Electrifying characters elevate this well-crafted detective tale.
This thriller finds a Brooklyn private investigator facing a vicious gangster and a dubious Russian boxer.
It hasn’t been easy for Det. Gina Marie Cototi to keep up with her hefty caseload, primarily consisting of insurance fraud. But her troubles only surge when someone steals her 1963 Corvette Stingray, a mint-condition classic that’s been in her family for 60 years. In trying to get her car back, she mingles with criminals and unavoidably incites the wrath of mobster Luca Mura. Meanwhile, an insurance case leads her to boxer Vlad Rzhevsky. The Russian seems to take a liking to Gina, and while he may prove an ally in dealing with Mura, he has his hands in such criminal endeavors as illegal steroid distribution. Gina’s encounters with Mura unsurprisingly turn dire. Luckily, she has others on her side who are much more reliable than Rzhevsky, from her older sister/roommate, Theresa, to former parole officer and potential romantic interest Rocco Benelli. Kelter delivers some terrific set pieces, including one of Rzhevsky’s boxing matches and a “hoity-toity” Japanese restaurant where something illicit is going down. An often vibrant cast complements these backdrops—the entertainingly unpredictable boxer, Gina’s not-so-legitimate businessman cousin, and her unabashedly promiscuous sister (“She projected the kind of heat that made guys walk face-first into walls. Father John at the local parish once offered to leave the church for her”). Gina herself is a well-drawn protagonist, a gumshoe who endures men’s groping hands and condescending terms of endearment (including sweetie). But in this series opener, readers see very little of the sleuth’s investigative skills, as there’s no real mystery or much evidence to dig into. She’s nevertheless capable and holds her own in confrontations, with the novel’s latter half yielding some perilous situations. The book likewise has a few shocks, especially regarding one character, who provides an effective teaser for the sequel.
Electrifying characters elevate this well-crafted detective tale.Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781685133528
Page Count: 260
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
