Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me an early copy. Below you'll find my honest review.

Everyone who follows my reviews know that I am *huge* Preston & Child fans - their individual books and their co-written ones. Pendergast is one of the series I have followed the longest, and this is the fourth book in a spinoff of the Pendergast series starring two breakout characters who have played key roles in Special Agent Pendergast's cases, Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson.

These two are a fantastic duo. They have their areas of expertise, and they mesh them together really well to solve cases. They always have some tension, as they have certain areas of their jobs that require following certain protocols, and that can be frustrating to the other party. Corrie has grown so much since we first met her in Still Life with Crows, and Nora's introduction in non-Pendergast (but Smithback-including) "stand-alone" Thunderhead seems ages ago in her development as well. They've both come so far, personally and professionally, and been through so much. I love watching them work together to solve cases.

I also really enjoy the secondary characters in this spin-off series. Agent Sharp, introduced in this book, is a fresh new face with a lifetime of experiences that really drive his character. Nora's brother Skip is present, of course, and always finding himself getting into hot water somehow. Homer Watts makes an appearance again, and I really adore the growing relationship he has with Corrie. Some other characters are mentioned, along with events of both prior Nora/Corrie books AND some of their histories (like Still Life with Crows and Thunderhead). I really loved that their pasts are mentioned, as long-time followers of the Preston & Child "Pendergast-verse" will appreciate the references and feel nostalgic, like I did.

All in all, a strong entry in the series, though I felt a little like the Sheriff Hawley/Skip situation felt like it was tacked on and not necessarily vital to the story, other than to just provide a storyline for Skip... but to be fair, that could also be setting up for future confrontations, so might just be some extra world building.

I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5, rounded up to 5.

Highly recommended, but with the caveat - start where you want, but you will be spoiled on a dozen books' worth of character development and a MAJOR event from the Pendergast series if you start here. I'd suggest reading every single one of them! They're worth your time and money.