4 It's Complicated Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
I love the writing of Joanna Schaffhausen. She never does the obvious and she gives so much depth of complexity to her characters. Our main character Detective Annalisa Vega would be a perfect example of complicated, dogmatic, and stubborn. She also would be a perfect example of a cop who truly believes in looking to find the one who is responsible for a crime...no matter where it takes her.

She is feeling the ramifications of those actions now...by being the cop who brought her own brother and father to task for the crimes they committed decades ago. She is looked at with disdain by most of the force in her prescient. Only her partner and ex-husband, Nick seems to support her actions.

The story takes off when her supervisor calls in the middle of the night for her and then Nick to come ASAP to a murder scene. It turns out to be a major case as the victim is a renowned cop who is known to bust big cases with his 3 other players. Over the years these men had busted major drug cases with all of the publicity pictures of mounds of coke, guns, and money laid out on a table before them.

Annalisa and Nick come to the scene and the young "Trophy" wife of the murdered cop is telling a tale that makes no sense. As they begin to investigate this crime, other old cold cases start to take center stage.

How are they all connected, well, it all is complicated with past actions of the famous cops, family members, risks, and discovery. It captured my interest and my continued desire to read until it was all complete.

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

This is the second book in the Detective Annalisa Vega series. She is a spunky, independent, determined-to-find-the-truth, detective. She is currently working a case of a murdered cop with her ex-husband, Detective Nick Carrelli. I enjoy the fact that the book takes place in Chicago.

She gets drawn into the 20 year cold case murder of a University of Chicago Pharmacy student. There seem to be threads of each murder that somehow cross. Anna is determined to get justice for the student as well as to solve the homicide of the police officer.

The book is well written and is actually multiple mysteries. You don’t have to read the first book to catch up. There is enough information about Anna, her family, and past cases to bring you up to speed. You may want to go back and read book number 1 anyway, because it is also well done.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Definitely creepy. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this Annalisa Vega book. I think the main character showed lots of grit and gumption. Characters were strong and hearty. Lots of unexpected twists and turns in this one.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

After reading and reviewing the first book in Joanna Schaffhausen’s Detective Annalisa Vega series, Last Seen Alive, which I rated 5-Stars, I was excited to read the second installment, Long Gone. The characters and the love triangle involving Anna, Nick, and Colin in the first book gave the police procedural added juice to humanize the central characters while they pursued the Lovelorn Killer. I could hardly wait to see what happened in book two.

In Long Gone, we see Annalisa as the archetypal lone wolf crime stopper, determined to solve murders at almost any cost, both within and outside the law she’s sworn to uphold. Schaffhausen has written Vega’s character brilliantly, allowing us to watch Annalisa as she doggedly follows clues and stubbornly insists upon acting alone, even as we know she longs for connection. Her push-pull romantic relationship with her police detective partner, Nick, who also happens to be the ex-husband who did her wrong while they were married, gives Annalise solid reasons to be wary of rekindling their personal relationship.

The love triangle in book one was largely absent in book two, and I missed reading that subplot. There were also numerous characters to track, which I found frustrating at times, and almost as many red herrings. Still, Long Gone is a solid read for mystery lovers and fans of Schaffhausen’s work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an ARC to read and review. *NetGalley Top Reviewer.* This review will also appear on the Bayside Book Reviews website at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day.

Whereas I do find Annalisa a little bit of a cliche, I can’t help but enjoy this series anyway. Much of the book I half suspected early on but not enough where I was certain. I also appreciated that some of the plot wasn’t secret from the reader. There was a good balance of what was disclosed and what was held back. I think it helped keep the plot from getting bogged down at the end; less to catch everyone up on.

I’ll be looking forward to the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this novel for the E-Arc copy. I am rating this book based on my own personal opinion and was not given anything in return. I am not leaving a entire review because I read so many at a time that I physically cannot right now. #Series #LongGone

Sometimes I'm apprehensive about beginning a new book, especially when my memories of the last are still floating in my brain. So with a bit of hesitation, I opened to the beginning of Long Gone. That grabbed me! I reread the first chapter at least five times to ensure that the names and setting were embedded. I knew THAT scene would be critical in solving the crime. But which crime?
While reading Long Gone I was in the moment. Not much could distract me. I now am a big fan of Annalisa Vega. When's the next in the series?!

I absolutely love the way Joanna Schaffhausen tells a story! I feel like I write that in every one of my reviews of her books, but it continues to be true.

I really enjoy the Annalisa Vega series, as much as (albeit in a different way than) the Ellery Hathaway books. I like that this is a protagonist who gets tested time and time again and yet manages to stick to her beliefs - and guns - despite an ever-increasing slate of odds that seem stacked against her on all fronts. I also like that these books are not quite as dark yet still offer an emotional panoply as well as a lot of dramatic build up.

Characterization is one of the things Schaffhausen does particularly well though, and both series regulars and newly introduced characters are rich,
robust, and relatable. I am particularly enjoying the way the relationship between Vega and Nick Carelli is developing, as well as the furtherance of her familial relationships in this second book. The ending of this installment really opened some doors on that front and I'm very curious to see where the author takes her characters next.

On top of that long-range development, I really enjoy the individual cold-case explorations of each of these stories. I read a lot of detective stories, mysteries and thrillers, and yet despite an abundance of experience with these types of stories, Schaffhausen manages to surprise me with the originality of her case investigations and the personality quirks and foibles of her characters at every turn. Things like the diving suit are odd and unexpected and yet exactly the kind of details that make a story more believable for all their oddities.

I really love this series and already can't wait for the next book!

Annalisa is a detective who arrested both her father (an ex cop) and her brother. So not only does her family not want any to do with her neither do her coworkers. When a fellow cop is murdered no-one wants her on the case. In working on this new case her prime subject is also someone who was a suspect in an old case. One that was worked on by the New murder victim. Can Anna clear both cases without getting killed herself?

Great sequel following Chicago detective Annalisa Vega as she pursues solving the murder of a well known and accomplished police detective who is shot in his home by an intruder in a scuba suit. The story does a good job of incorporating the detectives complicated personal, family and professional lives into the story and keeps you wondering who committed the murder and what their motive was. Looking forward to following Annalisa on her next case!

I really enjoy the character of Annalise Vega. Though again the trope of the overly dedicated detective making stupid decisions is tiresome. And of course there is the will there or won’t there be a romance piece. But the mystery was good if somewhat over the top. Fun read.

The second installment of the Detective Annalisa Vega series has Annalisa investigating a detective's suspicious murder and finding ties to a cold case murder, while dealing with the personal and professional fallout from solving the Lovelorn Killer case (in the first book, Gone for Good).

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I would strongly advise not reading this book until you've read Gone for Good (which you should absolutely do). Annalisa's family and romantic relationships are *complicated* and wouldn't make much sense without knowing what happened in book one.

I love that this series is set in Chicago and appreciated how everything unfolded, but overall didn't like this as much as the first book. The twists and turns were there, but it felt a little dragged out and not super thrilling, especially her relationship with her ex-husband, Nick, which was one of my favorite parts of GfG. That said, I will absolutely be the first in line to get my hands on book 3 because I know there's exciting trouble ahead for Annalisa, and Schaffhausen is one of my favorite thriller writers.

The second in the Annalise Vega series picks up where we left off, Annalise destroying her family life by solving a cold case. She now has a reputation for being cutthroat and the police she works with don’t trust her to protect them or the force. It’s an interesting look at the consequences of doing the right thing.
Vega is a great heroine and her flaws are a little more on display in this book. She grapples with the fall out of her decisions in book one, as she’s thrust into another case with cops at the center. This could be read on its own, as it explains the first novel well without just repeating facts.

I found the structure of the novel interesting, given that the bad guys are known pretty fairly on, but there’s still plenty of mysteries - past and present- to solve.

Long Gone is the first book by Joanna Schaffhausen I've read. It was both an engaging and entertaining read. Annalisa Vega is an interesting character. Vega is certainly a strong-willed detective but, to be honest, she does some surprisingly stupid things. Still, Long Gone is skillfully plotted and the resolution is very satisfying. Justice, no matter how long it takes, is indeed rewarding.

I was exposed to this author after reading the first book in the Detective Annalisa Vega series. I really liked the characters and both the pace and plot of the book. This latest book was not a disappointment. Detective Vega is back with a new crime to solve and has a few unpleasant repercussions from the outcome of the first book. I had forgotten much of what happened in the first book, but was able to remember while I went along as the author gives pieces of what had happened. Thank you for doing that - most authors don't - and they leave you struggling to remember the details or having to go back and read spoiler reviews of the previous book!

This was a fast-paced and very enjoyable read! Looking forward to the next one! And - thank you for also making Detective Vega a strong character and not weak and inane like a lot of recent thriller authors! :)

This review was also published on Goodreads.

This is one of my favorite authors and this book is a prime example of why. This is the second book in the series and I am already completely hooked and invested in the characters. Annalisa is complex and dogged. And while it took me awhile to warm up to him I really like Nick. Together they have a complicated case that skirts the edge of the thin blue line. And it's messy, full of action and tension, and kept me guessing right up until the reveal. I loved how stunned I was. The next book can't come soon enough!

3.5*
Detective Annalisa. Vega is a pariah (#rat) in her own police department, having turned in a fellow cop. An ex-cop who just happens to be her father. Ouch!
 
After an officer from a neighboring precinct is killed in his home, Annalisa is assigned as detective in charge of the investigation. Needless to say, his friends and fellow officers aren’t exactly eager to assist and in fact want her off the case.
 
This is book two of the Annalisa Vega series and once again she shines in her take charge attitude. She will not back down no matter what she comes up against.
 
Though Joanna Schaffhausen’s previous Ellery Hathaway series remains my favorite, I’m still looking forward to seeing where this series will go.
 
A buddy read with Susanne.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press .

The twist and turns of this suspense story really takes the readers imagination to another level. The writer gives the readers a realistic, entertaining story about the thin blue line. The story held my imagination. The book provided a lot of information regarding the multiple scenarios that police take to get to the truth. This book did an excellent job of focusing on the plot and engaging the reader.

This is a great multifaceted mystery with realistic characters and a storyline that keeps you guessing! I love Annalisa, she's vulnerable and a badass at the same time. Though this does pick up where the first book left off it does well as a stand alone novel and isn't overly repetitive but I definitely would recommend to read these in order because both books are so good! If you love crime mysteries you definitely need to read this series! Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.