Look Closer

April 18, 2022

The new thriller by judge, novelist, and eight-time James Patterson collaborator Ellis ("Jason Kolarich" series) opens on Halloween. The trick-or-treating has ended two hours before, and here Simon is, standing in the foyer of a house in upscale Grace Village, looking at the hanging dead body of Lauren, his long-ago love. She's dressed in costume, a cat from head to toes. A quick sweep to make sure he's left no clues, and Simon, dressed as the Grim Reaper, slips away. Who will notice him on a night when everybody is costumed? Thus begins this tricky tale of greed and revenge in which a cast of unappealing characters all try to take advantage of one another. What happened? Who did it? And even more pressingly, why? The answers change every so many pages in a tangled story that stretches back two decades. VERDICT The characters are papier-m�ch�-thin, and the story (narrated by four characters and in passages from Simon's secret journal, jumping backward and forward in time) is hard to believe, but Ellis's thriller will appeal to fans of bad-guy novels set among the hyper-rich.--David Keymer

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May 1, 2022
An unlikely ensemble recounts the devious events that led to a grisly Halloween murder. Simon Dobias is a Chicago law professor vying for tenure. He's been contentedly, if not happily, married to his wife, Vicky, a social worker at Safe Haven, for nearly a decade. He's also reignited an affair with a beautiful woman from his distant past after a chance meeting outside of Bloomingdale's on Michigan Avenue. What begins with matching burner phones and clandestine meetings ends with a Grim Reaper costume and the brutal slaying of Simon's lover. But whatever else you think you know in this twisty, intricately plotted story is likely wrong. As narrated by Simon, the obvious murder suspect; the equally unscrupulous Vicky; and Sgt. Jane Burke, the Grace Village officer charged with solving the upscale suburb's first homicide--and at least one surprise narrator--we learn about Simon's relationship with ill-fated bombshell Lauren Betancourt, the circumstances surrounding her death, and the subsequent criminal investigation. Murder is far from the only crime committed among this shady lot, though, or even the most recent; the full extent of these devious characters' various schemes and revenge plots is revealed in carefully scattered clues leading to a shocking, if somewhat improbable, conclusion. Even seasoned mystery readers won't be able to predict all the knots in Simon and Vicky's tangled web of deception. A roller-coaster ride full of unexpected twists and turns.

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May 9, 2022
This byzantine thriller from bestseller Ellis (The Last Alibi) opens the day after Halloween 2022 with the discovery of the hanged body of Lauren Betancourt in her suburban Chicago house. Flashback to May 13, 2022, when pompous law professor Simon Dobias bumps into Lauren on the street. Simon and Lauren, who last saw each other 19 years earlier, embark on an affair about which Simon keeps a journal. Meanwhile, Simon’s wife, Vicky Lanier, a former sex worker, seduces aggressive financial adviser Christian Newsome with a scheme to steal her husband’s $21 million trust the day she gets access to it: their 10th wedding anniversary on November 3. Christian, a lonely-hearts scammer on his seventh victim, plots to get the money for himself. Vicky discovers the journal revealing Lauren’s pressure on Simon to divorce Vicky before their anniversary, and she encourages Christian to take drastic action. Ellis jumps between the tangle of relationships and the police’s unraveling of Simon’s questionable past. Though Simon’s personality is off-putting, the serpentine revelations will surprise even the cleverest mystery readers. This complex tale of triple-crossings and devious revenge should win Ellis new fans. Agent: Susanna Einstein, Einstein Literary Management.

July 29, 2022
Everyone is lying in this mind-twisting page-turner. Simon Dobias is a popular Chicago law professor on the verge of inheriting the 20-million trust his estranged father left him. He's coping with his father's suicide by leading a Survivors of Suicide support group, and his life seems to be stabilizing until he spots Lauren Lamoyne on a busy sidewalk. Lauren broke his heart 20 years ago, and he's struck anew with an irresistible attraction. Vicky, his wife, can't bring herself to love him, and when Lauren reveals that she's also in a loveless marriage, their inhibitions are no match for their history. (Vicki, for her part, is plotting to steal Simon's inheritance.) But, when Lauren is murdered, cop Jane Burke turns the spotlight on Simon, reviving suspicions about his role in his father's suicide and digging into his recent involvement with Lauren. Ellis twists thriller tropes into knots that readers will revel in unraveling, particularly the notion that revenge is a dish best served cold.

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