Listen to Me

“The weaving of life between mother and daughter is just like the making of a basket. As time goes by, the interlacing takes shape and becomes stronger.”

― Haley Elizabeth Garwood, Ashes of Britannia

While I have read no previous books in this series, I can’t wait to go back and start the first book after reading this one. The thirteenth book in the series starts on an eerie, dark night when a college student, Amy, is returning from the library and becomes the victim of a hit and run on a Boston street. She doesn’t appear in the story for a few more chapters but plays an important role. This book is told from three points of view; Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles, Angela Rizzoli (Jane’s hilarious mother) and Amy, the college student.  

Jane Rizolli and her partner are investigating the death of Sofia Suarez, a widowed nurse who seemingly had no enemies but many secrets. After searching her call log, internet searches and texts on her phone, they are even more confused about what she was doing. Who would want her dead and why was she so brutally murdered? When Jane finds a connection to Amy’s hit and run, the case becomes even more mysterious.  

Angela Rizzoli, amid a divorce from her cheating husband, has all the time in the world to make sure her neighborhood is safe. Nothing gets by her. Call her the neighborhood watchdog, and when the Greens move in across the street, Angela makes it her job to find out just what they are up to. Why are their shades always down, and why is Mr. Green in the backyard putting bars on the windows? If only Jane would listen and investigate instead of avoiding her calls. But what happens when the boy cries wolf? Will Jane come to her rescue?

There are several stories going on in Listen to Me, and it can become confusing when trying to put everything together. There is a murder in Maine that happened over 18 years ago, a mother spying on her neighbors, and Rizzoli and Frost trying to solve the brutal murder of a loved nurse with no enemies. An interesting mix of stories that the reader has no sense of how they will all come together. But as one reviewer said, not everything is what it seems, and that is the ingredient that keeps the reader hooked until the end. Maura Isles was not featured as much in this book and seemed like a secondary character. I liked her personality and hope she shines more in the previous books.