Born to Die

Written by Lisa Jackson

Narrated by Alan Nebelthau

With more than 10 million copies of her books in print, #1 New York Times best-selling author Lisa Jackson is among the world's most popular thriller writers. Two women who who bear an uncanny resemblance to Dr. Kacey Lambert have been murdered. Kacey believes it is nothing more than a terrible coincidence, but the deeper she digs, the more worried she becomes. Soon, more victims emerge-all bearing a physical resemblance to Kacey-and she begins to wonder when the brutal killer will come hunting for her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books Audio
• Release date: Aug 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781461803942

Lisa Jackson

When asked what has inspired her to write more than 50 novels brimming with adventure, intrigue, hot passion, and high emotion, bestselling Oregon author, Lisa Jackson gets a mischievous smile on her face. Then the words flow as fast as her fingers fly on her computer keyboard when she writes. Her eyes sparkling with memories, she tells stories of her youth, stories of a Huckleberry Finn childhood in the small lumber town of Molalla and on her grandparents' nearby farm in the hilly region of western Oregon. There in the old growth timber, Lisa rode bareback and raced along the ages-old sheep, cattle and deer trails. In the nearby river, she skinnydipped and caught crawdads in her bare hands. An inventive child, she sneaked out of the house and rode her bicycle or horse in the moonlight and dreamed up childish pranks that would have done Tom Sawyer proud. "Nobody could have had a better childhood," Lisa remarks, her twinkling eyes and got-away-with-something-grin giving her a youthful appearance that defies the fact that she is in her mid-40s and the mother of two college-age sons. "My childhood was enchanted. We were a small, tightly knit family. My mum and dad were and still are my greatest supporters." Why then does Lisa write lousy dads and conniving relatives into the plots of books that regularly earn berths on such national bestseller lists as USA Today's and Waldenbooks'? "I think the deepest angst people can experience is what can develop among family members, because our emotions run so deep there," Lisa replied. "Deep down, we care about these people, but being related doesn't mean we think alike or want the same things. I also think manipulative people are fascinating. Characters like those help me to keep the readers' interest. I love it when readers write me to complain that they didn't get any sleep the night before because they had to finish my book." Lisa studied English Literature at Oregon State University for two years before she married. In 1981, when her younger son was a year old, she began writing novels. But she decided she needed a steady income and landed a nine-dollar-per-hour bank job. Before she could begin work, however, her supervisor was arrested for embezzling. "About then I sold my first book, A Twist of Fate, which — guess what! — was about a woman suspected of bank embezzling. It was purely coincidental. The story came out of my background in banking," Lisa provided. "But I guess you could say, if not for a bank embezzler, I might not have made it as an author." In addition to suspenseful contemporary page-turners, Lisa also delivers medieval romances set in eleventh and twelfth century Wales. "I enjoy doing these medieval period pieces, because women were so trod upon then. By nature of their lot in life, I can generate empathy or sympathy for the medieval heroines. They're underdogs from the get-go. Tell me what woman doesn't root for the underdog!" Britannia Roads, a creative Lansing, Michigan tour packager, read the first in Lisa's medieval trilogy and loved her writing so much that she designed a tour of Wales, with Lisa as the featured guest. Tour members will visit some of Princess Diana's favourite places to stay in Ruthin Castle. They'll be in for a treat when Lisa regales them with author stories during the tour, for she is as talented at public speaking as she is at writing novels. When not writing, Lisa enjoys spectator sports, reading, watching The X-Files and socialising now that she's a single mum. Her favourite authors include Pat Conroy, Nelson DeMille, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Dick Francis, and other authors who also write compelling page-turners.

Reviews for Born to Die

[conkie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like the way Lisa Jackson writes her stories, and I have enjoyed the partnership of Alvarez & Pescoli. By not reading any reviews beforehand, I preserved the fun of guessing the "who", "what', & "why." The H/H were likable and their attraction to each other was allowed to progress realistically (considering the high-suspense, plot-moving storyline). I do wish that Alvarez & Pescoli played bigger parts, but sense a 'build up' towards a bigger storyline for Alvarez in future books. Keeping that in mind, this book is a consistent entrant to the series, but I'm hoping the next story goes ka-boom!
In relation to the audio presentation, I admit to being a bit disappointed. There were numerous "voice overs" in the production, and the narrator's voice was so different, these became particularly noticeable. Not enough care was taken to match the reader's pitch, cadence, and volume of his re-do to his original recording. Not typical for a Recorded Books production.

[redheadish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In born to die, a serial killer up's the anty at christmas time by going after his female half siblings that his father's donations to a sperm bank during his college years created as well as a daughter created by a mistress 35 years before. The daughter A doctor, seeks out the truth after relizing she might be in the sights of the serial killer because she looks just like other victims who all have earily similiar features! det. Alvarez and Pescoli are not far behind the doctor in tracking the killer but while Trace a cowboy that falls for the doctor, who looks like his ex wife and the ex-GF as well, trys to protect his newfound love from the serial killer hellbent on killing off the female lineage from his fathers side.

[gifford_macshane · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A "look-alike" killer targeting women who share the same characteristics. The detectives are essentially tangential to the main plot, as they do not initially believe the reporting. It's the woman who looks like the victims who essentially solves the case.

[callmejacx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the story line. Although I had some difficulty following it at first, once I got further into it, I started getting the idea. I felt that the ending was sudden. I would have liked a little more detail and closure.

[jeb5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first portion of this book is a struggle to get through; it is choppy and confusing. The confusion eases a bit once you get into the middle of the novel and then returns in the last few chapters. The story is a great concept but wasn't implemented in the best fashion. I think that Lisa Jackson had an idea and just got too swept up with details, losing track of what was truly important.

When an actress dies, Kacey's world is forever changed. Suddenly she realizes that she looks a lot like women that are suddenly dying. She becomes determined in figuring out the mystery of what connects her to these women and what is happening.