by Lisa Jackson
Part of Alvarez & Pescoli, book 8
First published 2019
Detective Regan Pescoli receives devastating news while on maternity leave. Her sister Brindel Latham and brother-in-law Paul have been shot dead in their San Francisco home. The crime scene baffles investigators. Both victims died from gunshots to the head while lying in separate beds. No signs of forced entry exist, and though the safe was emptied, the murders appear targeted rather than random. Pescoli feels guilt alongside her grief since she and Brindel had grown apart over the years. Now she must care for her secretive teenage niece Ivy, who arrives unexpectedly in Grizzly Falls, Montana. Despite being on leave, Pescoli plunges into the investigation alongside her partner Selena Alvarez. The suspect list expands as more bodies pile up. Pescoli struggles with exhaustion and hormones from recent childbirth, making her feel exposed and vulnerable. Her instincts tell her the danger is real and personal. The case takes a sinister turn when the killer begins targeting Pescoli's own family, forcing her to confront an enemy determined to make her suffer at any cost.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, personal-stakes, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Grizzly Falls, Montana, San Francisco
Period: maternity leave
328 pages · Kindle Edition · Kensington
Content warnings: death, murder