
Member Reviews

Thanks NetGalley & Minotaur Books for this ARC!
I'll admit I've never read any of the books in the series and now I have to go back start from the beginning! This is my first read from this author. I was hooked and on the edge the whole time.

3.5 Stars rounded up to four.
In Joanna Schaffhausen’s Gone in the Night, Detective Annalisa Vega gets hired by the wealthy widow of a deceased man to track down the woman’s engagement ring. At the same time, her brother Alex, who is in prison, calls Annalisa and asks her to visit him. A man in prison wants to hire Annalisa to prove his innocence. There are MANY twists, turns, and red herrings in that part of the book! However, the results became rather unbelievable once it came to the lost engagement ring.
Thank you, #MinotaurBooks, for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Gone in the Night has an expected publication date of August 12, 2025.
#Prison #StrongFemaleProtagonist #Series #Mystery #Suspense

3.5 stars. I LOVE this series. I got the fourth book as an ARC last year and devoured the entire series in a couple weeks. My expectations were so high and I feel a little let down. I predicted the major twist early on in the book and I feel like it was pretty obvious. With that said, I still enjoyed the book and will absolutely pick up anything else Joanna Schaffhausen writes!

This was the best Annalisa Vega book yet. I literally almost died at the end of chapter one when I gasped and then choked. The characters are well-written and the writing very descriptive. The twists and turns kept the story engaging to the end.

First off while this is a series, you dont need to read the other books, but you will really want to after this. Joanna Schaffhausen has written several books, this is my first. It was very engrossing from the start. Very easy to read, good sturdy family as well as characters. I read it in a day. There is a lot of relatable parts, like being pregnant and not really having steady employment. The main character Annalisa is awesome, even though her brother is in jail because of her. So the story involves her visit with her brother which catapults an new investigation.
Thanks NetGalley & Minotaur Books for the ARC in Exchange for an honest review

Annalisa is in a tough spot… Again. Her brother who is in prison, reaches out, asking her to visit. She carries a lot of guilt about his incarceration, but does go to see him. He actually wants her to help another prisoner, Joe Green. Joe states that he was wrongly convicted and the cop who was responsible… Her husband, Nick. Annalisa has been put into another very bad position. Does she still believe the truth is more important than protecting someone she loves? The answer: she does.
Lots of twists and turns before we discover if Joe is innocent or guilty. There was one thing that happened that shocked me. I bet once you read this book, you will know exactly what particular interaction I mean.
What can I say? This is one of my favorite series, and I really enjoyed trying to figure out whodunnit before Annalisa did. 4.5 stars.

I was so excited when I saw this book on Netgalley, Schaffhausen is one of my favorite authors and I really enjoy this series. From the beginning of the book, it drew me in, and I had to finish it in one reading. There is plenty of action and thrills to keep you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend reading this series and other books by Schaffhausen, she doesn't disappoint. Detective Annalisa Vega is a character that grows on you because of her beliefs in justice and her toughness. Annalisa has been asked to visit her brother, Alex, in prison. He wanted to talk to her. When she visits him, he asks her to investigate another inmate's case, because of a note that he received that said he was innocent. When Annalisa talks to Joe Green and asks about his case, she finds out that her husband, Nick, was the original investigator on the case. When she talks to Nick and starts to investigate this case, Nick isn’t too happy but does share his file with her. As she begins to investigate not everything is lining up for Annalisa. She starts to uncover lies, additional information, twists, and much more. Follow Annalisa as she tries to solve this case without getting herself and her baby killed. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in Exchange for an honest review

Gone in the Night had me hooked right from the first page. Joanna Schaffhausen delivers another twisty, emotionally charged thriller featuring Detective Annalisa Vega, a character I really enjoy for her toughness and complexity. This time, she’s pulled into a case that hits close to home.
When her estranged brother—who she helped send to prison—suddenly reaches out from behind bars, everything gets intense. He wants her to check out the case of his fellow inmate, Joe Green, who insists he didn’t commit murder. Annalisa starts off skeptical, but her concern grows when she finds out that the key eyewitness lied, and her own husband, Nick, was the arresting officer.
What unfolds is an intricate investigation packed with red herrings, shocking truths, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Schaffhausen weaves together Annalisa’s rocky family life, her troubled marriage, and a mystery that goes way back. Joe Green is a compelling character—both sympathetic and suspicious—and figuring out whether he’s innocent drives the story relentlessly forward.
The tension ramps up further with the creepy side story of men mysteriously drowning in Lake Michigan, all tied together with perfect pacing and sharp writing. As Annalisa faces hard truths about those close to her, she has to choose between loyalty, love, and justice.
Gone in the Night has everything I love in a crime novel—fast-paced, emotionally deep, and full of smart twists. Schaffhausen hit another home run. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves crime fiction with heart and a strong, flawed heroine who doesn't back down.

Great book! Was so invested in every second of the story. Thank you for letting me read in advance. Cannot wait to read other things from this author.

Another great mystery from this author although with the baby’s arrival I’m wondering if this is the last in the series. Abuse, deception, police errors, and a kidnapping from years ago gives this book a complex feel. I’m not sure what the side story of a missing ring had to do with the story other than to suggest what friends/family will do to protect you.

Annalisa is restless. The P.I. business is slow, as potential clients become less interested when they discover she is pregnant. The round belly and new life growing in her don’t convey the tough image the clients want. [Which in some respects is foolish, as mothers are some of the toughest people around.]
However, the restlessness will not last, as her incarcerated brother wants to talk to her. When she meets with him in the prison, he introduces her to another prisoner, Joe Green. Joe is in prison for killing his wife’s lawyer. He insists he is innocent, and he has received a letter from an unknown person which states he is innocent and that the eyewitness whose testimony helped put him away had lied. Annalisa agrees to look into the matter, which quickly causes problems because Nick, her husband, was the detective who helped put Joe away. If Joe was innocent, then Nick screwed badly.
The investigation will lead to Annalisa and Nick taking a closer look at a women’s shelter and its staff and also discovering that there is a previously unknown serial killer operating in Chicago. Certain members of the staff know more than they are telling and are willing to lie to protect themselves and others. However, there are even bigger secrets waiting to be revealed. The story will keep you guessing, and even if you figure out some of the secrets, you’ll likely be surprised by the biggest secret of all.
There is also a secondary story involving a missing engagement ring, a small group of possible thieves (who are dear friends of the woman whose ring is missing) and a backstory to the ring which is a beautiful depiction of love and the power of friendship.

Love this series and this newest addition to the series DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
Must read!
Thank you #netgalley and #stp #minotaur books for the eARC.

I just adore this series and this book may be my favorite so far. I loved the two separate cases that went on at the same time. Also the family dynamic was present and as important as the cases.
I sincerely hope this series goes on for a long, long time.

I am a big fan of the Analiese Vega series so I was very excited to get an adjacent copy of this one. It’s a good read, maybe a little slow in spots, but the two core mysteries are good. The main one is very convoluted with a lot of red herrings and the secondary is a bit more caper like but also a good one.

Gone in the Night: A Detective Annalisa Vega Novel has all the mysterious vibes! It is the fifth book in the Detective Annalisa Vega series. I have not personally read the other books in this series yet. Reading this one definitely has me intrigued in reading her other books! It is about the brother of Annalisa asking to come visit him in prison because he has an interesting case for her. She is desperately looking for a case, so her going there was the perfect opportunity. Her brother tells her about a guy in prison named Joe who thinks is innocent. So, Annalisa goes into Joe’s past and discovers a lot of secrets. So, is this guy innocent or not? As the story continues to unravel, we find out if her brother’s thinking was right or wrong.
This fictional book flowed well, had a clear thesis and was full of mystery! It was well written and full of character development! Be sure to read the content warnings before reading this book. I really enjoyed this book! I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars rating!
Thank you to NetGalley, author Joanna Schaffhausen and
St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!
This book is expected to be published on August 12, 2025!

Another 5 star installment in the Annalisa Vega series! This could be read as a standalone but you would be missing out on one of the best series out there. Annalisa is contact by her estranged brother Alex. One of his fellow prisoners has been convicted of a crime he didn’t do. If anyone is going to find out the true story it’s Annalisa! The ending of this book makes me think it’s the end of the series. I look forward to what’s next whether it’s another installment or a brand new series from Joanna Schauffhausen, she can do no wrong! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Detective Annalisa Vega is back... and very pregnant. With her PI business slowing down as few people want a visibly pregnant investigator showing up on the job—she’s surprised to get a call from her brother Alex… from prison.
Alex is doing time, but he has a favor to ask: investigate a cold case that he believes put the wrong man behind bars. Annalisa agrees—reluctantly—only to discover that her own husband, Nick, was the arresting officer all those years ago. As she begins to poke around, the "eyewitness" seems shaky, the evidence starts to unravel, and Vega finds herself caught in a game of truth vs. loyalty.
Can she clear an innocent man’s name without destroying her relationship with Nick?
Another twisty, tension-filled thriller from Joanna Schaffhausen that explores justice, family, and the gray areas in between.
#GoneInTheNight #StMartinsPress #DetectiveVega #BookstagramThrillers #CrimeFictionLove

Thanks to St Martin's press for their outstanding eARCS, and thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an avenue to access them.
Police procedurals are my bread and butter, and just because Annalisa Vega is now a private detective and pregnant with her and her husband's baby, she is still an unequalled crime fighting machine.
Nick, Annalisa's brother, persuades her to investigate on behalf of Nick's friend Joe, who he swears was railroaded for a murder he didn't commit.
Annalisa is one of my favorite mystery solving characters, and I was so excited to see a new entry in this series released.
That said, there are a few things I wish I could change about the storyline. I worked as a PI for years, and other than Insurance fraud investigations, I was frequently hired to follow cheating spouses - in this storyline, Nick is a former vow breaker, and "once a cheater always a cheater" is a recognizable saying because it IS based in truth. Personally, I would be THRILLED if the author had Annalisa dump her unworthy and insecure husband and rejoin the police force as a homicide detective - she is a crime fighting hero!
If you are a fan of mysteries and police procedurals, you are doing yourself a disservice if you haven't yet read a book in this stellar series - you don't have to read the books in order, jump in anywhere, you will quickly become addicted to the author's relatable storylines and characters. The misdirections in this one are jaw-droppingly 🙀 surprising.
Annalisa Vega is one of my favorite characters - I love this series by the talented author Joanna Schaffhausen.

Another great addition to this series!
Annalisa Vega-former detective turned PI- is struggling to find cases to work while pregnant. When she is asked by her prison bound brother to visit, she finds herself investigating the case of his fellow inmate, Joe Green, who claims to be innocent of the murder he was charged with. The problem is, her husband Nick was the lead detective on the case.
What starts as just asking questions, turns into a massive web of lies and misunderstandings, and at the center of it all is the domestic violence shelter for women.
I loved this story and was completely hooked from the beginning. Anna and Nick's relationship is amazing and I love how they come together to solve the mystery.
Great work!

Latest in the Annalisa Vega series. Anna is contacted by her somewhat estranged brother Alex, asking her to help a fellow inmate who claims to be wrongfully imprisoned for murder. The catch is that he was put in prison by her husband, so finding out he is innocent could damage Nick's career. Another great book in a great series by one of my favorite authors. The ending of this one had a bit of a final feel to it, like it could be the last in the series. I always look forward to more from this author, whether it's about Ellery, Anna, or someone new. 4 stars.