Title: Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 404 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Fans of Lisa Unger and Allen Eskens won’t want to miss this thrilling new suspense novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Girl Who Was Taken! Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past…
Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.
Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won’t be complete until she can clear Victoria’s name. Alone she’s had no luck, but she’s convinced that Avery’s connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA.
But the twisted puzzle of Victoria’s private life just the beginning. And what Avery doesn’t realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .
Accused of a brutal murder, Victoria Fordmade a final chilling call from theNorth Tower on the morning of 9/11.
Twenty years ago, no one listened.
Today, you will.
TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past…
Review:
Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea is a twist-filled mystery.
In 2001, Victoria Ford is the primary suspect in the murder of her married lover, author Cameron Young. She proclaims her innocence but before she can prove it in a court of law, Victoria is a victim of the 9/11 attack. She makes her last phone call to her sister Emma Kind who is, twenty years later, still attempting to clear her sister’s name. Now that Victoria is a confirmed victim of the 9/11 attack, Avery Mason agrees to investigate the case for an upcoming episode on her popular TV show, American Events.
Now on summer hiatus, Avery drives across country from California to New York before looking into the Young murder. She finds unexpected assistance from now retired FBI Agent Walt Jenkins. Avery completely enjoys matching wits with Walt, but she must hold much of herself back from him due to her own unexpectedly well-kept secret. She was already planning a trip to New York in an attempt to put her own past to rest.
From the shocking opening scene to the last page, Twenty Years Later is a suspense-laden, unpredictable mystery. The storyline is multi-layered and full of tension. The characters are likable with interesting backstories and unexpected secrets. The story moves at a breathtaking pace and Charlie Donlea brings this intriguing mystery to an astonishing conclusion.
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