Scan barcode
A review by lynguy1
All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen
4.0
ALL THE BEST LIES by Joanna Schaffhausen is a crime thriller, a police procedural and the third book in the Ellery Hathaway mystery series. It is set mostly in Nevada and worked for me as a standalone novel.
The main characters are FBI agent Reed Markham and a suspended police officer Ellery Hathaway. Reed decides to pursue a cold case; the unsolved murder of his birth mother. He enlists the help of Ellery and they head to Las Vegas, the site of the murder. I don’t want to say any more about the story details because that would detract from a reader’s enjoyment of the book.
The characters are compelling, fascinating, and felt three-dimensional. There was enough at stake to keep me engaged throughout the story. The world-building was absolutely fantastic and gave a clear sense of place. The different thought processes and methods of the two main characters lent a fresh perspective to the story. Their strong connection adds to the story line without detracting from the main case. While I was able to determine the villain, there were a lot of twists and one reveal that completely surprised me. A variety of themes are woven into this novel including murder, friendship, the relationships between local police departments and the FBI, family relationships, how past events impact our current lives, emotional healing, DNA testing, and much more.
Overall, the plot was creative, absorbing and well-paced. I would recommend it to those that enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers. I look forward to reading the next book in this series as well as checking out the earlier books in this series.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press and Joanna Schaffhausen for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
The main characters are FBI agent Reed Markham and a suspended police officer Ellery Hathaway. Reed decides to pursue a cold case; the unsolved murder of his birth mother. He enlists the help of Ellery and they head to Las Vegas, the site of the murder. I don’t want to say any more about the story details because that would detract from a reader’s enjoyment of the book.
The characters are compelling, fascinating, and felt three-dimensional. There was enough at stake to keep me engaged throughout the story. The world-building was absolutely fantastic and gave a clear sense of place. The different thought processes and methods of the two main characters lent a fresh perspective to the story. Their strong connection adds to the story line without detracting from the main case. While I was able to determine the villain, there were a lot of twists and one reveal that completely surprised me. A variety of themes are woven into this novel including murder, friendship, the relationships between local police departments and the FBI, family relationships, how past events impact our current lives, emotional healing, DNA testing, and much more.
Overall, the plot was creative, absorbing and well-paced. I would recommend it to those that enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers. I look forward to reading the next book in this series as well as checking out the earlier books in this series.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press and Joanna Schaffhausen for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.