Just what I needed! A riveting thriller with a new detective I can get behind! Annalisa Vega, daughter of a cop, divorced from a cop, thrown into a serial killer search that her father had once been looking for before the killer went underground. Now the killer is back. Brought back by a group called the Grave Diggers who look into unsolved murders and attempt to solve them. They already have a couple of successes under their belt and start to investigate the old case named the Lovelorn Killer. Are they close enough to pull the killer to the surface. Oh yes they are. Loved this book and can’t wait for the next one.

3.75*
Could the most maniacal murderer known as the Lovelorn Killer be gone for good? It would appear so. After all, it’s been 20 years since his last victim.

Grace Harper is found dead and bound in an intricate manner that absolutely mirrored the method the lovelorn killer used as his trademark. Grace was a member of a group dedicated to researching cold cases in an attempt to find justice after the police have all but filed the case away. And the case Grace and her team were investigating? It was in fact, that of the lovelorn killer. Was her method of death a coincidence? Or has he returned to stop the investigation dead in its tracks?

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! #awkward!😬

Joanna Schaffhausen caught my attention with her Ellery Hathaway series which I absolutely love! And though I didn’t quite warm up to Annalisa as much as I did to Ellery, I’m still all-in for anything Ms. Schaffhausen writes!

A buddy read with Susanne.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books.

DNF at 25%. Just not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was my first book by this author and i really enjoyed it. I liked AnnaLise and her ex husband Nick.. I don't care for Colin much, don't know why. I liked the mystery of this and thought it was well done. I would read another book about Anna and Nick.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Whenever I'm reading any sort of mystery thriller, I always try to see if I can figure out the twist that is coming, or how it will end. I have to say, Schaffausen, did an amazing job of keeping the suspense up the entire book and managed to come up will some killer twists. Detective Vega was a really good character and felt incredibly realistic. While I don't necessarily know if an actual police detective would make certain decisions, it was overall a really gripping story. The case she was working on with her partner was both gruesome and compelling enough to make the whole book interesting. It definitely felt like a book that would make a fantastic TV series and reminded me of the feeling I used to get watching old episodes of Criminal Minds. I liked this book and I'm definitely going to read some of Schaffhausen's backlist.

“ ‘You’re really pretty. I just wanted to tell you that.’ ‘Thanks,’ she said flatly. ‘Now tell me who you are.’ ‘You already know me,’ he said, and the hairs on her arms stood up. ‘You just can’t see me yet. Tell me—are you afraid of the dark?’ ”

Annalisa Vega followed in her fathers footsteps and became a cop. When she was younger, a serial killer murdered her boyfriends mother Katie Duffy, who also happened to be a cops wife. Now, all of these years later, the Lovelorn killer is back, and Annalisa is on the case that her father couldn’t solve. The twist? She has now become a direct target. Can she solve the case that has haunted her father before the Lovelorn killer strikes again?

It has been a really long time since I have read a police procedural. They are so iffy for me so I don’t tend to gravitate towards them. This one though? So, so good. I love how strong of a protagonist Annalisa is. Her ex husband gets placed as her partner in solving this crime, but there’s no annoying banter or Annalisa trying to overcompensate for being a woman. I hate that. She is just bad ass and garners respect and we need more of that in books!

“Most people need a reason to pull the trigger; others just need an excuse. If you’re one of those who needs an excuse, then you will always find one.”

Gone For Good has great twists, familial drama, serial killers, and crooked cops. It has all of the makings of a great thriller and it did not disappoint!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Available now!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my own opinion.

I love a good serial killer book and this rated high on my list of them. I liked the story and how the serial killer was a step ahead of everyone, especially the cops and how he used things he knew to manipulate even amateur sleuths.

Annalisa is a detective assigned to the case as well as her ex- husband. When the serial killer, called The Lovelorn Killer, starts killing again after a 20 year hiatus, Annalisa also becomes involved again with her boyfriend/best friend of the past when the killer kills his mother.

The killer starts taunting Annalisa, and even though she's very close to the case and maybe not seeing things clearly, she uses his taunts and calls to her and his trying to capture her, as a way to try and catch him by walking into his trap. But he seems to be one step ahead. I mean this guy is ruthless and seems to know everything.

I hope author Joanna Schaffhausen has another winning series on her hands. Can't wait til her next book!

Wow!
Highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a great crime thriller!
So much going on within the storyline!
Detective Annalisa Vega is going to get answers, find hidden and lost evidence and solve a 20 year old serial killer mystery.
The ending was one I did not see coming!
Joanna Schaffhausen weaves a terrific tale that kept me engaged and intrigued from the first chapter to the last chapter. Looking forward to the next book in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to the publisher for an ecopy of Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen. I had never read anything by this author, so Gone for Good was my debut reading experience with her. I enjoyed it so much that I am definitely going to look for more by her.

Gone for Good is about a case of a killer called the Lovelorn Killer. He has been inactive for 20 years, but appears to be back at it. Detective Annalisa Vega, who is assigned to the new case immediately recognizes that it is somehow related to the old ones. She, herself, had a personal tie to the Lovelorn Killer murders because her first love's mother was killed by him, which led to the end of her relationship, which Vega has never fully recovered from...even through a first failed marriage.

The new killing has brought Vega's ex-husband, also a detective, back into her life as he is on the case. It also brings back her first love, who has come to town to face his past with those he left behind in his grief over his mother's murder. Worst, though, somehow the new case puts Vega directly in the killer's spotlight and he will stop at nothing to get to her.

Gone for Good is fast-paced and fun. While the mystery was a good one, other aspects of the book really elevated it above just the mystery. There is the fact that Annalisa comes from a big, loving family, with her dad being a cop before her....also having worked on the Lovelorn case, but now getting older and dealing with Parkinson's disease. There is the quirky cute club the recent victim was part of, a group of non-police regular Joes and Janes who investigate unsolved crimes for fun. Finally there is a lot of interesting relational dynamics I loved: Annalisa working to overcome her anger at her ex-husband, and forge a positive working relationship, her relationship with her family and their expectations of her and each other, the relationship between Annalisa and her first love and navigating through the pain of how they ended and how they move forward. There is more, too much to list out, but I think this was a really great thriller and am happy to know I will get to see Annalisa Vega again as Gone for Good is apparently the first book in a series.

BOOK REVIEW: Gone For Good by Joanna Schaffhausen (Detective Annalisa Vega Series)

One of my favorite detective mystery books of the year!... And an extra "thrill factor"? This is Book 1 of the new Detective Annalisa Vega Series... So, there is more to come! Fabulous story that kept me guessing all the way to the end... With great subplot themes of family, first loves and finding yourself... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. Favorite Books To Read

--------------------

All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books, Lifestyle & Home Ideas for Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

"If you expected the devil to show his horns, you would never notice him falling into step beside you."

Detective Annalisa Vega with Chicago PD Homicide is called to the scene of a recent murder. Though hard to believe, it seems that the Lovelorn Killer has claimed this latest victim, Grace Harper, after a 20 year gap in activity. Annalisa's father, also a cop, had worked on the LK case years ago when the final victim in a spree of 7 deaths was their neighbor and the mother of Annalisa's boyfriend at the time. So many years had gone by without the Lovelorn Killer being caught, so why has he resurfaced now? Apparently an amateur sleuthing group known as the "Grave Diggers" has been trying to solve the cold case and Grace Harper was a very determined member. Had she come close to figuring out LK's identity? Annalisa, and her ex-husband, Nick Carelli, partner up to investigate. Meanwhile, more bodies drop and Annalisa's first love, Colin Duffy, comes back to Chicago after leaving when his mother was murdered. There's a lot going on in this police procedural crime thriller. NO SPOILERS.

Although this is the first in a new series, I've read other books by this author and enjoyed them immensely. I had a few issues with this one -- most notably that I just couldn't really relate to Annalisa and all the drama surrounding her and her family -- not to mention the hard to believe aspects where her ex is her partner on a case and her old boyfriend comes back to town. Took issue with the way that Annalisa goes off alone to confront the killer (I'm sorry, it seems that all the female detectives deliberately end up near victims) and the conclusion was a bit of a stretch that sort of didn't even make sense considering all the revelations at the end. Anyway, it seemed to drag a bit here and there, but I might give the second in a series a shot as I like this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a suspenseful story that I enjoyed from beginning to end. This is a well written story about murderer that kills seven women and this just seems to disappear. Now twenty years later it seems he is back. Annalisa has lost someone to this killer and is now in search of him. This case makes her take a look at her life present and past and she just might not like what she sees. She made a great character that truly made the story for me. The twists and turns had me sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen next. I enjoyed being pulled into the story from the beginning and watching the growth throughout the story. This is a great story that I am glad I picked up and so will you be. I highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens with Annalisa.

I'm so glad to discover a new author and series! Annalisa Vega is a homicide detective who is called to a scene that resembles a murder she saw in her childhood. That killer has been inactive for many years. Is he back?

This was an interesting mystery and I liked watching her investigation as well as that of the murder victim. There were some good twists and turns, and some spooky scenes. All that made the book hard to put down!

Thanks to netgalley for the review copy.

Because I’ve enjoyed the Ellery Hathaway detective series by best-selling author Joanna Scaffhausen, I was eager to read her just-published Gone for Good, debuting a new series featuring the intrepid Detective Annalisa Vega. the Prologue sets the scene of a serial killer, known as the Lovelorn Killer, who brutally used a rope as he strangled and killed seven women 21 years ago. When Annalisa is on a boring blind date, she gets a text from Dispatch about a Code 10-54 (dead body) and Code 3 (lights and sirens). The tension ratchets up at the murder scene in the apartment of the latest victim, Grace Harper, which is like the murder shrine with pictures of the seven dead women strangled by rope. Molly Lapinsky, a friend of Grace’s, called in the murder. She tells Annalisa how she met Grace online in the Gravediggers group (amateur sleuths trying to solve cold cases). She said that Grace wanted to lure the killer in when she did an interview the week before, claiming she had a new theory. Chapters alternate between Grace’s journal entries and Annalisa’s narrative. Add in strongly depicted characters including Nick Corelli ( Annalisa’s ex-husband who is assigned to the case), a former high school boyfriend (Colin) whose mother was also a victim, a riveting plot, lots of suspense, twists, and red herrings to mislead the reader. A sharp rookie detective with flaws that make her relatable, Annalisa becomes the killer’s next target. He relishes not only the spotlight once again but also taunting Annalisa throughout her investigation.
While I was able to figure out the killer’s identity before the conclusion, there were a few loose ends that make me look forward to the next upcoming book in this series. Fans of this authors and of psychological thrillers and suspense will want to put Gone for Good on their reading list.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joanna Schaffhausen and St Martin's Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the last series that I read from Schaffhausen so I was so excited to see that she was writing something new. I think, if it's possible, I liked this detective more than the last main character. This novel was action packed and I really didn't want to put it down so that I could find out who the murderer was. I enjoyed the characters and how totally different this crime was from the usual murders in these types of novels. The twists were wild and just when you think it's all closed up and solved; there is another twist that changes everything. I can't wait for the next Annalisa novel!

Engaging mystery!
This is the first book I've read by this author and it definitely won't be the last. This is an exciting police procedural thriller that kept me intrigued from the beginning to the end. There are quite a few twists--some I saw coming and some I didn't, but that didn't drag me away from the intense plot.

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. Now his sights seem to be set on Annalisa, can she figure out who is doing this before it is too late?

I had some suspicions early on as to the identity of the killer, but I set them aside as the mystery progressed and didn't think too much about it, but they did turn out to be correct. I loved the angle of the amateur sleuth group investigating cold cases because this is actually a big thing in real life and many cases do get solved because they put so much manpower into the investigation (side note, the Golden State Killer case got solved because Michelle McNamara and a bunch of citizen detectives doggedly searched for an answer)

There are lots of surprises here, and not just with the main case that Annalisa is investigating. Also throwing a wrench into the narrative are the inclusion of her ex-husband as her investigation partner and her ex-boyfriend who she has never quite gotten over. So a messy love triangle to explore in further books in the series. I look forward to seeing where the author takes the characters after the events in this book.

Well, I might have a new favorite fictional female detective, and her name is Annalisa Vega!

I’m so happy this this is only book one of Joanna Schaffhausen’s new series, because that means there will be more Annalisa on the way, and hopefully soon!

Annalisa Vega is tough, but also kind. She’s exactly the kind of detective i would want on the case if I was being stalked by a sadistic serial killer with a predilection for ropes 😳

Combine my love of serial killer fiction with a strong, snarky female detective and lots of action, and this one checks all my boxes!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review! Following is the link to my Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CShsLArL2uk/

After the first few pages, I knew this was a book I wasn’t going to be able to put down, until I got to The End. If you like absolutely unpredictable, twisted suspense as much as I do, you can't go wrong with this book!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

What a riveting, fast paced nail-biter of a thriller. A serial killer famously named “The Lovelorn Killer” who ties up his victims in a military style knot, watches them suffocate to death, and then writes a love letter to the victim to the local media. 7 women are killed and then he disappears for 20 years without any real leads or suspects. Annalisa Vega, daughter of a local cop, grew up knowing one of his victims and personally makes it her vendetta to find this killer - this is why she never pursued her law degree and ended up a local detective.

There are so many possible suspects when reading this - and my hunch ended up being right. The twist ending did throw me off - but if you read the smaller details, it all makes sense. This was exciting to read but not bloody/gory/graphic in that sense. I noticed it is part of series so I'm looking forward to reading more about Annalisa Vega.

Thank you to Minotaur books and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Wow I really hope this is the first book in a series. The characters are so interesting and well written. I will say I did figure out a couple of the twists but it made zero difference in the story. I couldn’t stop reading to see how it played out. And there were so many twists and turns. Ones I saw coming, and many, many I did not. If this doesn’t become a series, it’s a serious missed opportunity.