The Silence

Set in Portland, Ore., Thriller Award finalist Elliot’s well-paced sequel to The Last Sister opens at the home of 52-year-old Reuben Braswell, a devotee of conspiracy theories, who’s lying dead in his bathtub. Police detective Mason Callahan, of the author’s Callahan and McLane series, and his team note the victim’s face has been battered in and seven of his fingers chopped off. The killer was apparently interrupted in an attempt to obscure the victim’s identity. The case becomes more urgent when the police find plans for bombing the Clackamas County Courthouse, due to take place within hours. They also discover that Reuben was an informant for FBI special agent Ava McLane, Mason’s fiancée. Meanwhile, Ava’s identical twin sister, Jayne, who has been at a rehab center in Costa Rica, has returned to the U.S. on a passport in Ava’s name. Jayne’s kidnapping raises the stakes. One catastrophe follows another as it becomes clear a madman is targeting Ava. The twist ending will catch most readers by surprise. Elliot fans will look forward to seeing characters from the author’s other series take the lead in future installments. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Aug.)