Ellery Hathaway and Reed Markham, the FBI agent who rescued her from horrific abuse when she was a child,, are an unlikely pair, but as in the two previous novels in this series, they are a winning one. Ellery has grown into a prickly but appealing young woman who seems to have recovered from her childhood trauma - enough to pursue a career as a police officer, which is when she reaches out to Reed, still an FBI profiler. In this third, compelling thriller, it's Reed who needs Ellery to help him solve a mystery that began a generation o n ago when his mother was brutally murdered. This is a stunning conclusion to the trilogy that began with The Vanishing Year - read them in sequence if you can. The same deft hand with character explication and solid plotting evidenced in the earlier books us on full display here.

FBI agent Markham is trying to solve a 40 yr old murder that is very close to his- the murder of his mother. He has the help of a suspended police officer -that also happens to be a former victim that he rescued from a serial killer when she was a teenager. His adopted father, a US senator, is one of the suspects. This story has everything from a brutal murder to romance. There are a lot of surprises as additional suspects are identified. A very good mystery.

FBI agent Reed Markham has saved more than a few lives, including Ellery Hathaway's, but there is one person whose death has haunted him for decades. Camilla Flores was just a poor waitress when someone brutally murdered her in front of her four-month-old son. Forty years later, the Las Vegas PD wants to lay the case to rest but Reed isn't ready to forget about it—not until he finds his birth mother's killer, anyway. With Ellery's help, he sets out to unravel the mystery of Camilla's past. It's not his first attempt to solve the crime but he's determined that it will be his last, even if finding the murderer means destroying the lives of everyone he loves.

All the Best Lies is the third—and best--novel in Joanna Schaffhausen's series. I loved the first book for its fast-paced plot as well as its complex characters, and the second for the developing relationship between Reed and Ellery. The third book surpasses the first two, both in terms of plot and character. Reed's race to find his mother's killer is compelling with plenty of twists right up until the last pages of the book. The evolving romance between Reed and Ellery is just as good. It's far from an easy relationship because of Ellery's past, but the connection is strong enough that I wanted them to keep pushing forward. I liked that Schaffhausen didn't simply throw them into bed together at the appropriate chapter—the one-step-forward, one-step-back progression is convincing and emotionally loaded, even if it is frustrating at times. I don't want to mention any spoilers but I will say that my favorite scene involved Ellery's struggle to find a dress for a “date” eating take-out pizza in a hotel room. This is first and foremost a mystery, but the book also has a lot to say about family and about healing.

I enjoyed the settings in the first two books, and the Las Vegas locale works just as well, if not better. Schaffhausen captures the city's glitz but she shows its darker side too. I'm guessing there will be more books in the series and look forward to new locations, as well as old secrets. I'd also like to see how Ellery and Reed's relationship continues to change.

Much thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joanna Schaffhausen has hit a homer with All the Best Lies.
The complicated story of a young girl kidnapped, who managed to escape.
The wonderful, complicated woman she became. The man that rescued her when she was kidnapped and how it seems the world can turn against you on a whim.
Who needs luck when you know All the Best Lies?

This book is the third in a series but reads well as a standalone. This story focuses more on FBI agent Reed Markham who wants to solves the unsolved mystery of who killed his mother when he was a baby. She was brut stabbed to death more than forty years ago. It has now become a cold case. He enlists the help of his friend Ellery who is still on leave to help him find out who committed this murder. I loved the first book in this series but the second one not so much and while I still think this author is cranking them out a little too fast (it shows in some of the writing) I think this one is my favorite. It was nice to read some of the backstory involving Reed. I am looking forward to a fourth but hope the writer takes her time. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This is the third book in this series
While it can be read as a stand-alone , you are going to want to devour this series from the beginning.
Everyone has their reasons for being in law enforcement. In this book we get into Reed’s background and learn about him.
I love Ellery and Reed and this book and this book was just as good as I expected.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen. This is the 3rd book in a series - and I really liked it.
This can be a stand alone, but reading the others does help with the background of one of the main characters. This book concentrates on Reed and his background story, but lends to a mystery as well.
Solid plot and enjoyable till the end.
Recommend.
3.5 stars.

This is the third book I have read about Ellery and Reed. This time the story is more about Reed. In book 2 Reed takes a DNA test for a family gift for his adopted father. That test leads into the main story of book 3. When the results are not as expected Reed decided he and Ellery will look into the death of his birth mother. What a number of leads and false leads. A good twist at the end. Another good story for Ellery and Reed.

Ellery and Reed are back in this third installment of Schaffhausen’s adventure filled series. When Reed unwittingly discovers a long hidden family secret, he decides to find out what happened to his murdered biological mother. As Ellery and he travel to Vegas to ask questions about the decades old murder, Reed painfully learns about his mother’s life and the people who may have had a hand in her murder. While I figure out who killed Reed’s mother halfway through the story, it’s due to the well placed clues rather than a poorly written story. The ending is very unexpected and adds a flourish to an already engrossing plot. All The Best Lies, and the series in general, does characterization superbly, and the pacing, ambience and plot are all expertly done. It’s rare when I get invested in a character in a series, and the series’ continuing story arc of Ellery and Reed is addictive and emotionally mature. I hope to see more of this series.

I received this book as an advance readers copy, but all opinions are my own.

I can’t say enough good about this book. I love all the twists and I got my wish about them being together. I have loved all three books in this series. I will be recommending them at our library. If you like a good mystery then these are the books for you.

I’m so happy I discovered this author! Just finished All the Best Lies last night, after reading the first two books in this series just this week! Intriguing and well developed storyline that kept me reading into the night. The main characters Ellery, and Reed are so real to me. I have been rooting for them from the first book, and hope there will be more books to come. I highly recommend this series!

All the best praise for All the Best Lies, the third of the Ellery Hathaway mystery series! I was engrossed from start to end and enjoyed the new complications in Reed and Ellery’s lives as he investigates a personal cold case with Reed’s help. This is my favorite of the series so far.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author Joanne Schaffhausen for an advanced digital review copy. This book will be published February 11, 2020.

Whenever Reed Markham and Ellery Hathaway get together, it is never for a dull afternoon doing laundry. Ellery is still suspended from her job, and Reed has decided to take a close look at an unsolved closed case. The victim, Camilla Flores, was brutally murdered while her baby was in the next room. That little boy was Reed, adopted by the wealthy Markham family. Recent events have made Reed question his birth, his adoption, his family, and who killed his biological mother. Reed reaches out to Ellery and they are soon off to Las Vegas to try and discover to killer's identity.
Family drama plays a major role in All the Best Lies, as Reed struggles to understand his biological and adopted families, and Ellery's long-absent father suddenly wants to talk. Two very different stories, but ones that ultimately may help heal or tear apart Ellery and Reed.Two very interesting main characters and a fast-paced plot. It will be interesting to see where to author goes with the next book, assuming this series will continue.
I received a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.
4.5 stars

All the Best Lies is getting a 5 star from me because it is still a few months away from publication, but when I gave it a quick peek last evening, I just couldn't stop reading. Ellery Hatheway is still on suspension, but when Reed drops by and asks her to follow him to Las Vegas to cover the cold case of his birth mother's murder, she cannot help but jump at the chance to do some investigating. But Ellery is going to have to deal with her own family problems along the way. Add to that the feelings between the two are getting more complicated and I just fell in insta love with this series all over again.


I am not sure that a person needs to read the whole series to enjoy the book, but once they do, they'll definitely be reaching for them anyway.


Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads review 24/10/19
Expected publication 11/02/20

This is by far the best book of the series. Gripping, full of tension and suspense, this book picks up from the shocking cliffhanger of the previous story. We get a lot more of Reed in this story. Ellery is much more developed. I love seeing the growth in these two characters and the relationship between them. This mystery had so many twists. I didn't guess the villain and I absolutely didn't see the shocking ending coming. I even love to hate Reed's exwife. I really hope we get more books in the series. With all the developments in this one, there are so many new aspects to explore and a limitless amount of cases that could come.

Although the book is billed as another installment of the Ellery Hathaway series, this story focuses around FBI Reed Markham and his search to solve his mother's murder. Reed grew-up in the home of a wealthy politician, always knowing he was adopted and his mother was murdered when he was a baby. In the last novel, Reed learned that he shared DNA with his adopted sisters and determines his adopted father and biological father are the same man. Now, with freedom that comes with his new role in the FBI, he decides to open the very "cold" case and seek answers to his questions. Needing assistance and a friend, Reed asks Ellery to come along and help him with the search. Since she is currently not working for the Boston PD (due to her killing the man who kidnapped and abused her), Ellery agrees to help. As the two of them chase down leads that end with more questions than answers, the tenuous relationship between Ellery and Reed makes the situation even more complicated. It is obvious that they have romantic feelings for each other, but there is always the obstacle of the extreme violence Ellery experienced and the remaining scars (external and internal) keeping them from sharing intimacy. Ellery fears not being able to have a romantic relationship, and Reed worries about how to be the partner of a rape survivor. Will the risk and discoveries of their investigation finally be enough to allow them to give-in to their feelings? Oh, at the same time, Ellery's father, who abandoned the family, is trying to talk with Ellery about something really important. This is a great read, and I can't wait for the next installment.

Ellery Hathaway is still suspended, so she might as well go to Las Vegas with FBI Agent Reed Markham to help him follow new leads in his mother's murder. Ellery survived an infamous serial killer as an adolescent, rescued by Reed Markham himself, and is still dealing with the fall-out from that trauma. Nonetheless, she is a smart investigator and and useful ally for Reed as he begins to investigate secrets that people would rather he just leave alone. Another good chapter in the continuing saga of Reed and Ellery, though I hope a fourth book will move past their family histories to find a fresh case to pursue.

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC.

Third in the Ellery Hathaway series. Reed is looking into the murder of his biological mother 40 years earlier, partly due to the unexpected results of his DNA test at the end of book 2. This was my favorite book in the series so far. I couldn't put it down. Five stars.

I really enjoyed following Reed and Ellery as they tried to solve a 40 year old murder. These characters have appeared in other books, but "All the Best Lies" can easily be read as a standalone novel. I previously read "The Vanishing Season" and loved it.

The trail leads them to Las Vegas and Los Angeles as they try to track down Reed's biological mother. The twists and surprises keep the reader engaged throughout the book. I look forward to future books.

Reed Markham of the FBI investigates a highly personal cold case: the murder of his birth mother. Reed was just a baby when his mother was stabbed to death, and now a DNA test reveals a secret that his high-powered adoptive father has been keeping from Reed ever since then. Conveniently, Reed has a willing sidekick in Ellery Hathaway, a police officer currently on suspension from the department. The two have a dramatic personal history that influences their current relationship as they chase clues across the country. The story is well-paced, with lots of tension and plenty of suspicion to go around. The identity of the perpetrator is not a huge surprise, but the story is well-told and gripping even if you see where it’s heading. Not having read the author’s previous two books featuring Ellery Hathaway, I wasn’t terribly invested in the romance between the two leads, and I found it to be over-emphasized. It’s great to see complex characters and relationships, but the level of attention given to the romantic storyline started to make it seem like a different genre of fiction than the one I had set out to read.

I enjoyed this novel and look forward to going back and reading the first two books in the series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.