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!

I read and enjoyed the first two books in this series so I was glad to read this one. It's another excellent addition to the series. The characters are interesting , the story was intriguing, and the descriptions vivid. I did guess who the killer was a bit before it was revealed and then guessed the final shocking surprise just minutes before it, too, was revealed. Great way to end the book!!!

To me this was the best book in the trilogy I have just read. So good to read Ellery and Reed finally got together and if more in the series to see how they progress.

Who murdered Reed's mom Camilla?What seems like a case gone cold Reed will not rest until he finds out the truth so with Ellery at his side they delve into the case of his murdered mom. This book starts a bit slow but after you start reading it gets more intriguing as you try to figure out who and why would someone kill Camilla. There is two huge twists in this book especially the end which I loved! I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend the Ellery Hathaway series. Every book has enough mystery to keep you interested and Ellery and Reed are two great characters to follow.

Ok, I need to tell you first that I was already a big fan of the Ellery Hathaway series. I love love LOVE a loose-cannon female detective. Right in my wheelhouse.

All the Best Lies is the third in the series and centers around Ellery's sometimes partner in (solving) crime Reed Markham. They are off to Las Vegas to try to solve the very cold case of Reed's mother's murder. As it is primarily set in Las Vegas, there is less Massachusetts content I usually look to this series for. Dang.

Like any good page turning mystery, you are going to need to suspend your disbelief a bit here. Some of the plot devices are a little bit . . . ridiculous. BUT! Don't let that scare you away! It is fun and fast paced and, as always, leaves you wanting more Ellery and Reed!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of a thriller-y mystery or who likes tough as nails female detectives.

FBI Agent Reed Markham has always known he was adopted. How could he not, living within a family with 3 light skinned blond sisters and him with his Spanish coloring. He also knew that his mother had been killed and her killer had never been apprehended. It’s 40 years later and Reed has learned that the book will be closed on her murder as no new clues have surfaced. Reed isn’t about to let that happen...he wants to know who the killer was. Along with Ellery Hathaway who is on suspension from the Boston police department, they have come to Las Vegas to dig into the old files.
Reed and Ellery have a history of their own, albeit a strange one, but one that keeps them coming together.
“All the Best Lies” provides more questions than Reed or Ellery could have ever imagined. A book I could not put down with enough suspects to keep my interest and a hope that even after 40 years, a mystery could be solved. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press..Minotaur Press for an ARC of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

I loved this book! Well-written, descriptive, and enjoyable! The author consistently paints a vivid, imaginative scene. So many books of this genre are over the top and far-fetched. This is not one of them. I did figure out who the killer was before the reveal but the author still had some surprises up her sleeve and kept me engaged through the last page. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

ALL THE BEST LIES by Joanna Schaffhausen is a crime thriller, a police procedural and the third book in the Ellery Hathaway mystery series. It is set mostly in Nevada and worked for me as a standalone novel.

The main characters are FBI agent Reed Markham and a suspended police officer Ellery Hathaway. Reed decides to pursue a cold case; the unsolved murder of his birth mother. He enlists the help of Ellery and they head to Las Vegas, the site of the murder. I don’t want to say any more about the story details because that would detract from a reader’s enjoyment of the book.

The characters are compelling, fascinating, and felt three-dimensional. There was enough at stake to keep me engaged throughout the story. The world-building was absolutely fantastic and gave a clear sense of place. The different thought processes and methods of the two main characters lent a fresh perspective to the story. Their strong connection adds to the story line without detracting from the main case. While I was able to determine the villain, there were a lot of twists and one reveal that completely surprised me. A variety of themes are woven into this novel including murder, friendship, the relationships between local police departments and the FBI, family relationships, how past events impact our current lives, emotional healing, DNA testing, and much more.

Overall, the plot was creative, absorbing and well-paced. I would recommend it to those that enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers. I look forward to reading the next book in this series as well as checking out the earlier books in this series.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press and Joanna Schaffhausen for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I loved the characters of Reed and Ellie and want to read more of them. I have not read the first two books in this series but I liked this one so much that I will be starting on the others.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

All the Best Lies is the third in the series of mysteries featuring Ellery Hathaway and Reed Markhan. When Ellery was a child, she was kidnapped by a serial rapist/murderer and Reed was the FBI agent who found her. Ellery became a cop and the two of them have already caught a serial killer and a serial rapist. Now they have a more personally challenging case, solving Reed’s mother’s murder. Reed was adopted by a politician when his mother was murdered during his infancy. Having learned through a DNA test that his adoptive father is also his biological father has him wondering if his father is implicated.

They fly to Las Vegas to investigate the murder and find a strange helpfulness and resistance from the Sheriff’s office. That may be because his murdered mother Cammie was dating a police officer who was a bit of a player. She also was testifying against a local drug dealer. There are plenty of suspects and it’s possible that her death was part of a series as there are some similarities to a murder a year earlier. With so many suspects, there’s plenty of misdirection to keep the suspense going. While this murder happened long ago, the killer must still be alive because they are being followed and sabotaged.



I have enjoyed every book in the series of Ellery Hathaway mysteries. They are fair, suspenseful, and full of red herrings. All the Best Lies brought in intense family emotions, anger, resentment, betrayal, and disappointment. And it is not just Reed facing family trauma, Ellery is contacted by her father who disappeared during her childhood, who did not get in touch when she was rescued or when her brother died. Now he wants her help.

I also like that we have moved past the will they/won’t they suspense. They will, they did, and not a moment too soon. I have little patience for this old, tired idea that folks want the sexual tension to never be resolved. Not true. Look at the success of J. D. Robb’s “In Death” series.

So, I now look forward to another in this series. I expect it will be well-done, with lots of possible solutions and suspects, and smart detecting that combines equal amounts of procedural investigation and intuition.

All the Best Lies will be released on February 11th. I received an e-galley from the publishers through NetGalley.

All the Best Lies, cleverly written by Joanna Schaffhausen, is a fine addition to the Ellery Hathaway series... Ms. Schaffhausen has cultivated these characters so wisely, that this new addition is a fantastic read that stays true to their story. Full of twists and turns as Reed seeks to find out who killed his mother -- Ellery is along as she may or may not be on suspension and is providing much-needed fresh eyes. As they explore his mother's last days in Las Vegas, as well as dig through old evidence, they are overwhelmed with family from both sides, as well as another case that may be linked. This is fantastic book - I read it in a day (and way into the night) as I could not put it down until I learned how the story line was resolved..

This series just keeps getting better! Ellery and Reed are on another case and the chemistry is off the charts! The character development throughout this series has been fantastic. I loved watching these characters fully emerge in this installment! The mystery was incredibly suspenseful and well plotted. I finished this in a day as I just couldn’t put it down! Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I was not as excited by this book as the previous books because I was not sure I really liked the idea of Senator Markham, Reed's adopted father, being his biological father (which is revealed at the end of Book 2) or Reed trying to solve his mother's murder forty years ago, with his father being his prime suspect initially. However, I like the Ellery and Reed characters and I was interested to see how Ellery would be utilized in this storyline. In the end, it was an enjoyable book. The mystery behind Camilla's death was quite good, with some surprising twists. I liked the interaction between Reed and his adopted mother, as she sought to protect the family. There was an interesting side-plot involving Ellery and her father. The author did a job good with the evolution of the relationship between Reed and Ellery. She also did a good job of portraying that there is more to "family" than blood relations and the extents that people will go to protect the ones they love.

I received a review copy via NetGalley in exchange for a review.