Gone in the Night (Annalisa Vega #5)

Another winning entry in the Annalisa Vega series, Book 5 takes us into a topic that may be triggering for some readers: domestic abuse.

The  book opens with the first victim - lawyer Cyrus Merriman - being led unsuspectingly to his death by a mystery woman whose idea of a lakeside walk ends up with his body in it. Jump thirteen years later and a now pregnant Annalisa is visiting her imprisoned brother Alex who introduces her to the person convicted of his death, a man named Joe Green. 

When Joe shows Annalisa an anonymous note he received claiming the sole witness who put him behind bars lied, she agrees to take his case, but there’s one wrinkle: her husband - detective Nick Carelli - is the one whose investigation put him in prison. Things are about to get very awkward between these two!

The story leads us to a women’s shelter run by a woman named Charlotte Higgins who, along with her two employees Layla and Karma, is clearly holding secrets that connect her to Joe’s ex, Vanessa, as well as another ex named Jessica.  Also in the mix is Gwen Beaufort, the lone witness connecting Joe Green to Cyrus Merriman’s death. 

Why are all these women so intent on keeping Joe in prison? When the count of men’s bodies pulled out of the lake starts adding up, Annalisa and Nick realize this case may be bigger than they thought. Is there another serial killer on the loose?

There’s much more to the story, including a mystery surrounding a young girl’s abduction years before and a sweet side story for Annalisa involving an elderly woman and a missing ring, but the heart of the story is the mystery of who is killing all these men and why.

Because of the topic of domestic abuse, it was important for the author to handle it sensitively, and I thought she did a great job of allowing the reader to see the experience of victims, particularly where the justice system fails them, while also keeping the guilty parties accountable. The story isn’t heavy, but it is potent.

I really liked this one and found the story pretty riveting. The multiple mysteries were well done, there were a couple excellent twists, well-written characters and a clever satisfying ending. There was even an adorable cat named Jack. Schaffhausen knows the way to my heart! 🐈

Where this book really worked for me was the relationship between Annalisa and Nick. In some ways, Annalisa’s investigation is cleaning up Nick’s past mistakes, and he takes a lot of flack from his peers for that. Ultimately, though, they’re working together for the same purpose and it’s nice to see their support for each other, even when things occasionally get tense. Speaking of this, there’s a scene between them that for a split second had me questioning if I could continue to enjoy the series. I understand its purpose in the context of the story, but it was shocking. I’m sure many others who read it were equally surprised!

All-in-all, another excellent addition to a series that I’m always excited to read! Considering the ending of this one, I’ll be so curious to see what direction Schaffhausen takes Annalisa next. I can’t wait!

★★★★ ½ 

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and author Joanna Schaffhausen for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out on August 12, 2025.