Title: All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen
Ellery Hathaway Series Book Three
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 328 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
The highly anticipated third novel in the award-winning Ellery Hathaway mystery series.
FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery: who murdered his mother? Camilla was brutally stabbed to death more than forty years ago while baby Reed lay in his crib mere steps away. The trail went so cold that the Las Vegas Police Department has given up hope of solving the case. But then a shattering family secret changes everything Reed knows about his origins, his murdered mother, and his powerful adoptive father, state senator Angus Markham. Now Reed has to wonder if his mother’s killer is uncomfortably close to home.
Unable to trust his family with the details of his personal investigation, Reed enlists his friend, suspended cop Ellery Hathaway, to join his quest in Vegas. Ellery has experience with both troubled families and diabolical murderers, having narrowly escaped from each of them. She’s eager to skip town, too, because her own father, who abandoned her years ago, is suddenly desperate to get back in contact. He also has a secret that could change her life forever, if Ellery will let him close enough to hear it.
Far from home and relying only on each other, Reed and Ellery discover young Camilla had snared the attention of dangerous men, any of whom might have wanted to shut her up for good. They start tracing his twisted family history, knowing the path leads back to a vicious killer—one who has been hiding in plain sight for forty years and isn’t about to give up now.
Review:
The third installment in the brilliant Ellery Hathaway series, All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen is a perplexing cold case mystery.
Troubled by recent revelations, FBI Agent Reed Markham is finally in a position to investigate the long unsolved murder of his mother, Camilla Flores. Since he was only four months old at the time of Cammie’s death, Reed has no memories of her. Adopted by Senator Angus Markham and his wife Marianne, Reed grew up alongside his three sisters. But his mother’s murder has long troubled him so he enlists the aid of his friend (and suspended cop) Ellery Hathaway to travel to Las Vegas with him to in hopes of uncovering the killer’s identity.
Reed and Ellery share an unusual connection and despite their history, they work well together. Ellery is the only person he can count on to understand his desire for the truth about his mother’s death. Trying his best to distance himself from his personal connection to the victim, Reed is mostly successful as he looks through the evidence as objectively as possible. With local Sheriff Brad Ramsey’s reluctant assistance, Reed and Ellery comb through the old reports, question witnesses and assess the scant evidence from the crime.
The investigation into Camilla’s death moves in fits and starts as they pore over old evidence and search for the remaining witnesses to a murder that took place over forty years earlier. The previous detectives formed a theory early in their investigation as to the killer’s identity. With complete tunnel vision that plagued each new look at the case, there was little speculation about other possible motives or suspects for Camilla’s murder. After so many years, will Ellery and Reed uncover new information that will solve the case?
As they work together, Reed and Ellery’s personal relationship continues to grow and evolve. Their unlikely friendship is underscored by a simmering attraction, but Ellery’s traumatic past makes it difficult for her to experience intimacy. She is quick to retreat both emotionally and physically, but she also honestly assesses her reactions and emotions. Once she has processed her thoughts, Ellery makes a genuine attempt to explain what she is experiencing. Reed is quite patient as Ellery continues her healing journey that is rooted in a horrifying experience as a teenager.
All the Best Lies is an engrossing mystery with a clever storyline and interesting characters. Reed and Ellery are engaging, likable characters with fascinating back stories that make them easy to like. The investigation into Camilla’s murder is a little heartbreaking as Reed learns new information about his birth mother. With chilling turns, Joanna Schaffhausen brings this riveting mystery to a twist-filled, stunning conclusion. Old and new fans are going to love this latest addition to the marvelous Ellery Hathaway series.
