A great detective story with a clever ending.
The detectives of the Criminal Investigation Division of Baltimore strive to find justice for the city’s grisly murders in Rieger’s thriller.
Det. Kev Dixit is covering for his sergeant’s medical leave and contemplating his future of being overworked and underpaid when he receives a call about a mysterious case. Det. Dinetta Laurence tells him they’ve found the dead bodies of a presumed couple in their home with no apparent signs of a break-in. The woman, later identified as Joanne Mattheisen, is found at the foot of the stairs with a gunshot wound. Her husband, Christian Mattheisen, is dead on the couch, killed by a shot to the head. There are also adhesive marks on his face, indicating his mouth was taped shut. They have no living relatives aside from an elderly great-aunt in Vermont who’s not interested in driving down to Baltimore to assist in funeral arrangements or the investigation. As Dixit digs further into the investigation with the assistance of lawyer Rainwater Wells, he discovers that Joanne and Christian were actually siblings, and that Christian had recently transferred money to the Cayman Islands. Dixit wants to put this case to bed as an argument gone wrong that concluded in a murder and suicide, but he continues to search for clues. Alongside the Mattheisen case is a flashback to October of 2000, when Dixit was investigating a possible pair of serial killers torturing women to death (“The crimes are almost identical. Glenda thought it was two perps. Neither said a word”). The author has crafted a masterful mystery novel with a story full of unexpected twists and turns. The intrigue is occasionally overshadowed by the large cast of characters—at times it’s difficult to differentiate between them all. But Kev Dixit stands out as a grounded and dedicated detective who’s both relatable and a hero worthy of praise. His determination to solve cases and find justice for victims highlights the importance of his work and supports the stakes of the mystery.
A great detective story with a clever ending.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
A satisfying thriller that will warm the hearts of fans who already take comfort in hating the forces of evil.
Lt. Eve Dallas’ 63rd futuristic case is less a whodunit than a manhunt for an unusually sympathetic killer.
Thirteen years ago, way back in 2048, scientific genius Steve Redman—father of the Banner-Wyst corporation’s Rainmaker Project—narrowly escaped death in a gas explosion that killed his pregnant wife and infant son and 200 other residents of their New York City apartment building the night before he planned to report his suspicions about the company to the FBI. Now the bill is coming due for Banner-Wyst. The first death to be discovered is that of Lawrence Chu, Redman’s colleague and trusted friend, whose tenure as director of bioengineering science ends when he’s beaten to death. For quite a while, Dallas and her partner, Det. Delia Peabody, know less about this mystery than their readers do. But when Ezra Dent, a consultant to Banner-Wyst who worked with Redman and Chu back in the day, is murdered in exactly the same ferocious way, Dallas and Peabody, with help from Roarke, Dallas’ tech-billionaire husband, promptly put the pieces together and determine who they’re looking for. The search for Redman, who went AWOL from his hospital bed without a trace six years ago, has its own challenges. So does Dallas’ attempt to get cooperation from partners Calvin Banner and Jacob Wyst, who are clearly in the crosshairs of a killer who seems a lot less monstrous than they are. If the breaks in the case are suspiciously convenient in arriving, readers can pride themselves on taking sides against a mega-corporation whose self-avowed ecological saintliness is undermined by its leaders’ underhanded dealing.
A satisfying thriller that will warm the hearts of fans who already take comfort in hating the forces of evil.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414564
Page Count: 368
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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