think of several novels where the rape victims join forces, not one of them officially established a club or any kind of group that quite mirrored this one. The Survivors Club is formed by only three women – Jillian, Carol and Meg – two were rape victims, one was assaulted and almost raped, but all three extremely good-looking. These people, each broken up in their own ways, make up a very strong bond, a force that even through the pages, officially came alive. They’re like a feminist group, the ones who rally outside a government building, except the Survivors Club did not rally; it did not even compose of many angry women. They used intelligence and charm to win the public’s sympathy and used this to put pressure on the cops. Because of them, the rapist, Eddie Como, was finally arrested.Now this College Hill Rapist is a very confusing enigma. Everybody knows it’s Eddie Como. On the first day of the trial though, Eddie Como is shot dead right in front of the courthouse, while the three women were having a conference in a nearby restaurant. The state police are brought into the investigation, and the sensible primary suspects are the members of the Survivors Club. But when another woman gets attacked, things take a messy turn.All the characters are very interesting. Each one, while there is quite a handful, possessed a distinct characteristic that definitely made them a separate being from another. The protagonist, Jillian Hayes, has the strongest impact to me. One year ago, she went to the basement where her sister, Trish, a college coed, lived. She found the door slightly open, entered calling out her sister’s name, and got attacked from behind. She almost got raped herself when the police arrived. She rushed to her sister’s bed to find her dead. Throughout her life, she had stood as Trish’s mother. Their mother, Libby, suffered from aphasia, the loss of voice, and could barely move. Jillian had always felt in control until that night.Thirty-six years old, Jillian is the voice of the Survivors Club. She is essentially the founder of the group. Cool, composed Jillian, a successful businesswoman, always knows what to do and how to react to situations. Although she seems like the strongest, the toughest, the one who always holds it altogether, Jillian is actually the one closest to the breaking point.Carol Rosen is the second victim. This woman may seem odd at times, but she is definitely the one who reacts in a way that is almost natural. When the College Hill Rapist left her tied to her bed that night, she didn’t only lose her dignity or her self-respect – she might have also lost her mind. She suffers severe Panic Attacks, frequent nightmares, a compulsive behavior and suicidal tendencies. Her husband, Dan, may be having an affair, so she’s always left alone in her enormous house. She is impulsive, her actions almost unpredictable, and is considered by some the most ideal suspect.Meg Pesaturo is the first victim, the one who suffered less – primarily because there were less injuries, and also because she suffered a post-traumatic amnesia. After that night in her life, she had forgotten all about the attack, and even about her life and identity. The police are baffled by her, because even until now, a year later, she still has no memory of what happened to her. I was also intrigued by her condition, and by the near end, this proves highly significant to the events leading to the spree of the College Hill Rapist. Her family has connections to the Mafia, so police have probably cause to suspect her of murdering Eddie Como.Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin is the state police assigned to the murder case. While investigating, he gets confronted by past experiences that led to the arrest of a pedophile and by the death of his beloved wife Cindy. However, he meets the Survivors Club and gets confronted by Jillian Hayes, and by the emotions she stirs in him. He has to work past that in order to determine who the killer is, and to do that he must face his past, and delve into the head of the infamous rapist.Something infuriating happened to me while reading this. I read through ebooks. I downloaded The Survivors Club and started the novel the same night. Here’s the catch though: I had no idea the first chapter I was reading was actually the EPILOGUE. At first I thought, well, maybe Gardner is going to use flashbacks to narrate the events leading to this. And then, oops, at the end of that ‘chapter’, I saw the word END. After that, I went back to the table of contents, and I realized what just happened. I just finished the book. That’s funny right now, but it really soiled my interest. Luckily, reading the epilogue wasn’t enough to put my curiosity to rest. I still read The Survivors Club, and I still found myself engrossed with every chapter. Actually, I think I unconsciously repressed the details I read in the epilogue, just so I could keep being interested, and indeed I was. This novel kept me reading even in the middle of the class, and two hours before I needed to get up for school. It’s definitely worth it.The pace of the story is fast enough. There are no irrelevant events, no unentertaining dialogues, no boring characters. There are relevant issues presented – feminism, police cover-ups, post-traumatic behaviors, psychopathy, horrible crimes, police brutality. This earned a two-thumbs-up for me. The Survivors Club may be my first from Lisa Gardner, but it definitely won’t be the last. Highly recommended.
I call Lisa Gardner the "QUEEN OF CREEP". All of the novels I read by her (including a few D.D. Warren books) seem to have a well developed sense of creepitude. Creepy, sleazy, smarmy and just..I dunno: foul. Child in peril? We got it. Screwed up adults because as children they were in peril? We got it. The Survivors Club fits into this genre nicely; I mean the bad guy molested and murdered 10 children and buried them in his basement. See what I mean?And yet, here I am.. a lover of her CREEPINESS. Her female characters are often borderline hysterical (thinking now of 'Rainie Conner')and sometimes I have a difficult time cheering for them. They may drink too much, carry too many weapons, and live lives that lack self control, purpose or even a hint of self discovery. I find myself sometimes cursing them as traitors to our sex.."Grow a pair, dang it!"..but again.. I am a lover of the CREEP.So The Survivors Club, a stand alone novel, is true to form with the effed up women, aka child in peril motif. I must say though, that compared to her several other books, she pulls her punches here. There is the creep but it is a bit restrained. Thank god. Detective Roan Griffin as hero is wounded, driven, and severely depressed after his wife dies. Wouldn't you know his next door neighbor, a super nice guy who helped Roan tend to his dying wife is ::GASP:: a KILLER OF CHILDREN. Griffin is the detective who finally busts this guy, but the whole sordid case took its toll on Griffin, who has to take an 18 month medical leave. (meaning: nutcase)He no sooner comes back to work when he is assigned a nasty case involving a murder of a rape suspect, and a car bomb which may have killed a hitman. Roan has to deal with The Survivor's club, for these 3 women were the victims of the rape suspect. And they want blood. They want justice. Most of all they want their lives back. Good luck with all that since all three women have (why am I not surprised) issues. But wait, there is more. One more woman is raped with the DEAD suspect's DNA on her. What the?? This whole mess involves the Survivors' Club, the child molester/murderer, city police, state police and the ubiquitious press. I dare not say more; this book is a page turner (if only to escape the creep), and once again, Lisa Gardner makes us cringe, shudder and admire the very creepy throne she sits on.
What do You think about The Survivors Club (2006)?
O clube das Sobreviventes é composto por Jillian, Meg e Carol, três mulheres que sobreviveram ao violador em série conhecido como o Violador de College Hill.. Sobreviveram... mas até recomeçarem a viver parece existir uma grande distância. Meg não se lembra de nada do seu passado, desde a noite em que fora violada. Carol vive apavorada, bulímica, bebendo e tomando comprimidos a mais que o desejável e recomendável. Jillian, a líder do grupo, transmite a imagem de mulher forte, mas vive atormentada com os seus fantasmas e com a imagem da irmã, que não conseguiu salvar às mãos do Violador de College Hill.Quando Eddie Como, o detido e suspeito de ser o violador é assassinado à porta do tribunal, tudo se complica para as três mulheres. O detective Roan Griffin é chamado para tomar conta do caso, em que três sobreviventes se transformam em três suspeitas.Eddie Como sempre reclamou a sua inocência, mas o seu ADN foi encontrado nas vítimas de violação. No entanto, o caso complica-se quando após a sua morte um novo crime acontece e... o seu ADN é encontrado na vítima.Roan Griffin começa então uma corrida contra o tempo a fim de travar a continuidade dos crimes. Mas será que está preparado para o que vai enfrentar? Será que conseguirá ultrapassar os fantasmas do passado?Um bom policial de Lisa Gardner, onde as personagens são bem exploradas assim como os seus conflitos interiores. No entanto, não é o seu melhor livro. Falta-lhe qualquer coisa para me agarrar como os seus outros livros fizeram.
—Conta-me Histórias
5- Stars for the reading. I listened to this on audio with Anna Fields as the narrator, whose voice I adore and who can perform the hell out of a story. She was, as usual, superb. Gruff Fitch was as different from Dreamy Meg who was as different from no-nonsense Jillian etc. So much so that I always knew 'who' was speaking.4- Stars for the suspense and characters. Loved Griffin the state cop with anger issues (with good reason) especially. And I liked how incredibly twisted the story was.3- Stars for some plausibility issues. Sorry, but everything fell too neatly in place for the the main villain. I know this person was supposed to be a brilliant manipulator, but the length of time over which the whole plot unfolded, and the number of people involved that needed to be manipulated...there were infinite possibilities for something to not work. There is always an element of chaos and unpredictability in any system. Just one wrong comment, one person acting out of character and poof the whole plan goes. It struck me as too neat. Don't get me wrong the whole thing was utterly diabolical and made for great suspenseful reading. But I am a realist and people don't always act the way they are supposed to.Also I had a bit of a problem with a major plot point toward the end. A huge piece of the major antagonists' plan rested on one element --public outcry. It was a piece that didn't work for me given who the person was I didn't think the public would react in their favor. But those were relatively minor issues and really only resonated with me toward the end of what was after all a great listening experience.
—Tina
Absolutely brilliant seriously creepy, keeps you guessing till the end, impossible to put down. Detective sergeant Griffin is on his first day back on the job after a years leave. Although we aren't told at first what he was on leave for it's hinted at that something big happened which caused him a great deal of stress and anxiety. Griffins first case involves investigating the death of a serial rapist on the first day of his trial and how it may or may not link to a car bomb killing a man in a nearby car park. As Griffin works with fellow detective Fitz to investigate the two crimes he becomes involved in the lives of the three victims of the rapist Jillian, Carol and Meg. The reader is filled in on each of their stories and how they came to be attacked. As the plot develops links are formed with an old crime that Griffin investigated before his leave, not only that but questions are raised about whether or not everything was as it seemed in the original case. I've literally stayed up while 2am to finish this book tonight as it has been unputdownable. Fantastic! Highly recommended!
—Leonie
