Rory Moore followed in her father's footsteps and became an attorney. She doesn't, however, practice law as she has some personal issues that led her instead to a career as a forensic reconstructionist and she works exclusively for the Murder Accountability Project (yes, that's a real thing) and the Chicago Police Department. Her job is to figure out details about a murder that others involved might have missed to bring a killer to justice. As she beings to investigate the death of 22-year-old Camille Byrd, Rory is pulled away to take care of her father's legal practice after he dies suddenly of a heart attack. Rory used to do some limited work for the Moore Law Group as it was a one-man firm and sometimes her father needed help with research or trial prep. Now she has to clear his cases - the pending, the retired and the open ones. Unfortunately, one of the cases relates to "The Thief", a man convicted of murdering his wife and sentences to 60 years in prison. After decades, he's finally coming up for parole and the judge is that Rory work with the convict to manage his release from the prison where he's been for 40 years.
A new voice -- that of Angela Mitchell from the past. She's a young housewife with autism, OCD and anxiety. She becomes fixated on a series of murders that occurred locally in 1979 and pursues the details, draws up charts and makes connections that make her suspect that it is the work of a serial killer. There were 5 victims, disappearances of women, and the bodies were never found though all are considered dead. No one was convicted. Angela can't let it go and becomes totally obsessed. With her issues and essentially without anyone to believe her, she figures out what she must do. She believes she has the answers. Then she, too, disappears. Is she another victim of "The Thief"? NO SPOILERS.
This was an extremely fast-paced and suspenseful story that gripped me from the beginning and FORCED me to read in one sitting. I loved the flip back and forth between 1979 and present day, and the different points of view throughout the narrative. I had guesses and more guesses and couldn't wait to get to the revelations with the conclusion quite satsifactory. The characters were very interesting and I really got into the fact that they both were on the spectrum but were able to function despite their limitations. I love Donlea's writing style and I've read all his previous books as well -- I urge you to pick one up and see if you don't enjoy them too!
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. I'll definitely be recommending it to anyone who enjoys this genre and likes a great mystery with a deftly crafted plot.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - forensic reconstruction, serial killer, mystery, autism
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