★ 10/26/2020
Schaffhausen’s excellent fourth novel featuring Ellery Hathaway, who as a teen was the sole survivor of a serial murderer/kidnapper, and Reed Markham, the FBI agent who rescued her (after 2020’s All the Best Lies), finds Ellery and Reed, now in a romantic relationship, enjoying a street fair with his seven-year-old daughter in the Boston Common. When 12-year-old Chloe Lockhart vanishes from the fair, Ellery, still on tryout as a Boston PD detective, latches onto the case, seeing parallels with her own history; her captain is thrilled that renowned profiler Reed can assist. A theory soon emerges that Chloe was escaping the strict surveillance of her wealthy parents, Martin and Teresa Lockhart. This is not Teresa’s first tragedy—20 years earlier her son from her first marriage was murdered when he was 12 years old, along with her housekeeper. Tight plotting and sophisticated surprises fuel the rich storytelling. Schaffhausen layers much emotion into each tension-filled twist as she deepens Ellery and Reed’s characters. Readers will eagerly await their further adventures. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Jan.)
"Excellent...Tight plotting and sophisticated surprises fuel the rich storytelling. Schaffhausen layers much emotion into each tension-filled twist as she deepens Ellery and Reed’s characters. Readers will eagerly await their further adventures."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A tension-filled investigation filled with twists that readers are unlikely to see coming. Schaffhausen spins her yarn with clear, concise prose that keeps the plot moving at a torrid pace."—Associated Press
"Schaffhausen’s ability to generate suspense and her nuanced depiction of tangled relationships hold strong appeal."—Booklist
"This book is the fourth Ellery Hathaway title, and the gasp-inducing goings-on in its final pages are sure to prime fans for yet another skillfully crafted, suspenseful installment."—Bookpage (starred review)
08/01/2020
In Fellowes's The Mitford Trial, lady's maid Louisa Cannon is asked by a shadowy stranger to spy on Diana Mitford and her sister Unity, with someone ending up dead in the water when Louisa later accompanies the Mitfords on a cruise (75,000-copy first printing). Gentill's Shanghai Secrets takes Rowland Sinclair from Australia to Shanghai in 1935 on business, but the death of a Russian taxi dancer he steered across the floor one night complicates matters. In the latest Decker/Lazarus mystery, The Lost Boys, Peter Decker believes that a developmentally disabled man who vanished while on an outing from his residential home went off with someone he knew (100,000-copy first printing; originally scheduled for October 2020). Schaffhausen's Every Waking Hour features Ellery Hathaway, who is gingerly reentering normal life as a rookie Boston detective after escaping a serial killer as a teenager when a 12-year-old girl in her care disappears (40,000-copy first printing). In Tracy's Deep into the Dark, a series launch, LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan doesn't believe that emotionally shattered Afghanistan war vet Sam Easton is responsible for a murder and joins forces with him to find the culprit. A winner of Bram Stoker and British Fantasy awards, Tremblay stretches the imagination in The Little Sleep with a South Boston private detective who suffers from narcolepsy-induced hypnagogic hallucinations that may include reality talent show star Jennifer Times trying to hire him to retrieve her stolen fingers.
2020-10-27
A child’s disappearance triggers dark memories for a Boston cop.
Ellery Hathaway’s idyllic day with her lover, Reed Markham, and his young daughter, Tula, at Boston Common turns horribly wrong when 12-year-old Chloe Lockhart, another Common visitor, goes missing. Ellery, a Boston police detective, and Reed, an FBI Special Agent, take on the investigation. It’s a red flag when Chloe’s father, Martin, calls his attorney, Stephen Wintour, into a meeting at the police station. Chloe’s well-paid nanny, Margery, who was supposed to be watching the girl, is the first to fall under scrutiny. Then Chloe’s mother, Teresa, drops a bombshell: Several years ago, while she was married to her first husband, her son was kidnapped and killed. Ellery and her partner, Dorie, begin their probe with Margery’s husband, Frank, who has a criminal record, then move to Chloe’s parents. Meanwhile, Reed uses his considerable resources to get to work profiling. An anonymous tipster claims that Martin’s having an affair with his employee Amanda McFarland. The story follows a traditional template as the sleuths question Chloe’s friends, scour her room for clues, delve into her online activity, and follow every obscure lead that promises to lead them to yet another. Schaffhausen’s prose is similarly measured and deliberate. Shadowing the investigation is Ellery’s painful past, which is doled out in tidbits.
A solid but formulaic procedural that should satisfy the heroine’s fans but may frustrate newcomers.
This audiobook is the fourth police procedural in the Ellery Hathaway series. Ellery, who as a youth was the victim of a sadistic madman, is now a police officer in Boston and a fierce champion of crime victims. Danielle Gensler portrays Ellery as strong yet vulnerable, her voice both resolute and compassionate. Ellery is the lead detective in the case of a missing preteen who vanishes from Boston Common while Ellery is there with her boyfriend, an F.B.I. profiler. Listeners will enjoy rich storytelling, replete with adroitly depicted characters, and fascinating interlocking relationships. Seth Podowitz narrates the voice of Reed Markham, giving the clever, macho lawman a firm but likable persona. This is satisfying listening that highlights characters who battle evil rather than fleeing it. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
This audiobook is the fourth police procedural in the Ellery Hathaway series. Ellery, who as a youth was the victim of a sadistic madman, is now a police officer in Boston and a fierce champion of crime victims. Danielle Gensler portrays Ellery as strong yet vulnerable, her voice both resolute and compassionate. Ellery is the lead detective in the case of a missing preteen who vanishes from Boston Common while Ellery is there with her boyfriend, an F.B.I. profiler. Listeners will enjoy rich storytelling, replete with adroitly depicted characters, and fascinating interlocking relationships. Seth Podowitz narrates the voice of Reed Markham, giving the clever, macho lawman a firm but likable persona. This is satisfying listening that highlights characters who battle evil rather than fleeing it. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
