Die for You

A Novel

By: Lisa Unger

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

Isabel Raine thought she had everything–a successful career, a supportive family, and a happy marriage to the man she loved. Then one ordinary morning, her husband, Marcus, picks up his briefcase, kisses her good-bye, and simply vanishes.

That day, all her calls to him go straight to voice mail; the messages she leaves at his office go unreturned, too. Panicking after finally receiving a call from his cell phone in which all she can hear is a man’s terrified cry, Isabel calls the police. But they aren’t interested. Men leave, they tell her. They leave all the time. Desperate to find her husband, Isabel races to his office. But instead of finding him, she finds herself in the middle of an FBI raid. Hours later, she awakens in the hospital with a severe concussion and a homicide detective by her bedside waiting to question her about Marcus Raine–the real Marcus Raine.

Now the only thing Isabel knows for sure is that her husband of five years is gone. Where is he and who is he are questions no one seems able to answer. But Isabel will not rest until she discovers the truth about the man she loves, even if it means risking everything–including her own life.

Bestselling author Lisa Unger takes us on a nightmarish journey from bustling, glamorous New York City to the murky, twisted streets of Prague, seeking the answer to one bone-chilling question: What if the man you love, the one sleeping beside you, is a stranger?

©2009 Lisa Unger (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"If you haven't yet experienced Lisa Unger, what are you waiting for?"–Harlan Coben

"[A] great ride."–Tampa Tribune

"Unger has proved herself to be a master of pacing and suspense and DIE FOR YOU is no exception; in fact, it is the most nerve-wracking, hand-wringing book I’ve read by her to date. This truly is edge-of your-seat action and my whole body was tense while I read. BUY THIS BOOK!"—Crimespree Magazine

Entertaining story

I think I would have enjoyed the story more if the narrator had read it less dramatically. Beautiful voice but overly tremulous throughout

Involving

I can understand Ted's feelings about the story unfolding slowly, but for me this was the very quality that made it a satisfying story. Some books are driven by the speed of action, others - like Unger's - dig deep into what is being experienced by the characters. If you are an introspective kind of person, I suspect you will like the book.
And, I found the story line believable enough. After all, it was not as if the main protagonist was imbued with unusually great skill, intelligence or strength. Pig-headed persistence was all.

Excellent story to the very end!

The pace and the intrigue kept me glued to the story. The narrator did a great job with the main character, she captured the characters insufferable condescension and verbosity to a tee, being this character had to be very exhausting. Having said that I believed that Isabel was supposed to be this way, everyone knows someone like Isabel and loves/endures her anyway. The action is great it really keeps you invested through out the story. I just love Lisa Unger books! I absolutely recommend this book to Unger fans and fans of thrillers.

Not for me

I like so many of Lisa Unger's books, but not this one. I'm still waiting for it to get good and there is only an hour left. I give up.

Meh

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Use of first person and third person narrative in the book .... what the hell? Choose a point of view and stick to it.

What was most disappointing about Lisa Unger’s story?

Story not as engaging as some of Unger's other books.

What aspect of Ann Marie Lee’s performance would you have changed?

The performance was fine.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Die for You?

Remove the story line of the sister, or at least make it relevant somehow to the main plot.

Any additional comments?

It felt very much like a Franken-book - two stories meshed together that didn't really have any business being in the same book, particularly with the constant switching between first person and third person. This really bugged me. The story line with the sister is completely irrelevant to the major plot line. I also found I didn't care much about the protagonist as she continues to make one stupid move after another. I didn't buy that she could be so blindly fixed upon finding someone who has screwed her over so badly and is obviously a dangerous man involved with dangerous people. I'm a fan of Lisa Unger, but the story just didn't interest me as much as her earlier books have.

disappointed

The pace of this book was annoyingly slow. It was held back by the author's need to tell you about every character's thought processes, rationalizations etc. The premise of the story is also significantly unbelievable - an ordinary untrained female author takes on a murderer/criminal and chases him on her own, and without help, around the world while avoiding the police, in order to gain insight into his betrayal of her.