One Little Sigh
Shannon Hollinger
355 pages
Bookouture
published June 28, 2024
About the book
The small child floats so gently in the water, he could be peacefully but the cold blue of his skin reveals his fate. One mother’s little boy is never coming home again.
When Chief Maggie Riley sees the body of the small boy still dressed in pyjamas in Beaverhead Lake, her heart breaks. Little Patrick Warner went missing last night. Despite immediately calling the entire town of Coyote Cove into action, Maggie’s desperate search failed. Even worse, it’s clear it was Patrick took his last breath long before he entered the water.
Maggie is devastated—Patrick reminds her so much of her beautiful younger brother, gone for so long. Visiting the tiny, rumpled bed where Patrick’s teddy bear still lies, and where Patrick was last seen by his mother Jenny, Maggie’s grief turns to rage. She is determined to bring whoever hurt Patrick to justice.
In this isolated community, someone must know something. But no one will talk. And if his family had nothing to do with it, why are they so secretive? As Maggie’s investigation gathers pace, her emotions threaten to overwhelm her. She still doesn’t know her brother’s fate—she won’t let that happen for little Patrick.
But when Jenny suddenly disappears, suspicions whirl around her role in Patrick’s death. Could she have been lying all this time? Or is Jenny herself in terrible danger too? To uncover the truth before more innocent lives are lost, and lay her demons to rest, Maggie will have to risk not only those closest to her but her own life too…
An utterly addictive crime thriller perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Mary Stone and Melinda Leigh.
My Review
I grabbed the first two books as part of a blog tour not needing another crime series to follow, but I was so glad I did. I had no idea that I would like each book better than the last culminating with this one being unbelievably good. While I normally tell everyone how these books are easily read as a stand alone and while this one can, it really does conclude a story arc that has been building in the first three books.
I’ve always liked the flawed characters of Steve and Maggie. They are a couple that are hiding some big secrets from each other, and sometimes the reader, and this book brings all of the dirty secrets to light. Maggie is brought into a case of a missing young boy with almost no leads on what happened and it parallels when her brother disappeared five years ago. The book flips back and forth between Maggie working the case and Maggie searching for her brother five years ago. The case brings out all types of complicated feelings in Maggie that bring back memories of the past that may be affecting her judgement. I loved finally getting to see what happened to make Maggie who she is and how she ended up in Coyote Cove.
And if that isn’t enough of a story, Steve’s secret finally comes to light. He helped cover up a murder and the friend he covered for is back to stir up some trouble. That is partnered with his family coming to town to meet Maggie and plan for their wedding.
I know that sounds like a lot, but the author wove all of that together seamlessly. My only complaint were the chapters that ended in a mini cliffhanger before switching to another character or time period. Ah. But seriously, there was edge of your seat tension right from the start. My intrigue in both Maggie’s and Steve’s backstories has been building since book one, so I appreciated finally being in the know. I felt for both of them as they struggle with themselves over what has happened in their past and the choices they have made.
And as this one wrapped it all up, it raised new dilemmas going forward in the series. I can’t wait.
About the author
With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too.
Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture.
Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.
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