I barely took a breath between finishing the first and starting this second book in a really exciting crime thriller series. Because it is so engrossing, I couldn't put it down so spent today enjoying this new installment. This could be read without having read THE VANISHING SEASON, but I prefer to start at the beginning and read the books in order.
Ellery Hathaway is a police officer whose badge has recently been taken away because she shot a man at the end of the last book. Despite the fact that he was intent on killing her, the department has decided she needs some therapy to earn back her job. "You kill one guy, one time, and suddenly everyone thinks you need therapy." Ellery isn't sorry and she basically lies about how it all went down, but was forced to move out of her home and is licking her wounds marking time. At one of her mandated group meetings, she meets other victims who've been through tragedy and ends up getting involved in their personal stories. Two of them ask for her help and of course she can't say no as she really understands their pain. Who is she going to call to get some inside information? FBI profiler Reed Markham, of course. They have a strange bond because he's the one who rescued her from the serial killer's closet when she was just 14-years-old. Even though his boss is threatening his continued career in the FBI because of his last involvement with Ellery, Reed can't help himself as he's committed to caring about her well-being. So, they embark on their own side investigations that deal with a violent serial rapist and a long-ago fire that resulted in the death of a three-year-old boy.
NO SPOILERS.
Even though I am 100% sure that no two people could get away with what these two do on the outside of any law enforcement agency, I do enjoy the plot and the drama of their search for truth and justice. Ellery is quite an interesting character and I can definitely understand why she feels and acts the way she does -- she can't help herself, so she is dedicated and intent on helping others. Reed is protective and feels responsible for Ellery though I sense that his motives are becoming far more personal the more time they spend together. Getting to know one another more intimately while they pull all sorts of shenanigans to get information. I actually quite like them both and am eager to see what happens next as the end of this one gives us quite the twist!
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing this e-book ARC for me to read, review and recommend. And off I go to start #3 -- and then, darn it, I'll be waiting...
This is the second book of the series and I suggest you read them in order.
Genre - crime thriller, rape, arson,
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