by Tom Ryan
First published 2025
Alice VanDyne still lives in Edgar Mills, Massachusetts, twenty-five years after a serial killer destroyed her teenage detective career. Back in 2000, Alice and her twin sister Samantha helped their sheriff father bust criminals alongside rival sleuth Joey O'Day. The three became celebrities until their investigation of The Janitor went wrong. Alice's boyfriend and her father died because of mistakes the twins made. The killer Bruce Phillip Kershaw went to prison, but Alice never recovered. Now Samantha works reality TV in Los Angeles and Joey runs a tech company in Boston. Alice remains trapped in her hometown, carrying guilt and grief. When a new murder matches The Janitor's methods exactly, Kershaw contacts police from his maximum security cell. He claims he can help solve the case, but he will only speak to the three amateur detectives who caught him decades ago. Alice must reunite with Samantha and Joey to face the killer who shattered their lives and discover whether their past will destroy them again.
Genres: mystery, crime, psychological-thriller, amateur-sleuth
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, second-chance
Setting: Boston, Edgar Mills, Los Angeles, Massachusetts
Period: 2000, 21st-century
352 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Crime
Content warnings: death