Review of ALL THE WAY GONE by Joanna Schaffhausen (New Release)

 4 Stars

This is the fourth book in the series featuring Annalisa Vega. I certainly enjoyed my latest visit with the intelligent and determined Annalisa.

Annalisa has left the Chicago Police Department and become a private investigator. For her first case, she is hired by Mara Delaney who is anxiously awaiting the publication of her book entitled The Good Sociopath focused on Dr. Craig Canning, a local neurosurgeon. The thesis of her book is that sociopaths can benefit society because they are useful in professions requiring emotional distance. A young woman plunges to her death in Canning’s apartment building, and Mara is worried that her poster-boy for desireable sociopathy may have been involved, thereby threatening the argument of her soon-to-be released book. Annalisa is hired to investigate and hopefully prove that Dr. Canning is indeed what Mara has portrayed him to be: cold-hearted but not homicidal or violent. Annalisa’s investigation convinces her that a clever murder has been committed but Canning insists on his innocence. Where lies the truth?

As in the other books, Annalisa also has some conflict in her personal life. Her remarriage to Nick has brought his teenaged daughter Cassidy into their lives. A typical teenager, Cassidy doesn’t always listen to advice and sets out to help a friend find her mother. This case becomes Annalisa’s second case, but Cassidy sets out to solve it on her own.

Tension builds gradually. Cassidy places herself in danger and Nick and Annalisa have to rush to rescue her. Annalisa, like her stepdaughter, also finds herself in tense encounters with Canning. He realizes why Annalisa is investigating him so a cat-and-mouse game ensues in which they both intrude on each other’s territory. More than once Annalisa faces him alone.

The author has a doctorate in psychology and her knowledge of the workings of the brain is at the forefront. She asks a number of questions: Can sociopaths be good people who make valuable contributions to society or are they “violent predators to be eliminated at all costs”? Can sociopaths be helped or are they “all the way gone”? The book also inspires the reader to consider whether it is justifiable to kill a murderous psychopath if that death actually helps save others?

The plot is complex with a lot of twists, especially at the end. Given the psychological makeup of the characters involved, this complexity seems appropriate. There is a clue about 45% through the book that steered me in the right direction, though I certainly didn’t guess the details.

Though this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone because there is enough backstory provided to ensure the reader will not be lost. However, I advise readers to treat themselves and read the previous three books (Gone for Good, Long Gone, and Dead and Gone) first.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.