Joanna Schaffhausen's newest novel, GONE FOR GOOD, is a departure from her original Ellery Hathaway series which focused on a woman who as a teen had been held captive by a serial killer and was rescued by an astute FBI agent. GONE FOR GOOD's primary narrator is Annalisa Vega, a police investigator whose neighbor was killed by a serial killer dubbed The Lovelorn Killer for the notes he sent the media after each murder. TLK dropped out of sight after he killed Vega's neighbor, and hasn't been active for 20 years, but Grace Harper, who manages a local grocery store and spends her spare time in an amateur sleuths group, believes he's still out there. In fact, she taunts him. And soon she winds up murdered in the same manner as TLK's previous victims. Is it a copycat killer, or is TLK back? In the action that follows, Vega is paired on the case with her former husband, who has moved back to the city after leaving for 10 years following their divorce. Things get a little sticky as it becomes clear very quickly that the pair have unfinished business. Then there's Vega's high school sweetheart. It was his mother who was murdered 20 year ago. He hears about the case and decides it's time for him to pay a visit home. And the red herrings? They're as thick as the ropes with which TLK binds his victims! Joanna Schaffhausen is is a master at juggling difficult situations such as murder, romance, killer profiling, and layers of family drama while keeping everything real and compelling. Kudos to the author for hitting another one out of the park! And thanks to #NetGalley #St.Martins #Minotaur for a digital ARC of GONE FOR GOOD in exchange for my honest review.

This was an exciting, twisty thriller. Detective Annalisa Vega is an interesting character with a complicated backstory. Her personal history with the Lovelorn Killer added another dimension to her quest to solve the cold case. I also loved the armchair detective angle. My only gripe was with the end -- the big reveal was great, but the final twist didn't make a ton of sense.

This was my first Joanna Shaffhausen novel and I'm looking forward to reading her older books and any new Detective Vega novels when they are released!

This was a great read. Fast-paced but still well developed. Definitely a crime thriller. I will recommended to friends!

This was a great mystery/thriller. It kept me hooked on both the plot (hunting a serial killer) and the characters. Anna Lisa’s relationships with her friends and family really were the best parts of this book. I look forward to reading more Detective Vega books.

I was excited to read this story since is like the 4th novel I have read from this author. They’ve all been good, so the bar was set kinda high. This a first novel featuring detective Annalisa Vega, the latest female bad ass. Following in the family footsteps Annalisa gets the call when a bad homicide that echos a series of unsolved homicides that are about 20 years old now. It appears the mysterious killer known as the Lovelorn killer has resurfaced to claim a fresh victim in Grace, an amateur armchair detective who had taken an interest in the cold case. This time around the Lovelorn Killer is freshly emboldened and seems to have set his sights firmly on Annalisa. If she survives to solve this case, there is no telling what other cold secrets she may scare out of the hidden corners of the past. An exciting ride with all the elements: murder, secrets, and at times heartbreak, Joanna Schaffhausen is on top of her game with a fresh new female lead who is tough as nails. Review posted to Goodreads, Facebook, Litsy, and LibraryThing.

Grace Harper has a keen sense for trouble and alarming behavior.. As an amateur sleuth she has made it her business to track down these behaviors. She met her match when she convinced her crime group to tries to track down the lovelorn killer. Grace harper dies for the truth and Detective Annalisa Vega is on the case. Good or Bad, she is actually close to the case because her childhood best friends mom had been murdered by the same killer many years ago. What Grace uncovers through the evidence is astonishing and makes her choose between family and law enforcement. Great book to read, full of surprises.

Gone for Good is the new detective series by Joanna Schaffhausen. It combines amateur sleuth groups, cold cases and the threat of a serial killer’s return.

Detective Annalise Vega must grapple with her past when a body is found that links to her childhood, a case that was never closed, and a killer who was never found. With this new case, her past loves come to town. One to help solve the case and one looking for answers.

The mystery in Gone for Good is great. It’s a quick, compelling, and satisfying read.

I was first introduced to Schaffhausen through her amazing Ellery Hathaway series. In Detective Vega, Schaffhausen delves into Chicago, past and present, and creates a great new lead who readers will love to get to know as the series progresses.

See my GoodReads review for full details on my impressions of this psychological thriller. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4019155911

Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen is the first in a new series featuring Detective Annalisa Vega. A cold case is cracked open again, decades after the Lovelorn Killer murdered seven women. The ritual killings included leaving them bound to die and following up with gruesome love letters sent to the local newspapers. The Lovelorn Killer stopped and disappeared for twenty years, leaving people to believe the serial killer was dead, or incarcerated. Except for Grace Harper, who was a grocery store manager who spent her free time participating in an amateur sleuth group investigating cold cases. Grace believes the Lovelorn Killer is alive and well and still in plain sight in the neighborhoods he terrorized. Grace goes rogue and starts using her own skills to figure out how the killer selected his victims, hoping to bring out his true identity.

Detective Vega lost someone to the killer twenty years ago. When she is called to a murder scene, that of Grace Harper, who lies bound and dead by what seems to be he Lovelorn Killer, Detective Vega now has the chance to finally catch the killer of her families nightmares from two decades before. Grace left behind clues of what she uncovered, and with Detective Vega’s thinking back to her memories from childhood, She never expected to uncover secrets of the past which will now put her in a position no person should ever have to be in.

This novel was excellent. I was completely surprised by who the Lovelorn Killer was, and even more surprised by the ending. It was an adrenaline rush, impossible to put down, and downright frightening. Detective Vega is a smart, investigator with so much to prove being a woman in a predominantly male field. She is a true bad ass. I look forward to other books in this series and will be sure to read each one. Well done!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Joanna Schaffhausen for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It is a new favorite of mine.

A serial killer dubbed The Lovelorn Killer, who terrorized a Chicago community by torturing and murdering seven women, went uncaught, and then disappeared for twenty years, appears to have resurfaced in Joanna Schaffhausen's gripping, twisty and emotional new mystery, Gone for Good.

Detective Annalisa Vega, a second-generation police officer, remembers The Lovelorn Killer well. The enigma's final victim was the mother of her then high school boyfriend, Collin, the love of her life she was never able to let go of after leaving the state. Now Annalisa finds herself face-to-face, so to speak, with the killer when she arrives at the scene of a murder that is a carbon copy layout of the ones left decades earlier. Could it be the same serial killer? Or is it a copycat looking to gain instant notoriety? And does Annalisa need to track down Collin to inform him that his mother's killer has potentially resurfaced?

Annalisa's case gets off to an auspicious start when a fellow detective, freshly transplanted from Florida, Nick Carelli, arrives on the scene to back her up. You see, Nick may be fresh to the Chicago unit, but he's not new to Annalisa; he's her ex-husband. Married when they were just 20 and divorced by 22, both parties quickly adjust to the potentially awkward situation and get down to business, clearly indicating that any ill-will is a thing of the past. Their mutual surprise at the eerily familiar state of the victim Grace Harper, bound in the same ritualistic form as the seven victims of the ghost, intensifies when they learn that Grace was a member of an amateur sleuth group called the Gravediggers. Not only was Grace investigating The Lovelorn Killer, but she had also gone as far as appearing on a local news show, speaking up about her findings and theories.

What takes off from here is a wickedly fast-paced thriller, constantly keeping the reader on their toes with brilliantly plotted twists and revealing information in the form of chapters dedicated to entries into Grace Harper's journal. Schaffhausen, no stranger to the detective-mystery genre, with her highly addictive Ellery-Reed series, ups her game in her darkest and most compelling work yet. One of the author's greatest attributes is her deep psychological insight into her characters. Annalisa, her family (who plays no small part), and Nick are all believably flawed yet engrossing characters who evoke genuine empathy. Schaffhausen manages to portray Annalisa's unusual 'the one that got away' vs. ex-husband love triangle in a wholly relatable way that is not only unobtrusive to the story but adds to its depth.

The only negative that sporadically pulled me out of the story ironically comes from one of Schaffhausen's greatest strengths: her dialogue. While, on the whole, the dialogue is natural and nuanced, with an understanding that silence or short responses can speak volumes, the almost vacant use of 'language' was bewildering. With a host of Chicago detectives, emotionally charged family members, and on-edge locals, hardly a single swear word is uttered. When an enraged, old-school Chicago detective spouts, "This damn bastard," it stands out as unauthentic and contrived, like a gangster from a 30's film saying, "Why that dirty, no good, yellow-bellied stool."

This lack of vulgarity is a minor grievance in an otherwise brilliant start to a detective series that I can't wait to continue. Annalisa Vega is an intelligent, strong-willed, and sympathetic character, wholly worthy of a long run of dangerous and thrilling cases.

Gone for Good is a story about a cold case when suddenly the killer appears to strike again. A woman is murdered, seemingly by a serial killer who has not been heard from in 20 years. Truly Amazing, I appreciated the whole story. I highly recommend this one.

The first book of a new series.

The main character is a divorced Chicago cop/detective who is assigned to work a case with her ex husband.

Their complicated dynamics surround solving the case. Add to that, an amateur detective insinuates herself into the drama in the race to stop a killer.

This book was a bit slow to start as their was quite a bit of background information needed to get to know the characters.

I hope the second book is more straight forward.

Thanks St Martin Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. Annalisa, a cop in Chicago, ends up partnering with her ex-husband to solve a case very similar to one that happened years ago in Annalisa’s neighborhood. The book was a bit annoying at first because, since this is the first in a series, the author needs to give you a bunch of background. Here’s the annoying part—Annalisa and Nick were married! They should know something of each other’s past. Also, and this is a small point, Annalisa’s neighbor had peonies. They are a shrub. You cannot grow them indoors. They need ants to open. If an author is going to include things, there should be research done. The book picks up and the end is predictable. That being said, it’s an ok read. If you have something else on your TBR pile, go with that. You aren’t missing much

This is the second mystery I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed reading her books. I recommend these mysteries to all readers looking for someone new. Her lead characters have their own personal stories that also keep you interested. A story about finding a serial killer in the neighborhood is always a good read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

I really enjoyed this. It was well written and fast paced. I never had time to get bored because the story was always moving. I'm glad to see it's part of a series because I'd like to see more from the characters.

I am definitely in the minority with my review of this book. At the risk of ruining it for future readers, let it suffice for me to say that I thought it was poorly written. The dialogue, of almost all the characters, was absurd. The cops were depicted as inept. I really did not want to finish the book but since I was given the opportunity by the publisher, I felt obligated. Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC of Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen
Main character Annalisa is following in her father's footsteps as a cop, she's out on a date that's not impressing her when she gets the call, duty calls. She reports to the scene of a crime, looks like a serial killer from the past has resurfaced. And who shows up to help with the investigation, her ex husband...
This novel takes us through Annalisa's personal life and her work life. It's full of twists and turns, hints and clues, and finally who dunnit and the effect that uncovering the criminal or criminals has on Annalisa and her personal life.
Well written novel, characters are well developed and described, lots of moving parts without being confusing. I really enjoyed this book and would read more from this author. Did not want to put it down

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and write an honest review of this book.

I really enjoy a good mystery or thriller, and I could tell from the very beginning that this book was going to have me hooked.

This is a really fun read. Twists, turns, and a satisfying conclusion, all the boxes were checked for me.

This is the first book in this series and I am looking forward to reading future installments!

This is my first read from this author and I must say I'm impressed. This was a tad bit of a slow start for me, took awhile to get to know all the characters and their background. Love the suspense, love the wondering of who the killer is. Keep me on edge till the very end! Can't wait to read more from this author

Annalisa grew up in a cop family in Chicago and she always remembered having cops around her home. She also remembers when seven women were murdered and her father was assigned to hunt down the serial killer.

For more than 20 years the case remained unsolved and it looked like it never would be. That is until an internet group decided to look into the case and try to see if they could crack the case. When one of the members of the group ends up dead in a similar manner to serial killers MO the police are scared that the serial killer might be back. It’s now up to Annalisa to work the case and find the serial killer. The only problem is she finds out a whole lot more about her past.

So I seen some great reviews on this one and was excited to pick it up. I found the early part of the story was somewhat slow and went into depth on character development. The second half really picked up quickly and I finished it in a few hours. The ending was very unpredictable and I like how the story wound up. I believe this is going to be turned into a series and I am interested to see where the author takes the Annalisa character next.