In this 5th book in the 'Annalisa Vega' series, the detective is asked to investigate a wrongful conviction. The book works fine as a standalone, though familiarity with the characters is a bonus.
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*****
Annalisa Vega and her husband Nick Carelli - whom Annalisa had divorced and remarried - were detective partners in the Chicago Police Department (CPD) until Annalisa left the CPD to open her own private investigation agency. Annalisa is now six-months-pregnant, and she and Nick are happily anticipating the birth of their child.
Annalisa's brother Alex, who's in prison for murder, asks her to look into the case of a fellow inmate named Joe Green.
Thirteen years ago, Green was convicted of killing his wife's divorce lawyer, Cyrus Merriman. Merriman's body was found in Lake Michigan with a 'bite mark' attributed to Green. In addition, a woman named Gwen Beaufort testified that she saw Green drag Merriman to the lake. This was enough evidence to send Green to the penitentiary.
Green insists he's innocent and shows Annalisa an anonymous letter sent to him in prison, that says Gwen Beaufort lied.
Annalisa takes Green's case, but there's a fly in the ointment.
Annalisa's husband Nick was the detective who investigated Merriman's murder and helped send Green to prison. Overturning Green's conviction will make Nick look bad, but Annalisa carries on for the sake of justice.
While Annalisa is looking into Green's case, a dead man is pulled out of Lake Michigan, and he has the same 'bite mark' as Cyrus Merriman. It turns out this isn't a bite mark at all, but rather a Berkanan - a rune that represents rebirth.
Police files reveal additional murdered men were marked with a Berkanan, and it seems a serial killer is at work. So Detective Nick Carelli is back on the case.
Investigating the series of homicides leads the police and Annalisa to a women's shelter called Ruby's Place, run by Charlotte Higgins.
Charlotte acknowledges that some women who came through Ruby's Place were abused by the murdered men scarred with Berkanans. One of the men may even have abducted a little girl named Eve Collier forty years ago - a child who was never found. All this seems to point to a vigilante killer.
The serial killer investigation gets very complicated, and surprises emerge as Annalisa and Nick search for the murderer.
While all this is going on, Annalisa accepts another case. A wealthy widow named Effie Christos, who was married for over 60 years, is missing the engagement ring purchased by her husband Theo.
The ring disappeared when Effie's best friends were over for an afternoon of cards, and Effie hates to think one of them took the jewelry. So Annalisa is hired to find the missing ring.
By the end of the book, everything is resolved and Annalisa and Nicks's baby has arrived.
The story addresses the important issue of domestic abuse, and how difficult it is to stop the perpetrators. In many cases, women are too frightened to report the abuse or to press charges. In fiction, at least, the men might get their just deserts.
I'm a fan of the Annalisa Vega series and I enjoyed the book. One scene, though, is quite disturbing, and I'm surprised beta readers didn't nix it. Still, I'd recommend the novel to Annalisa Vega fans.
Thanks to Netgalley, Joanna Schaffhausen, and Minotaur books for copy of the manuscript.
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