Shattered

June 26, 2017
Bestseller Brennan’s intricately plotted fourth Maxine “Max” Revere thriller (after 2016’s Poisonous) finds the investigative journalist in Phoenix, Ariz., at the request of ex-boyfriend John Caldwell. The police suspect that John’s wife, Blair, murdered the couple’s eight-year-old son, but John believes that a serial killer is to blame and wants Max to solve a trio of similar cold cases in the hope that it will exonerate Blair. Intrigued, Max reaches out to the family of Justin Stanton, whom John believes was the first victim. Justin’s father, Andrew, agrees to cooperate with Max’s investigation, but only if Max partners with his sister-in-law, FBI agent Lucy Kincaid (another of Brennan’s series protagonists). Max hates cops, and Lucy hates reporters, but the two join forces in order to bring justice to the victims’ families and prevent the killer from striking again. Max and Lucy’s mutual distrust and disdain compound the tale’s tension at every turn. Psychologically complex characters and well-established stakes pave the way for a heart-pounding conclusion, which satisfies while setting the scene for Max’s next mystery. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House.

August 1, 2017
A request for help from her old college boyfriend has investigative reporter Maxine Revere teaming with FBI agent Lucy Kincaid Roganprotagonists in two separate Brennan seriesto dig up decades-old cold cases. When John Caldwell's wife is accused of killing their eight-year-old son, John presents Max with three remarkably similar unsolved murders going back almost 20 years; the victim in the first of the three was Justin Stanton, son of San Diego DA Andrew Stanton, whose marriage to Nelia Kincaid ended after Justin's death. Dredging up the past will be painful to the Kincaid family, so Lucy insists on joining the case. Max brings to the project resources and the ability to operate outside the law, while Lucy adds vital family and FBI connections. This well-executed series crossover works as a stand-alone or a series entry, with Brennan displaying the strengths of Max and Lucy while adding insights about both and hints as to their futures. A must for fans of both series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)