All the Best Lies - (Ellery Hathaway) by Joanna Schaffhausen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Joanna Schaffhausen's All the Best Lies is the highly anticipated third novel in the award-winning Ellery Hathaway mystery series.

FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery: who murdered his mother? Camilla was brutally stabbed to death more than forty years ago while baby Reed lay in his crib mere steps away. The trail went so cold that the Las Vegas Police Department has given up hope of solving the case. But then a shattering family secret changes everything Reed knows about his origins, his murdered mother, and his powerful adoptive father, state senator Angus Markham. Now Reed has to wonder if his mother's killer is uncomfortably close to home.

Unable to trust his family with the details of his personal investigation, Reed enlists his friend, suspended cop Ellery Hathaway, to join his quest in Vegas. Ellery has experience with both troubled families and diabolical murderers, having narrowly escaped from each of them. She's eager to skip town, too, because her own father, who abandoned her years ago, is suddenly desperate to get back in contact. He also has a secret that could change her life forever, if Ellery will let him close enough to hear it.

Far from home and relying only on each other, Reed and Ellery discover young Camilla had snared the attention of dangerous men, any of whom might have wanted to shut her up for good. They start tracing his twisted family history, knowing the path leads back to a vicious killer--one who has been hiding in plain sight for forty years and isn't about to give up now.

Review Quotes

"Chilling...tight plotting and a few genuinely shocking twists propel this emotionally charged thriller all the way to the explosive finale. Old and new readers alike will be enthralled."--Publishers Weekly

"The writing is crisp, the suspense is intense and the fast-paced tale ends with a twist no one is likely to see coming. Even so, the most appealing thing about this fine series is the complex, evolving relationship between the protagonists. The author handles their emotional dance with keen insight and sensitivity."--Associated Press

"A gripping (and sometimes steamy) read. A closing twist will shock readers, who will hold their breath for the next from Schaffhausen. This will also work as a stand-alone and can be given to those who enjoy Karin Slaughter's works."--Booklist

"The relentless pursuit of the truth beneath a mountain of falsehoods makes Joanna Schaffhausen's All the Best Lies a compelling read. Joanna Schaffhausen's everyman plot and accessible prose rams home an eternal truth: lies left alone will fester and turn everything rotten. Uncovering ugly truths and the healing power of redemption make for a thrilling mystery."--Shelf Awareness

About the Author

JOANNA SCHAFFHAUSEN wields a mean scalpel, skills developed in her years studying neuroscience. She has a doctorate in psychology, which reflects her long-standing interest in the brain--how it develops and the many ways it can go wrong. Previously, she worked for ABC News, writing for programs such as World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and 20/20. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter. She is also the author of The Vanishing Season and No Mercy.