Review by Booklist Review
Something horrible happened to Rachel Marin's family seven years ago, though we don't learn the details for many pages. It was enough for Rachel to relocate from Connecticut to Illinois, change her family name, and make life as secure and safe as possible for her children, Eric, now 13, and Megan, 7. When former mayor Constance Wright is found dead near a bridge over a frozen river, Rachel sets out to convince police that the death was murder, not suicide. Constance had befriended Rachel when she was new in town and before scandal cost the mayor her position and reputation. Rachel's investigation leaves Detectives John Serrano and Leslie Tally alternately grateful for and furious about her involvement. Even spending a night in a holding cell doesn't lessen Rachel's motivation, although a slip in her keen instincts about whom to trust nearly proves fatal. Pinter does a masterful job of ramping up suspense about the Marin family's past and the current case, spinning an absolutely riveting plot with a cast of full-bodied, fallible characters, in what seems the start of a promising series. Fans of both domestic thrillers and police procedurals should get in at the start.--Michele Leber Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rachel Marin, the memorable heroine of this enjoyable series launch from Pinter (the Henry Parker series), has worked hard to bury her past after a terrible event left her a widow with two children. Rachel appears to lead a simple, unassuming existence in the small town of Ashby, Ill., but there's a side of her that she keeps hidden from the rest of the world. When the former mayor of Ashby is found dead, an apparent suicide, Rachel soon has reason to suspect the mayor was murdered. She subsequently insinuates herself into the police investigation, much to the annoyance of the two detectives in charge of the case. Her actions uncover a rich family's secrets, force her to revisit the painful past she's been hiding, and put her life, as well as the lives of her children, in danger. Without sacrificing character development, Pinter keeps the plot moving and the suspense high all the way to the satisfying ending. Readers will look forward to Rachel's further adventures. Agent: Amy Tannenbam, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Mar.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Rachel Marin was a happily married mother of two before a horrific act of violence shattered her life. Seven years later, she and her children have started over in the city of Ashby, IL. But Rachel is no ordinary grieving widow. Determined to protect her family from a world that let them down, she's transformed herself into a vigilante with the combat and investigative skills to rival Sherlock Holmes. When Constance Wright, the disgraced former mayor of Ashby, is found dead at the bottom of a bridge, Rachel quickly deduces that it wasn't a suicide; it's clear to her that Constance was murdered. Detectives Leslie Tally and John Serrano are grudgingly impressed by Rachel but wary of her involvement, especially after a person of interest ends up dead. As the investigation ramps up, Rachel is torn between seeking justice and protecting herself, her past, and her children. VERDICT Pinter's (The Darkness) outstanding series launch is a deft combination of domestic suspense and police procedural that recalls the works of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay. Both an unstoppable force of nature and painfully human, Rachel is a heroine readers will not soon forget.--Andy Northrup, Eugene P.L., OR
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In the aftermath of a horrific crime, a woman makes herself over into a powerful protectoror perhaps an avenger.Pinter (The Castle, 2019, etc.) already has the Henry Parker thriller series under his belt. In this book he introduces another potential series character, Rachel Marin. The story opens with a warm domestic scene of a young woman making dinner for her husband and two kids when a shattering (but undescribed) discovery intervenes. Jump ahead seven years, and single mom Rachel is living in another town several states away. When a mugger jumps her as she's walking home from work, she leaves him bleeding in the street and hurries home to her bookish son, Eric, and sweet little daughter, Megan. Keeping them safe is her mission in life. But when she sees a news report about a body found on the ice beneath a nearby bridge, she's riveted. The cops assigned to the case, detectives John Serrano and Leslie Tally, are shocked to discover the body is that of the town's disgraced former mayor, Constance Wright. They're even more shocked when Rachel, whom they don't know, sends Serrano a message that the death was no suicide: "Constance Wright was murdered. And I can prove it." When Serrano and Tally go to question Wright's sketchy ex-husband, Rachel shows up at the same time, and they don't know whether to order her away or be grateful for her help. Pinter builds a complex plot on the dual mysteries of Constance's murder and Rachel's transformation from suburban mom to crack investigator and lethal streetfighter. But the story has so many subplots and timelines that it can feel overstuffed, and some crucial questions asked early on are answered so late the reader might be surprised to be reminded of them. Pinter creates engaging characters, though, and keeps the suspense taut. Determined to shield her family from violence, a woman becomes a fierce freelance crime fighter in this mostly satisfying thriller. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
