Title: Don’t Look Down
Author: Hilary Davidson
Series: Shadows of New York, #2
Published: February 2020, Thomas & Mercer
Format: ARC Paperback, 368 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
From the Amazon
Charts bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice, a gripping mystery
about a sinister murder that everyone wants to stay buried—except one
dogged NYPD detective.
Jo Greaver is a model of success.
Young and ambitious, she’s built a thriving beauty business from
nothing. But she has secrets she’ll do anything to keep buried. When her
blackmailer offers to meet, Jo expects to pay him off—but gets a bullet
instead. Bleeding and in shock, Jo flees with no one to turn to.
When
NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling and her partner, Rafael Mendoza, find
Andray Baxter murdered in his own home—shot through the heart—everything
points to Jo as the killer. Her blood is at the scene, and so are
disturbing photos of her taken as a young teen. But Sheryn has doubts.
Was the kindhearted Andray really a criminal? Why did he repeatedly
report finding spyware in his apartment? Was there something shady about
Jo’s sister dying a year earlier?
Something’s not right, and it’s up to Sheryn to piece together the sinister puzzle, no matter the cost.
My thoughts: This is the second book in Hilary Davidson’s Shadows of New York series and I have to say…I’m a fan! After meeting her at Bouchercon last fall, I was so thrilled when she reached out to me about this series. I love police procedurals and love that with this series, Hilary Davidson blends a touch of psychological suspense in as well.
Once again, we have a multi-layered story here. What at first seems as a shootout is anything but, and as Detective Sheryn Sterling and her partner, Rafael Mendoza start investigating, they begin seeing that this is one complicated case, with so many threads that it really keeps you guessing.
I love that as much as this book focuses on the case that Sterling and Mendoza are working on, we also get quite a bit of character development. We see what is going on with Sterling’s family, especially with her son this time around. She needs to balance her role as a mom with her profession as a cop and sometimes it’s not easy. She sees everyday what happens to young teens, and especially young black teens and she does not want her son to go down the wrong path. He’s bright and wants to do good, but not all cops will see it that way.
I also love that the more you get to know Jo Greaver, the more you become involved and invested in her story. I started out not necessarily liking her, but as we delve deeper into her background and find out exactly what is going on in her life, you can’t help but feel more empathetic towards her. She isn’t quite what you expect her to be from the initial meeting and I loved that.
This book is fast-paced and full of twists and turns. It kept me engaged from start to finish, and I loved that all the characters, good or bad, seemed to be fully developed. I also love that we get such a strong sense of place. New York City is my favorite city and it really comes alive in this book. I cannot wait to see what comes next in this series…I am definitely a fan!
Books in this series:
- One Small Sacrifice
- Don’t Look Down
