Reed Markham, an agent with the FBI is intent on solving a cold case that is as old as he is – the murder of his own mother.  For this he has to travel to Las Vegas, NV to review the old case files.  He asks his friend from back east, Ellery Hathaway, a cop who has been suspended, to come and help him.

Reed soon realizes that his own adoptive father, a Senator from Virginia, is somehow involved.  As he delves into the old files, sparks begin to fly and he realizes he has stirred up a hornets nest and someone doesn’t want him to find out the truth.

This book was excellently written and keeps you wondering who the murderer is right up to the end.  I recommend this book to all suspense / mystery lovers.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley.  All views expressed are only my honest opinion

There have been many headlines lately on the surprises the availability of DNA tests to the public have brought to light.  It was only a matter of time before an author worked the headline into a story.  Luckily for us, it's Joanna Schaffhausen.  If you have not read the first books in this series, it is well worth your precious reading time to do so, but it will not take anything away from this book.  This major mystery starts with a cold case murder and then adds the surprising DNA results to build suspense.  BUT, our team must deal with some unexpected twists and some very big attitudes before they get to the bottom of what happened in that hotel room 40 years ago.

This is another great Ellery and Reed story! I wasn’t able to put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen next!

In the search for his mother’s killer, Reed and Ellery find one dead end after another and find themselves in the crosshairs. 

Such a great read! Can’t wait for the next story and see where things go.

Joanna Schaffhausen always waits until the very end for a twist that the reader never saw coming. 

FBI Agent and author Reed Markham has been by Ellery’s side since the first book and now it is time to tell his story. His biological mother was killed when he was an infant and now with his sister pushing for the whole Markham family (Reed’s adoptive family) to take DNA tests, for fun, Reed’s life has been thrown for a loop. 

In 1970’s Las Vegas, Camilla Flores was found murdered and her son unharmed. The neighborhood was bad and though she had friends, they couldn’t help when evil loomed around the corner. Her friend, a police officer, tried to help. His partner was sympathetic but time went on with no conclusions and they eventually married and forgot about Camilla. Camilla’s neighbor tried to help with the baby but after the murder, she left town and the baby was eventually put up for adoption. Fortunately for Reed, the Markham’s were able to adopt him and raise him in their growing family, but even they kept a secret that they hoped would never come to light. Now that Reed knows the truth of his parentage, he won’t stop investigating until he understands who attacked his mother, his father’s involvement, and what secrets the neighbor knew.

The boundaries between Reed and Ellery have always been murky, but this time, Reed needs her help instead of the other way around. She isn’t going to judge and get in the way, she will fight for and with him in just the same way that he has for her and with the two of them focused on the same thing, there will be no stopping them, that is until a bullet almost ends Reed’s life, but still, Camilla will get the justice that she deserves.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

FBI agent Reed Markham has been notified the cold case of his mother's murder case is going to be closed. Reed takes over the case to try and finally get some answers as to why and who murdered his mother. Reed asks Ellery to go with him in his quest to find answers, one of the questions being just how well does Reed's father know his mother. Reed's journey provides a lot of answers to past questions but also raising a few new ones.
I love all the characters in this series, especially Ellery. Publicly she is one bad ass cop but under the tough exterior is a woman fighting a lot of internal demons. The relationship between her and Reed is complicated as he is the one that found her years ago locked in a closet by a serial killer. 
Joanna Schaffhausen does a great job of weaving together multiple storylines that have a very satisfying ending.
Great read sure to be loved by many.

The first thing I did when I finished reading "All the Best Lies" was to check if there is a book #4 coming out. Not because the story ends on a cliffhanger, but rather, the ending was very satisfying and I would have been happy enough for the series to end right there. But yay!-- According to the author on her review of the book, book four has been handed in and book five is happening!

Of the three books in the series, "All the Best Lies" is the best yet. Fast-paced and well-told, this was a really nice break from some of the heavier books I've been reading. While it is possible to read this book before reading books 1 and 2, I highly recommend that the first two books are read first to really enjoy the series. And if you like books one and two, you will likely enjoy this one as well.

Ellery and Reed travel to Las Vegas to investigate the murder of Reed's biological mother. The case has been cold for 40 years, and while the characters doubt their ability to solve the case, as the audience you know we will find out what happened! ;)
I have really enjoyed the character development of Reed and Ellery from the very start. There is romantic tension with moderate drama. The secondary cast of characters are also well-written. I am happy to finally meet more of Reed's family!

Joanna Shaffhausen has a wonderful blog on her website (https://www.joannaschaffhausen.com/) that is updated with interesting stories and tidbits. 

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am already looking forward to book #4!

Reed and Ellery continue their dance of courtship which neither seems to understand and recognize. Reed enlists Ellery's help as he opens the cold case of who killed his birth mother. They travel to Las Vegas to pursue the truth, and uncover one new problem after another as they try to identify the people and circumstance surrounding the violent death. Reed's DNA report throws him for a loop as he discovers that his adoptive father and birth father  are the same person. He begins to suspect his father as a prime suspect in the death of his mother. The reader learns the information as Reed and Ellery investigate, and is drawn into the story. Despite the many surprises that appear throughout the narrative, the biggest surprise is revealed at the end, after the killer has been identified. I became so engrossed in this book that I laid in bed and thought about it instead of sleeping. I had to finish it, and even then I kept thinking about it.

All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen is a highly recommended mystery/procedural. FBI agent Reed Markham and his friend and suspended cop Ellery Hathaway take on a very personal forty year old cold case in this third book in the Ellery Hathaway series.

Reed Markham's birth mother, Camilla Flores, was stabbed and beaten to death in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1975, while her baby, Reed, was in the apartment. Her case was never solved. Reed was adopted by Virginia state senator Angus Markham. So when his sisters ask him to take a mail-in DNA test, just to see if he has some distant biological connection to them, he was hesitant, but did it. Instead of a distant link, Reed learns that adoptive father is actually his biological father. Reed wants to look into his mother's death because now he suspects that his father may be involved.

Reed enlists Ellery Hathaway to help him with the investigation. Ellery has her own reasons to want to leave town, not the least of which is that she is currently on suspension from the police force. Reed and Ellery have a complex relationship, but they work well together as an investigative team. They are also tentatively moving toward a closer personal relationship.

While this third book in the series can be read as a stand-alone novel, a more complete picture of the relationship between Reed and Ellery will result in reading them in order. They are both complex, flawed characters and have both chemistry with each other as well as a complicated relationship. I have read The Vanishing Season, book one, but not the second, No Mercy. I sort of wish I had read the second book before diving into this one, but Schaffhausen does do a very good job explaining their past while keeping the current investigation/mystery moving along.

The writing is excellent and the plot moves along quickly as does the character development. As the two dig deep into the past and try to find out what really happened, it becomes clear that not everyone is telling the truth and there are hidden motives. The clues are followed and Reed and Ellery work well together questioning people and following clues in this intriguing procedural/mystery. Be prepared for several surprises as the investigation unfolds and an ending which ties everything together.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillan Publishing.

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This is the third in the series featuring FBI agent Reed Markham and police officer Ellery Hathaway. As a young teenager, Ellery was kidnapped, raped, and tortured; she was rescued by Markham. Now an adult, Hathaway has formed a close relationship with Markham.
They team up to solve the brutal murder of Hathaway’s mother, some forty years ago.

I couldn’t put this book down.  Its intriguing plot and strong character development compelled me to keep reading on and on. It earns a rare five stars from me.

Although I don’t feel that I missed anything by not having read the prior two novels in this series, I definitely want to go back and read them.

The third book in the series takes off where No Mercy ended. FBI Agent, Reed Markham, found out more than he bargained for with his recent DNA test.  Now he’s reopened the cold  case of his mother’s (Camilla) murder many years ago in Las Vegas.  On administrative leave from the Boston PD, Ellery Hathaway has joined him on the case.  So many secrets abound in both of their lives.  Those secrets slowly surface as they get closer and closer to finding out what really happened to Cammie.  Ellery and Reed also draw closer to each other as well as the story progresses.  This is a well done Police Procedural and I’m hoping for more in this hard to put down series.

4.5 stars.

  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 into 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 is 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.

Joanna Schaffhausen is able to bring together a cast of characters that are fascinating and will have readers wondering if the story is partly true as the author drives the story with characters who pop off the pages.

The Villain is perfect for this story to the point readers will know who it is pretty quick. Yet the authors ability to tell a story is what drives the readers wondering what will happen.

The author uses her make people aware what happens in the past can and will effect you in the future.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Joanna Schaffhausen All The Best Lies.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this one from NetGalley.

All the Best Lies is about the cold case of a 40-year-old murder of a young lady in Las Vegas. Not any cold case, because the victim was the birth mother of an FBI agent. Reed Markham is the FBI agent. Traveling with him to Las Vegas is Ellery Hathaway, a police officer serving a suspension. This is the third book in the Ellery Hathaway series. Though this works as a standalone, I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read the first two books in this series. Frequent references are made to past events which, I assume, are fully explained in those books.

The plot is excellent. Lots of possible culprits. Plenty of surprises. The book is well-paced. Lots of interaction with law enforcement authorities in Las Vegas, friends of the victim and the families of Reed and Ellery.

The characters are all well-developed and credible also.

FIVE STARS!

All the best lies is another case for Ellery and Reed. This one involves a cold case that happens to be Reed's moms murder. Lots of twist will will keep you turning the pages until the end. They deal with corrupt cops and politics.

All the Best Lies: A Mystery (Ellery Hathaway Book 3)
Yes you can read this as a standalone but I highly recommend that you read the Vanishing Season (book 1) and No Mercy (book 2) prior to this.  In this third book we see a lot more character development of Reed Markham and Ellery Hathaway.
Both of them have major issues with their past and how to deal with it but slowly they are starting to put their past behind them.   This book ended in a manner that this could be the end of the series but I'm hoping  we be able to read more of this duo.  Both of them have new relatives that could make for some interesting reading.

All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen is book three in the Ellery Hathaway series. I loved it!  Ellery, a cop on leave and Reed Markham an FBI agent team up to straighten a wrong, a wrong in Reed's life. Ellery is a strong willed gal who is somewhat vulnerable and Reed, a determined man who will not let go. They are great together and the story flows beautifully. This was hard to put down. Thanks #NetGalley #allthebestlies #MinotaurBooks

In this installment of the series, Reed is on a personal journey.  He is determined to find out who murdered his birth mother. He had learned more of his history in the last book and this one picks up shortly after.  He asks for Ellery's help in finding out what happened 40 years ago.  The book moves at a good pace.  I like how their relationship is evolving.  The mystery has some twist and turns and has a surprising ending.  

I hope there is more coming as I like the characters and their relationship.  

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Reed Markham and Ellery Hathaway team up once again, this time to investigate a forty-year-old cold case that involves Reed’s murdered mother, Camilla Flores. There are plenty of suspects thrown our way and a couple of surprises at the end. The sexual tension between Reed and Ellery is a major part of the book, and author Joanna Schaffhausen does her best to continue to throw up roadblocks between the pair. Both have been through emotional times in their pasts, and must battle their individual demons if they are ever going to come together.

Of course, the book is primarily a mystery, filled with red herrings and a lot of gathering and sifting through the clues to discover who killed Reed’s mother. Although all the plot aspects are possible, I struggled to believe the plausibility of some of them. There is also the question of the credibility of police officers who have worked the case over the years, which enables Ellery and FBI Agent Reed to reopen the case and find clues that have somehow been missed or ignored over the years. One or two items might have been able to be brushed aside, but when everything is tied together, the entire line of reasoning strained this reader’s ability to believe the story.

I enjoyed the clever descriptions the author would insert from time to time, creating images that would stick in my mind long after the passage had been initially read. These usually followed an emotional scene, and the words employed amplified what the characters were feeling. Overall, I found this to be Ms. Schaffhausen’s best book so far. Other than the previously mentioned issues with suspending disbelief, most of the clues are explained or justified by the end of the book. Fans will love this book. Three-and-a-half stars.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve enjoyed the two previous books in this series ([book:The Vanishing Season|30654172]and [book:No Mercy|37655097]), but I think this one is the best.  The preliminaries are out of the way – we know the basic back story, we know the main characters, Ellery and Reed, and the author can focus on further development of the characters and the plot.  There are references, of course, to their backgrounds, but I think this is definitely a series to be read in order, since the earlier books provide much more information, particularly about Ellery’s past.

Here, in contrast to the two previous stories, Reed is more the central character, in that the case they wind up working on comes from his background rather than Ellery’s background and/or current life.  It’s good to see her taking a supportive role as Reed struggles with his own difficulties in dealing with this past – although things do get complicated for Ellery as the missing father shows up to ask for her help.

I was taken with the plot and interested to see how they would resolve a cold case that was this old.  But, as interesting as the actual mystery, was the whole theme of family dynamics, particularly the relationships between parents and children and even siblings.  This was true for both Reed and Ellery, and it certainly made their characters more fleshed out.

It will be interesting to see whether this continues as a series, or stops here.  There’s no cliffhanger to force a sequel (which I thought was the case with No Mercy), but there is clearly room to continue developing these characters and their personal and professional (if unofficial) partnership.  And even if they don’t need to deal with mysteries from their own pasts, their current jobs – police officer and FBI profiler – will certainly provide them with ample opportunity to work together on interesting cases!

This turned out to be the 3rd book in a series. I read it anyway and have since read the other 2!  GREAT series! Thank you so much to NetGalley, Joanna Schaffhausen and St. Martin's press for turning me on to yet another one!  I love the relationship between Ellery and Reed and of course throwing in murders never hurts.  Both are great characters and the author does a great job of making me care about them.  Can't wait for more!