Visceral chills, a colorful cast, and a handful of effective twists add up to a promising series debut.
A dogged Chicago police detective becomes both hunter and prey in the search for a legendary serial killer.
Annalisa Vega is rescued from yet another disappointing blind date by a call to a crime scene. The victim is Grace Harper, found dead on her spotless kitchen floor, and Annalisa’s rugged partner, Nick Carelli, is already on the scene. The M.O. indicates that the crime could be the work of the Lovelorn Killer, who bound and garroted seven women to death in the 1990s before going underground. Grace also bears a strong resemblance to Katie Duffy, a close friend of Annalisa's who became the seventh victim. Annalisa has been haunted by her failure to catch the Lovelorn Killer ever since. Grace belonged to the Grave Diggers, a group dedicated to investigating cold cases. Had she discovered the killer’s identity? Revisiting the old crimes is a painful necessity if Annalisa is to find Grace’s murderer ahead of the FBI. The original investigators ignored many witnesses, and waitress Lora Fitz reported an encounter with the Lovelorn Killer shortly before Katie’s death. An additional thread is provided by Grace’s interspersed diary entries. As part of his pathology, the killer repeatedly contacted his would-be victims. Could the whispery voice calling Annalisa be his? Schaffhausen combines familiar tropes in an unsubtle but arresting way and concisely fleshes out the supporting cast, from Annalisa’s womanizing partner to her Pops, who’s battling Parkinson’s, to Police Commander Lynn Zimmer, nicknamed the Hammer.
Visceral chills, a colorful cast, and a handful of effective twists add up to a promising series debut.Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-2502-6460-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Minotaur
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.
Stephanie Plum’s 31st adventure shows that Trenton’s preeminent fugitive-apprehension agent still has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and needs every one of them.
The current caseload for Stephanie and Lula—the ex-prostitute file clerk at her cousin Vincent Plum’s bail bonds company, who serves as her unflappable sidekick—begins with two “failures to appear.” Eugene Fleck is suspected of being Robin Hoodie, who robs from the rich and, yes, distributes the proceeds to the poor. Racketeer Bruno Jug, who’s missed his court date on charges of tax evasion, is also suspected of drugging and raping a 14-year-old. But neither of these fugitives can hold a candle to Zoran Djordjevic, aka Fang, a self-proclaimed vampire wanted in connection with the gruesome fate of his late wife and three other missing women. As usual, Stephanie’s personal life is just as helter-skelter as her professional life as a bounty hunter. She’s managed to get herself engaged both to Det. Joe Morelli, of the Trenton PD, and Ranger, a former Special Forces agent who runs a private security firm; she thinks she may be pregnant; and she’s willing to marry the father, whichever of her fiances that turns out to be. On top of it all, her nothingburger schoolmate Herbert Slovinski suddenly pops up at one of the funerals she ferries her Grandma Mazur to, hitting on her relentlessly and gilding his importunities by cleaning and painting her shabby apartment and laying new carpet. Luckily, Lula’s on hand to offer cupcakes that stave off the worst disasters, and whenever this hodgepodge threatens to slow down, another FTA appears, or fails to appear.
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781668003138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.
The feds must protect an accused criminal and an orphaned girl.
Maybe you’ve met him before as protagonist of The 6:20 Man (2022): Ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine, who’d had the dubious fortune to tangle with “the girl on the train,” is now assigned by his homeland security boss to protect Danny Glass, who's awaiting trial on multiple RICO charges in Washington state. Devine has what it takes: He “was a closer, snooper, fixer, investigator,” and, when necessary, a killer. These skills are on full display as the deaths of three key witnesses grind justice to a temporary halt. Glass has a 12-year-old niece, Betsy Odom, and each is the other’s only living relative—her parents recently died of an apparent drug overdose. The FBI has temporary guardianship of Betsy, who's a handful. She tells Travis that though she’s not yet 13, she's 28 in “life-shit years.” The financially well-heeled Glass wants to be her legal guardian with an eye to eventual adoption, but what are his real motives? And what happens to her if he's convicted? Meanwhile, Betsy insists that her parents never touched drugs, and she begs Travis to find out how they really died. This becomes part of a mission that oozes danger. The small town of Ricketts has a woman mayor who’s full of charm on the surface, but deeply corrupt and deadly when crossed. She may be linked to a subversive group called "12/24/65," as in 1865, when the Ku Klux Klan beast was born. Blood flows, bombs explode, and people perish, both good guys and not-so-good guys. Readers might ponder why in fiction as well as in life, it sometimes seems necessary for many to die so one may live. And what about the girl on the train? She's not necessary to the plot, but she's a fun addition as she pops in and out of the pages, occasionally leaving notes for Travis. Maybe she still wants him dead.
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781538757901
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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