The Stolen Hours by Allen Eskens @aeskens @mulhollandbooks @netgalley #fiction #mystery #characterdrivennovel #bookreviewers #bookbloggers

Kaceey’s Review:

Looks like Lila’s past just caught up to her! So…Is she ready to face it? 

Lila has a new job with the prosecutor’s office. Her boss would like nothing more than to see her fall flat on her face and watch her new career go down in flames. He wants her gone! And an untimely stumble in the courtroom may have just provided him with the ammunition he needs. 

But Lila has good reason to freeze. The defendant may be the same person who attacked her years ago. Now accused of rape and attempted murder of another woman. Shocked, she wonders. Are there other women out there? Could he be a serial rapist/murderer? 

This was a rapid-fire murder mystery that drew me in right from the beginning. I was fascinated by the different perspectives and how the storylines played out. Running parallel until ultimately converging. 

I was hoping for a bit more of an explosive ending but all in all, it was a completely satisfying read and certainly looking forward to his next! 

A buddy read with Susanne. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books.

Susanne’s Review:

A masterful character-driven mystery suspense, about Lila Nash, who fans of Allen Eskens have come to know and love.  

Lila Nash, the girlfriend of Joe Talbert (from The Life We Bury and The Shadows We Hide), has always been focused on her career and she is finally exactly where she wants to be.  Working for Hennepin County as Prosecutor.  Awaiting her bar results, she is this close to having everything she wants.  

When a case involving a woman named Sadie Vaulk who was drugged, assaulted, and almost murdered, falls into Lila’s lap, it hits really close to home.   

Investigating this case with Lila, is Detective Nikki Vang (who Eskens fans may recall as being Max Rupert’s former partner in prior novels).  Once Detective Vang starts looking into this case, she discovers several other women who went missing years prior and whose bodies were disposed of in the same way the assailant attempted to dispose of Ms. Vaulk’s and it becomes clear that this is the work of a serial. 

Taut, tense, and dramatic, The Stolen Hours is captivating from the first sentence.  As a huge fan of Allen Eskens, I have been waiting for the release of this novel since having read his last novel, Nothing More Dangerous.  It did not disappoint.  I adore Lila and was cheering her on throughout.  Though I thought this book wrapped up a tad neatly, I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the ending. 

Having met the author, Allen Eskens, in early March 2020, right before the shutdown, I got a chance to discuss all of his characters with him, including my personal favorite, Max Rupert. It was an absolutely fabulous conversation and he even gave me a sneak peek into his plans for future novels. I won’t spoil the surprise, but let’s just say that I will be waiting with bated breath for his next book. 

This was a buddy read with Kaceey which we both enjoyed quite a bit.

A huge thank you to Mulholland Books via NetGalley.