Shattered

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. (Aug.)