Twenty years ago The Lovelorn Killer bound and tortured seven women in a bizarre ritual sending love letters to the local newspaper addressed to his victims. Grace Harper is a member of a group of amateur sleuths that look into unsolved cases. Grace comes dangerously close to discovering the identity of The Lovelorn Killer. After years of silence The Lovelorn Killer resurfaces and Grace becomes another victim. Annalisa Vega is the detective called to the scene of Grace’s murder. Seeing the horrific scene brings back memories of a murder of a close family friend that had been a victim of The Lovelorn Killer. Annalisa is determined to find the answers that eluded detectives years ago and finally identify the killer that ruined so many lives.  This was a quick read that kept me up all night reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Gone for Good.

I love mysteries, especially those featuring a formidable serial killer so I was excited when my request was approved.

When Chicago detective Annalisa Vega is called to investigate the murder of an amateur sleuth, she discovers suspicious hallmarks of a once prominent serial killer named the Lovelorn Killer.

Vega is intricately bound to the serial killer since her father, a former detective, also worked the case, and the last known victim was the mother of her first love.

As Vega becomes the killer's primary target, she will eventually learn the devastating consequences the pursuit of justice will have on her family.

I didn't dislike Vega, but I hoped to like her better than I did. I think the issue is that most of the narrative read like a romance novel.

Vega is partnered with her ex-husband and then her first love comes back to the neighborhood. She spends a lot of time (too much of it) reminiscing about the men in her life, which is hard since they meant so much to her yet, at times, 

I also didn't like how closely tied she was to the killer; her dad was a former police officer involved marginally in the case and the last victim was the mother of her first boyfriend.

I understand the author wanted to demonstrate to readers why Vega is so intent on capturing the killer and her personal stake in the investigation but these connections read as somewhat coincidental and I don't believe in coincidences.

I also had a hard time believing in the identity of the killer because he was so unmemorable.

I did make the right guess because this is not the first book I read in which the villain is a person with an impairment that causes everyone to overlook him or her.

I really hope that's not the next trend in mysteries/thrillers.

The writing was good and it wasn't a bad read, but too heavy on the romance and family drama for me.

Fun and fast read! Totally engrossed and here for all the twists and turns this book put me through! Excellent murder mystery with excellent characters!

#GoneforGood
#MustRead2021
Another hit for Joanna Schaffhausen! What a great suspense thriller! Gone for Good should stay around. LOL! It is a edge of your seat mystery that will have you buzzing right through it.

I couldn't put this book down. I like to guess who the killer is, and every time I formulated an opinion I ended up being wrong. Really wrong. It had everything a good thriller has - a good detective (extra points for being a strong female!), lot's of twists, character development but not too many that you can't keep track and development on the case as it happened. 
I can't wait to see what comes next for Annalisa Vega!
Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this before the publication date!

What a fun read! Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen is the first in the Detective Annalise Vega series. This was well written, and I like the character development. The plot was engaging, and action packed, full or twists and turns. I enjoyed this book even though some of the twists were obvious. The ending was not as satisfying as I wanted it to be. I cannot wait to see what happens to Detective Vega next.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Thank you  #Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Gone For Good by Joanna Schaffhausen.  I read  the Ellery Hathaway books by this author and loved them so I thought I would give this new series a try. I am so glad I did, this book was fantastic! I loved the characters - Annalisa is a wonderful main character and I can't wait to read  what she does next. The story was intriguing and I loved Grace's notes and how they added to the story. Of course,  I knew the writing would be stellar as it was in the previous books.  
My only regret is I will have to wait a long time for book two!

This murder mystery involving a serial killer and a sleuth club is riveting   I was hooked from the beginning and didn't figure out the amazing twists at the end.   A very good read that I was happy to discover is planned as part of a series
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

This book had me hooked from the start and didn't let up until the very ending.  I wanted to keep reading and never stop!   I really enjoyed all of the characters and their personalities, and couldn't wait to see around each new twist and turn.  I highly recommend this book!   Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Gone For Good is the first in a new mystery series from award-winning author Joanna Schaffhausen, featuring Detective Annalisa Vega, in which a cold case heats up.
I like this new series a lot. The protagonist is not your typical flawed detective trying to redeem herself....there is much more to her story. The cold case itself is creepy and the story is well told until it gets closer to the end. Without offering a spoiler, there is a bit of a plot hole and the ending was just too neatly wound up and didn't make a lot of sense.  It was also not much of a mystery since it was easy to figure out the bad guy. Other than that I am looking forward to another book in what I hope will be a long series. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

It has been twenty years since the Lovelorn killer claimed his last victim. A cold case, mostly forgotten, except for Grace Harper and the amateur sleuth group she belongs to The Grave Diggers. When Grace is murdered, Detective Annalisa Vega is stunned by this brutal crime; the MO belongs to the Lovelorn Killer.
Annalisa remembers the last victim and the case quite well. The victim was her boyfriend's mother, the wife of a cop, and a very close friend of her parents. Not only did Analisa lose her sense of security that night, but she also lost her first love. Everyone assumes that the Lovelorn Killer must be dead or incarcerated for another crime. But Grace must have been close to figuring out his identity, which means Annalisa will have to use all of her skills to finally unmask this killer.
There were so many things I liked about this book. Annalisa has a complicated backstory; her family, her first love, her ex-husband, and her work relationships were all explained in-depth, but not in a way that felt overwhelming. The narrative worked seamlessly between her personal and professional issues, and I actually felt as though this must have been the second or third book in the series(it is not, this is the first). There were enough twists, turns, and red herrings to keep me guessing, and even though Annalisa did more than one thing that had me rolling my eyes, it didn't take away from my wanting to know the who and the why. I was wrong about one twist, and I managed to figure one out, a good day for my super sleuth reading superpower! A page-turner and one that when it ended, left me wanting more. 4.5 stars.

Detective Annalisa Vega is on the hunt of the reimurgence of the Lovelorn Killer, who murdered and tortured 7 women, and left love notes.   One of the victims was Kathy Duffy, a neighbor and family friend.  Killer never caught .  20 years later the killer comes back again and kills Grace Harper, a member of internet sleuths The Gravediggers.  Grace thinks she found out who he was, which got her killed.  Annalisa tries to solve these 2 cases and discovers secrets no one saw coming.

I really enjoyed this.  A little slow start but really picked up with many surprises. 

My thanks to Net Galley for this arc to review.

I’m not sure what it says about me that I’m reviewing a book about a serial killer called the Lovelorn Killer on Valentine’s Day, but it’ll give me an excuse to go cheer myself up with chocolate afterwards so … here we go.

Annalisa Vega was 17 years old when her neighbor, Katie Duffy, the mother of her boyfriend, Collin, and wife of her cop dad’s partner became the 7th victim of The Lovelorn Killer, a serial killer who courted the attention of the media by writing love letters to his victims after their deaths.  After going dormant for 20 years, he suddenly reappears with a new victim, Grace Hopper, a member of an online amateur sleuthing club called The Grave Diggers, who started re-examining his cold case.

When Annalisa, who is now the newest detective on her squad, and Detective Nick Carelli, who just happens to be her ex-husband, get partnered to solve the case that no law enforcement agency from local cops to the FBI have been able to for 20 years, it gets the attention of The Lovelorn Killer, and becomes an increasingly dangerous cat-and-mouse game, with Annalisa becoming the Lovelorn Killer’s newest “mouse” to play with.

I loved this story. Annalisa is a great character, with a nice combination of hard and soft personality qualities to keep her balanced. There were twists, turns, red herrings, misdirects, and constant suspense as the Lovelorn Killer gets closer and bolder in his efforts. There’s even a big reveal AFTER the main big reveal that added an interesting avenue to explore in later books. There’s a little bit of romance, but not in a distracting way, with the big three characters: Annalisa, Nick and Collin forming a potential love triangle that will be a lot of fun to watch as the series continues.

A couple things in the final stretch of the book that knocked this down from a sure 5-star to a 4-star read is that I was able to predict who the killer was pretty early, and I felt the reveal went just a wee bit silly in its execution, including one major gaping plot hole that I’d love the author to explain to me.  I also had hoped for a happier ending than I got, but seeing as this is the first book in a new series, I think it makes sense not to wrap things up in a neat, happy bow.

Do I wish the ending had been more of a surprise?  Yes.  Am I disappointed? Only the teeny tiniest bit.  I was all in for this book, and I can’t wait to see what Joanna Schaffhausen thinks up next for Detective Vega!

★★★★ ½  (rounded down to 4)

GONE FOR GOOD (DETECTIVE ANNALISA VEGA, #1)
BY JOANNA SCHAFFHAUSEN

I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed, Joanna Schaffhausen's new mystery called, "GONE FOR GOOD." I went into this totally blind and not knowing what to expect and as I was reading the final pages I said to myself what a great series this book could make. I couldn't have been more thrilled to see that when I was preparing to write my review that, in fact, this is book number one in a new series. This was my first time reading this author and I absolutely loved that she could craft a mystery where a charismatic duo of homicide detectives that are a divorced couple could work so well together. Annalisa Vega and her ex-husband Nick are perfectly paired up together. They seem to have a mutual respect for one another and neither one of them pulls rank on each other even though Nick has been working on the job longer than Annalisa. I thought that the setting for this story to take place almost seemed like one of the character's which is Chicago. There were a lot of scenes that described a rainy but also a windy city making for power outages with electricity happen and described as it were so frequent that it was to be expected. Everything about this beautifully written novel seemed to ring with authenticity. As much as one can call a crime genre novel about a main character trying to solve a case where a serial killer who has been off the grid for the past twenty year's and just resurfaced beautiful--this one manages to pull it off.

I was skeptical whether or not this one was a case of a mistaken request for me--something that I seem to be doing far too often, lately. I was so happy that this wasn't written with descriptive, gratuitous violence. I do not like reading anything with a blow by blow long and detailed sadistic narrative about torture etc. This one while outlines the ritualistic way the females were killed it does so in a minor way which for me worked out for the best. I have a low tolerance for reading about how some poor fellow human being gets tortured by some depraved and sick minded killer gets his psychopathic needs met. I do enjoy mysteries and a great thriller every once in a while but I prefer that there isn't a heavy emphasis on the mechanics of the murder. This one while I could tell what the serial killer's methods were, it was short and just mentioned a few times throughout the whole novel.

Annalisa Vega is going to make such an excellent series. She is such a warm, likable, and honorable main character. She is brave and in dealing with some unfortunate revelations towards what I thought of her family being so loving and perfect towards the conclusion (no spoilers): Let me just say was an extremely clever plot device that I never saw coming. It makes me wonder in her family's arc in revealing what it did, how the series will continue. I sure am looking forward to the next installment in this wonderful start of such a lovely protagonist who I felt was multifaceted and just brilliant and stunning. I am definitely going to check out some of this talented and newly discovered Author's other novels. Five Stars all of the way! Highly, highly recommended.

Publication Date: August 10, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Joanna Schaffhausen and Minotaur Books--St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#GoneforGood #JoannaSchaffhausen #MinotaurBooksSt.Martin'sPress #NetGalley

Gone For Good

This mystery did not pick up until after I finished about two-thirds of the book.  The main character, Anna, is a police detective who is understandably flummoxed by The Lovelorn Killer.  The killer ties up women in such a way that they experience a slow, suffocating death.  The murderer seemed to have taken a break for a few years until we are introduced to a new, fresh killing at the beginning of the book.

Anna comes from a big family; she is divorced and is obsessed with this murderer who no one seems to see entering homes or apartments, despite the fact that they seem to be looking for him – and just missing him.  Her family’s past also comes into play.

It was slow-going and the author presented multiple characters who were possibly the killer, until they ended up at a dead-end or dead..  There was some romance but it was superficial, it never seemed realistic.  The story took place in Chicago, I live near Chicago so I am familiar with the area.  I don’t believe the author had 
researched Chicago or the surrounding areas as some of the places were incorrect.

At the very end, she tried to “tie” it up, but there were so many loose ends that it seemed artificial and hollow.  I do enjoy this genre, but the action was delayed too long, and the plot was convoluted. This book also has the same title as a Harlan Coben book.

My Gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this pre-published book for an honest review.

This first book in a news series by Schaffhausen is a fast-paced and shocking mystery. Detective Annalisa Vega is the daughter of a cop in her hometown of Chicago. When she is called to the scene of a gruesome murder, she has two surprises. First, her ex-husband Nick (back on the job in Chicago) shows up to work the homicide with her. Second, the murder victim's body shows the same traits of the Lovelorn Killer, a serial murderer from the past that many thought was dead or incarcerated. Obviously, he is back or has a copycat, Vega's dad worked the case in the past until the murder of a neighbor and close friend, when he was removed from the case because of being "too close." Now, the Lovelorn Killer has put his focus on Vega, and she is in a race for her life and the lives of those close to her. The investigation stirs up long dead memories, involves Vega's reunion with her long lost high school love, and family secrets. The ending contains more than one surprise and leaves me wanting to know what will happen to Vega.

I received an ARC of Gone for Good from NetGalley.

This is a mystery thriller about a group of amateur sleuths (who call themselves the Grave Diggers) trying to crack unsolved murder cases of women victimized by an apparent serial killer. These murders have remained unsolved for twenty years, until suddenly a new similar murder takes down a woman from the Grave Diggers, just when she seemed to be close to solving the cold cases.

Onto the scene comes Annalisa Vega, a police detective and the new star of a series of mysteries the author plans to write. Annalisa is divorced and a highly committed professional sleuth. She takes charge of the new case and studies the history of the previous work of the serial killer. Is the new case the same guy?

There are lots of characters in this book. As a reader, one becomes suspicious of all of them. Because there are so many characters, none of them except for Annalisa are memorable. There are odd twists and turns at the end.

The author writes clearly and strategically adds clues along the way and builds suspense. A solid first effort at a mystery thriller.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A serial killer murdered several women years ago. Detective Annalise arrives at a crime scene that looks similar to the lovelorn serial killer. Annalise will have to confront many things to help solve the murdered. This book kept me entertained from the first page.

Unbelievably good! This tight, tense mystery about a cold case with a craven killer who goes after neighborhood women and tortures and kills them in a particularly and singular signature way features the entire spectrum of humanity - from good to evil, with not much gray area in between the poles. An outstanding female detective takes on this once believed to be cold case when the killer, after a long absence, kills again. Annalisa Vega partners with Nick, her ex, also a cop, and together they attempt to unravel the web that the killer, who is literally hiding in plain sight, to ground.

I am not sure I breathed while reading this marvelous book. All of the characters, good and bad, are portrayed so expertly they practically leap off the page. I finished this book on a dark and stormy night, sitting in my living room where the blinds don’t fully reach the sill. That’s a hint but it’s not a spoiler.

Truly outstanding thriller; highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Wow!! This was a fun and fast-paced read. I liked that I wasn't able to guess the killer and the book left me on the tips of my toes the whole time!

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC copy of Gone For Good.