Dead and Gone (Detective Annalisa Vega #3)

 

Detective Annalisa Vega is back with her 'throw caution to the wind' ways, and now her niece Quinn has taken a page from her aunt’s playbook! The result? In my opinion, the best book in the series so far. I couldn’t get enough of all the horrible decision-making going on here!

I shouldn’t judge: Annalisa’s headstrong ways make her a formidable enemy to criminals, and in this story, there was quite a collection of them: a loose-cannon thief called the Chicken Bandit, a cold-case murderer, and a gorilla-suit clad stalker who’s tormenting her niece Quinn on her college campus. When it rains it pours, as they say!

Where does it all begin, though? It starts with the apparent murder of ex-cop and private investigator, Sam Tran - a friend of Annalisa’s superior, Lynn Zimmer - who was found strung up in a tree with the word “pig” scrawled across his chest.

As Annalisa digs deeper into the Sam Tran case, and her ex-husband/current lover and fellow detective Nick Carelli investigates the Chicken Bandit case, things are further complicated when Quinn’s stalker situation becomes more menacing and her friend disappears, which leads Quinn to do some of her own ill-advised sleuthing!

There’s a LOT going on in this book, including a surprise thread about Nick that I won’t dive into, but I loved that! Was it realistic that Annalisa and Nick would have so much leeway to informally investigate on a college campus out of their jurisdiction? Doubtfully. Did that matter to me? No! Did I have to suspend disbelief at times? Of course. When a story is engaging and keeps me turning pages, I’m happy to buckle up and go along for the ride, and this was such a fun one!

Quinn was a great character, in her own right, and she definitely has a taste for her aunt’s foolhardy ways, but like Annalisa, she’s also clever, strong and determined, and it’s nice to see female characters with intelligence and spunk, even if some of their decisions get them into trouble (repeatedly)! I also enjoyed spending more time with the rest of the Vega clan and seeing the evolution of Annalisa’s relationship with Nick. Some may not forgive his past behavior, but I’m still hoping he’s turned a new leaf!

Schaffhausen’s writing is stellar, as always. Once again, she stitched the pieces of her story together like a master seamstress and left me eagerly awaiting Annalisa’s next adventure. Some big changes are in the air, and I can’t wait to see how they play out! The next installment, All the Way Gone, releases next August. If you enjoy solid, fun detective fiction with well-drawn characters, this is a great series that I highly recommend!

★★★★ ½

Thanks to Minotaur Books, NetGalley and author Joanna Schaffhausen for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out now!