FBI Special Agent Quincy Jones is five months pregnant and unsure if motherhood is for her when she gets a tip from Delilah Rose, a young prostitute who also appears pregnant, that some of her working class friends have gone missing. Delilah - actually Ginny Jones, a high school girl who went missing a few years back – hints that the culprit might be a john by the name of Dinchara (an anagram of the word “arachnid”), a spider-obsessed customer who pays the girls to play with his “pets” while he watches. Although there are no bodies, Jones follows up and is unable to find a trace of the missing girls.

The narration of the book switches to that of a young boy who is kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night by a sadistic sexual abuser known as the Burgerman. As the years go by, we are privy to a firsthand account of the child’s horrific life at the hands of this maniac. Enter Rita, a no-nonsense geriatric who lives alone in her isolated farmhouse. One day a troubled lad pops in for a visit and she befriends the boy, eventually vowing to protect him. Through many twists and turns Agent Jones discovers the well-hidden bodies ensconced in Dinchara’s handiwork, but is it too late to save the lives of those already caught in his web?

Say Goodbye is a chilling tale of torture, child abuse and murder by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner. If you are squeamish - and who isn’t? - about crimes against children, this book might be a bit hard to swallow. Gardner’s realistic portrayal of abuse will have you second-guessing any social media connections you’ve set up online and posted pictures of your kids to share with friends and family. Yes, there really are psychopaths out there. Although this is not an easy read, it is a well thought-out novel with a clever plotline. If you like crime and suspense, you’ll definitely get caught up in this one.