“Sometimes life only hands you one option, and you have to take it, whether you like it or not.”
๐ฉ๐ฌ: violence, murder, murder of police officer (Please contact me for clarifications.)
Quick Take
This is the first in the Adler & Dwyer series. The murder of a state trooper is only the beginning of Susan Adler’s problems. She’s tasked to find the culprits whose motivations stem from some dark, disturbing secrets that have haunted them for decades. Time is ticking away for all involved.
Review
This is the first book I’ve given a half rating to. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. ๐ I loved getting to spend quite a bit of time delving into the setting and the action, which begins instantly with the murder of a state trooper, which prompts police attention but had been cascading into a well of absolute carnage even before trooper Kincaid was killed. That’s probably my favorite thing to do with any story–sit with the characters for awhile, sometimes wishing it was in real time and space that we were sharing.
What I loved most about this story was the absolute lack of clues. My favorite aspect of mystery/suspense/thriller books is trying to piece together the WH-‘s of everything, who, what, when, where, and why since we already know the how. I rely on the author leaving tiny clues, which Farrell did not. It presented a huge challenge, which I absolutely loved.
What became troublesome for me was the amount of characters (I literally made a map to keep track of all the characters, their relationships to one another, and my suspected thoughts about certain things…*no spoilers*). While I was trying to keep everyone correct in my head, events unfolded that left me feeling ๐ต and questioning just how this book was going to end. Ultimately, I liked where the story was going and went.
I also wondered when Adler’s partner, Dwyer would be showing up, seeing as how this is their “origin”. I wished he was introduced a tad bit sooner.
TLDR; Good premise, lots of questions once the book reached its halfway point.
Final Verdict
โ โ โ โ โ
On your toes, edge of your seat mystery that had me scratching my head for all 336 pages. If you like sitting with your own questions and theories for extended periods of time without the benefit of clues, this book is for you.
Synopsis:
From the bestselling author of What Have You Done comes a mind-bending page-turner involving a series of dark crimes from the past.
When police investigator Susan Adler is called to the roadside murder of a fellow state trooper, sheโs tasked with finding the people responsible for the cold-blooded act caught on the trooperโs dashboard cam. She traces the car to a nurse who, along with her elderly patient, has been missing for days. At the old manโs house, she finds disturbing evidence that instantly revives two cold cases involving long-missing children.
The investigation takes a chilling turn when people involved with both the nurse and old man begin to turn up dead, and Susan enlists the help of her friend and forensic investigator Liam Dwyer. Together they must untangle the threads of this ever-more-complicated caseโand stay ahead of whoeverโs trying to slash their progress. The old manโs failing memory adds urgency: wherever he is, heโs no doubt lost, confused, and in extreme danger.
What started as a traffic stop gone wrong quickly unfolds into one of the darkest cases of Susanโs career, and it all leads to a sick, desperate killer. Susan and Liam must work fast to save the old manโs life and keep future victims from the killerโs grasp.
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More about Matthew Farrell
Learn more about Matthew Farrell and his other titles here.
Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads. Thank you to Matthew Farrell, Thomas & Mercer, and BookSparks, for the finished copy in exchange for my honest review.
