It was okay, a typical mystery/thriller. I thought the main detective was interesting and some elements of the story were intriguing, but it did get a little slow in parts.

It is especially thrilling to read a book you cannot put away until the end. We get to sink our teeth into the pull of Grace, a woman who thinks she’s on the trail of a killer so smooth, and sinister, he keeps people awake at night. Dormant for two decades, Grace is his latest victim. Annalisa Vega could never shake the feeling this killer was always around living and breathing along side neighbors and friends. Why now , why Grace, was she so close he couldn’t resist the urge to emerge. Such good stuff here. I can hardly wait for the next Vega book! Happy reading

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Hopefully this is the start to a great series! Based on this one, I have a feeling the Annalisa Vega series will go on for a while!

This was so good! I couldn't put it down because it was so addictive. Just when I thought that I had it figured out along came a new twist to surprise me. I highly recommend this book.

This is book 1 in the Annalisa Vega series. I have never read anything by this author prior to this book. Annalisa is a Chicago PD Homicide Detective who is called away from an excruciatingly boring blind date to a crime scene where a woman is found tied with rope and strangled. Annalisa is brought back to the summer of twenty years ago when her boyfriend Colin's mother was killed in a similar manner by a serial killer dubbed the Lovelorn Killer. That summer changed the lives of her family, her neighbours and the lives of her father and his fellow police officers. The newest victim is a woman named Grace Harper who belongs to an amateur cold case solving group called the Grave Diggers. This group is working on the Lovelorn Killer case and Grace has researched the case in depth and practically calls out to the killer and challenges him to come out. Grace is killed in the same manner as his previous seven victims which makes Annalisa and her partner and ex-husband Nick Carelli wonder if there is a copy cat or is the Lovelorn Killer back? Then the killer sets his sights on Annalisa.
Schaffhausen does a great job with the characters, giving enough of a glimpse into each of them to make them real and yet still leaving so many aspects unrevealed, Annalisa is a great main character and even her dubious ex is likeable. Annalisa's memories of summer bbq's, street parties and first loves seem more like another chapter than a memory, keeping the reader engaged throughout. The book ends with a fantastic twist even though I had thought we reached the end of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to Book 2!

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

If you like the Ellery Hathaway series by Joanna Schaffhausen then you are sure to love this newest series featuring Detective Annalisa Vega.
When Annalisa was a teen, a family friend was killed by a serial killer with her father involved in the following investigation. The killer is never apprehended and now decades later, again becomes active with Annalisa becoming one of the investigating detectives. The killer is taunting Annalisa and she becomes his focus and his next possible victim.
Great read with lots of action.

What didn't I love about this book? It was the perfect suspenseful mystery. The book was a bit slow to start but then picked up the pace quickly ! I love Joanna Schaffhausen's books and this book is no different. Great writing, intriguing storyline and a great female lead character. Look forward to the next in the series! Loved!

This is my first novel by Ms. Schaffhausen and it is the first in a new series. This is book one of a new series featuring Detective Annalisa Vega. A determined, driven, and no-nonsense detective that finds herself working alongside her ex-husband. Vegas is intensely likeable - she’s independent, feisty, and no sign of a damsel-in-distress trope here (if you’re like me and sick of THAT hot mess). She makes smart decisions and is quick on her feet. Annalisa Vega followed in her father's footsteps to become a cop after her brothers took different career paths. In this tale, she's called to the scene of a crime that bears remarkable resemblance to a series of serial murders committed by a killer only known as The Lovelorn Killer. The last murder was twenty years previous, and the woman killed in that case was Annalisa's neighbor and her teenage boyfriend's mother. Now it seems the murderer is back after the long hiatus and has chosen a member of an amateur sleuth group looking into the Lovelorn Killer's crimes as his next victim. There is so many twists and turns in this book it is a wild and great ride. I love the mystery in this book. Nicely done and looking forward to the next in the series!


Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Minotaur Books.

Thank you @netgalley @joannaschaffhausen and @minotaur_books for this ARC last year.

4/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
First off, why did I wait so long to read this? I got this last year and for whatever reason kept stalling on picking it up and I’m really mad at myself for that because this book was good! I love a good female cop book and this one provided a strong female lead with Annalisa Vega. There was enough mystery and twists to keep you captivated the entire time with just a tad bit of love that made you root for two men to be her her leading man! There was also a lot of heartbreak and hard decisions to be made during this book and i truly don’t know what I would do in Annalisa’s situations. When I went to update my @goodreads and saw this was book 1, I got really excited to know another one will be in the future. Ive enjoyed these characters and am happy to know I will get more. If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend. If you have, what were your thoughts

Not just another detective story, this one had some unique storytelling points told from the victim's POV (through her notes) that made the story move along well. This is a new series for Joanna Schaffhausen, an author I already like. She's introduced a new character, Detective Annalisa Vega, by showing her family, friends, and past in a way that gives a really full picture. First books often feel like a backstory dump but I felt like I was unraveling this new character through the crime and moment in time naturally. Was I know love? No. But I kept turning the pages because the story is interesting and I love serial killer chases.

Annalisa's life is complicated. Her ex-husband in now her partner and her ex-boyfriend from high school has come back to town when the serial killer who took his mother has resurfaced. It wasn't the most original set-up for this genre but I found it worked. I'm always curious and happy when characters aren't constantly at their ex's throats and can have civil, realistic relationships with those who they shared their lives. I didn't love any one character in this book enough to know I'll definitely pick up the next but the plot and the way the author used the victim's own ideas on the killer was interesting.

Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen is a good book and one with plenty of twists and turns. There is a good undercurrent of emotion here too, which sets this book apart. Some tension, solid character development and a good plot made this a fun read. Recommend.

Gone for Good is one of those books that will bleed into others somewhere in the muddled meh of my brain.

Some things that bugged me:

The love triangle. Ugh. Mostly, I couldn’t buy into the twenty-year pining over a teenage relationship.

Tons of family drama overshadows and wraps around the criminal investigation.

The irritating trope of the intelligent female detective who deliberately puts herself in a situation where she could easily become the next victim. This is stupid, not heroic.

The plot is more implausible than realistic.

Despite my grumbling, the writing is good and I know many readers will love this one.

This is the first Detective Annalisa Vega novel. We’re left with a cliffhanger related to the drama, but the crime is wrapped up.

Thank you @minotaur_books for sending a copy of Joanna Scaffhausen’s Gone For Good for me to review. I loved her last series so I was excited to see a new series based around Detective Vega who was introduced in the last one!

Like this author’s last series, this one also features a cold case brought back to the surface. This time a member of a group that was researching The Lovelorn killer is found dead in the same method as his last victims 20 years ago. Detective Vega and her ex-husband are assigned the new case as well as trying to solve the cold cases, some of which are close to home for Vega.

I loved the pace of this one, it moved along so quickly with a few really tense moments! I did think it was unbelievable that they would let a Detective so obviously too close to some of the details continue to work the case but if we use Law And Order logic, it worked well for the drama. You do get quite a lot of character development as well.

Overall, a great place to start if you haven’t read anything by the author before. It gives a great idea of her style and if you like this one, you’ll love the backlist!

This was a great start to a mystery series! Detective Annalisa Vega is on the trail of the Lovelorn Killer. The killer was dormant for years, but a group of internet sleuths lured him out of hiding and one of them turned up dead. Now that he's back, it's up to Detective Vega to track him down. With help from some great supporting characters, Vega is the newest bada** in the crime solving world. I can't wait to see what she does next.

The Lovelorn Killer has been dormant for 20 years, but when a local group of internet sleuths get close to finding him, he comes back with a vengeance. This time he has his sights set on Detective Annalisa Vega. Annalisa knew one of the original victims, and she’s also working the case with her ex-husband Nick Carelli, so this case is personal. Can Annalisa find the killer before he finds her? Not only did Schaffhausen create an original detective story, but Annalisa’s backstory and family make this story a page turner. The writing is great, and every reader of mystery should read this book right away.

Gone for Good is an enjoyable thriller and I want more Annalisa Vega!

Detective Annalisa Vega is following in her father's footsteps. She is a cop just like him.

When the book begins, she has been assigned a new partner who turns out to be her ex-husband Nick Carelli. Their marriage didn't work but Annalisa knows she can't complain and she will have to work with him. She doesn't have a lot of time to process anything before she is called to the scene of a murder.

The victim is Grace Hopper. Grace, on her personal time, was part of an online group, The Grave Diggers, who review cold cases and try to find clues the police missed. Her latest interest was the Lovelorn Killer. Grace is murdered just like one of his victims. Annalisa realizes this and she knows it could mean that after twenty years, the person who killed her neighbor, Katie who was the mother of her boyfriend Collin, is back. She knows she must contact Collin who disappeared from her life after his mother's murder.

Everyone wants to know why, is the Lovelorn Killer back? Why did he stop for twenty years? Is this the work of a copycat? Annalisa doesn't believe that it is. She feels confident it's him! He is taunting her with phone calls and is following her. She could be his the next victim.....

I love Annalisa's character. She was strong and was ready to make the hard decisions. I also liked that despite Nick being her ex, they work well together. I liked Nick and I also like Collin who comes back because his mother's killer is back. I'm not sure which guy I will pick for Annalisa.

I guess we should see what happens to them on the next installment which I won't miss!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This review is my voluntary and unbiased opinion.

Detective Annalisa Vega is tasked with investigating a cold case after the death of Grace Harper, a true crime sleuth. Her online group called the Grave Diggers consisted of a variety of fellow amateur detectives. For some reason, Grace could not stop looking into the case of the Lovelorn Killer. She falls victim when her notes start to get close to solving the death of Katie Duffy, who was victim number 7 of the serial killer. Annalisa’s ex-husband, Nick Carelli, is transferred back from FL to help with the investigation. This case begins to become personal for Annalisa when the case brings up memories from her past. Her high school sweetheart was Colin Duffy, the son of the deceased woman whose father is also a police officer. It is further complicated by her relationship with her friend and sister-in-law, Sassy, who is married to Annalisa’s brother and a cousin of Colin Duffy. The more digging into this cold case uncovers more secrets that reveal some unsavory details of some high profile people.

It’s great to see a new mystery series by this talented author.

Loved the 2 point of views on this book! Analissa’s character was my favorite and was built and described so well!! However, the killer was sort of easy to discover. With that being said I didn’t enjoy the book any less because it was predictable. It definitely had me immersed throughout. Recommend as a good ol beach read!

This was a great dark and chilling thriller. It had strong characters, especially the main character Annalisa. I like how her history intertwined with the serial killer- that made it really intriguing. The killer was a little predictable, but other than that I enjoyed this book a lot.

After reading a couple of extremely slow books this page turner was a breath of fresh air. The only reason it took me days to read was just because I didn’t have much time to sit and read, but when I did, I was flying through it. If you’re a fan of police procedurals, then definitely pick this one up. While there was a love interest it didn’t take over the story which I was so grateful for. The level of tension and creepiness was also perfect and I couldn’t quite figure out the ending. I was right about the killer, but only because almost everyone was on my list, and I had barely narrowed it down by the end.🤣The characters were all great, and well developed without spending an inordinate amount of time on back story and detail. This is the first in the Annalisa Vega series and I cannot wait for the second book Long Gone, out August 9th 2022.

Thank you @minotaur_books for the complimentary copy