Title: Every Waking Hour by Joanna Schaffhausen
Ellery Hathaway Series Book Four
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 331 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
The fourth book in Joanna Schaffhausen’s heartpounding Ellery Hathaway mystery series, Every Waking Hour….
After surviving a serial killer’s abduction as a young teenager, Ellery Hathaway is finally attempting a normal life. She has a new job as a rookie Boston detective and a fledgling relationship with Reed Markham, the FBI agent who rescued her years ago. But when a twelve-year-old girl disappears on Ellery’s watch, the troubling case opens deep wounds that never fully healed.
Chloe Lockhart walked away from a busy street fair and vanished into the crowd. Maybe she was fleeing the suffocating surveillance her parents put on her from the time she was born, or maybe the evil from her parents’ past finally caught up to her. For Chloe, as Ellery learns, is not the first child Teresa Lockhart has lost.
Ellery knows what it’s like to have the past stalk you, to hold your breath around every corner. Sending one kidnapped girl to find another could be Chloe’s only hope or an unmitigated disaster that dooms them both. Ellery must untangle the labyrinth of secrets inside the Lockhart household—secrets that have already murdered one child. Each second that ticks by reminds her of her own lost hours, how close she came to death, and how near it still remains.
Review:
Every Waking Hour by Joanna Schaffhausen is a compelling mystery. This fourth installment in the Ellery Hathaway series can be read as standalone. But I HIGHLY recommend all of the books in the series.
Boston Detective Ellery Hathaway and FBI profiler Reed Markham are enjoying a day in the park with his seven year old daughter Tula when twelve year old Chloe Lockhart goes missing. Ellery is quick to jump into the search after the girl’s nanny Margery Brimwood begins searching for Chloe. Ellery knows all too well what could happen if Chloe has been kidnapped. She is relieved when her boss allows her to take lead on the case and she, along with her partner Detective Dorie Bennett, are soon questioning Chloe’s parents. Martin and Teresa Lockwood keep a very close watch on their daughter because years earlier, Teresa’s twelve year old son Trevor was murdered. His murder has never been solved which leaves Ellery and Dorie wondering if there could be a link between the cases.
Ellery is tightly wound throughout the search for Chloe. She cannot help but think about her own history as the days pass without any new leads. Initially believing Chloe might have just run away, Elerry and Dorie are soon proved wrong. The kidnapper’s first demand is rather odd, but they encourage Teresa to comply. With each new command, Teresa is more traumatized but she will do anything to get her daughter back.
Although Reed is on vacation, he does not hesitate to jump into the investigation. Using his connections, he learns intriguing new information about Teresa’s first husband and the circumstances surrounding their son’s death. As he digs deeper into Trevor’s case, Reed is beginning to form a hypothesis about what happened to Trevor. At the same time, he continues working on Chloe’s case. As Reed grows more certain of the kidnapper’s endgame, the search for the missing girl intensifies.
Every Waking Hour is a riveting mystery with a clever storyline and an interesting cast of characters. Ellery is intense as she vigorously pursues every lead she and Dorie unearth. The unanticipated arrival of Ellery’s half-sister is an added complication but proves to be beneficial to both siblings. Reed is also dealing with difficulties in his personal life when he learns unexpected information about his ex-wife. With stunning twists and shocking turns, Joanna Schaffhausen brings this exciting mystery to an action-filled, satisfactory conclusion. A jaw-dropping development will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next mystery in the Ellery Hathaway series.
