Long Way Home - by Lynn Tavernier

Book Synopsis

When an embattled detective investigates the suspicious death of a wealthy young socialite, she unearths long-buried family secrets in this tense thriller for fans of Lisa Gardner.

Detective Andrea Stuart thought her weeklong escape to the quiet shores of Jamestown would be a time to rest, to reconnect, to forget. But a blocked call in the early hours of the morning pulls her back into a world she's been trying to leave behind--and into a case no one wants her to solve.

Hope Philbrick--young, beautiful, and heir to one of Rhode Island's most powerful families--has fallen to her death from a seaside cliff after her lavish pre-wedding celebration. Everyone says it was an accident. Her fiancé is grieving. The family wants silence. And Andrea has been told, in no uncertain terms, to keep her head down and follow orders.

But something about the scene doesn't sit right. Not the missing witnesses. Not the body's position. Not the lies--because Andrea can smell them. The deeper she digs, the more the glittering façade of privilege cracks, revealing a dark web of pressure, secrets, and betrayal that threatens to destroy more than just reputations.

To uncover the truth, Andrea must risk her career--and confront a haunting past she's never truly escaped.

Gripping, atmospheric, and richly written, The Lost Hours is a spellbinding mystery about power, trauma, and the cost of doing the right thing.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Lost Hours
"The Lost Hours is a gritty, gut-punch of a tale with the kind of damaged, no-nonsense protagonist that I can't get enough of. If you like low-brow people in a high-brow world, you'll love this. It's as if Dennis Lehane and F. Scott Fitzgerald co-wrote a book together."
--Peter Farrelly, Academy Award winner for Best Picture and for Best Original Screenplay

"The Lost Hours by Lynn Tavernier delivers a perfect example of superior crime fiction: an uncompromising protagonist who refuses to be intimidated, a mystery that grows more complex with every revelation, and a chilling portrait of how far the wealthy will go to protect their interests. The pacing is relentless and the gorgeously described Rhode Island setting is thick with menace. This gripping debut thriller is intelligent, character-driven, rich with atmosphere, and doesn't shy away from examining the darker aspects of human nature."
--Emilya Naymark, author of Hide in Place and Behind the Lie

About the Author

Lynn Tavernier grew up in the mill town of Woonsocket, Rhode Island where she attended Mt. St. Charles Academy then the Berkshire School and Sarah Lawrence College. She spent twenty-five years in restaurant management including ownership of the French bistro, Chez Pascal, on Providence's East Side. Her debut novel, The Lost Hours, was a finalist for the CWA Debut Dagger award and winner of the Killer Nashville Claymore Award for Best Unpublished Mystery. Lynn lives in Saunderstown, Rhode Island with her husband and their redoubtable mouser, Jack.