Publisher's Weekly Review
The disappearance of 17-year-old high school student Linnea Engstrom after a hockey game in Warroad, Minn. (aka Hockeytown USA), kicks off Goldman's witty, well-plotted second mystery featuring PI Nils Shapiro (after 2017's Gone to Dust). Linnea's parents hire Nils, who soon learns that another student, 18-year-old Haley Housh, went missing after the same game, though the girls weren't together. Haley's body turns up in a cave outside St. Paul, and Nils is shot in the shoulder with an arrow outside it. Nils knows he ought to be resting from his serious injury, but he also realizes he has little time to find Linnea before it's too late. Divorced and involved in a failing relationship as well as a struggling business, Nils is a deeply flawed but good-hearted everyman. He's supported by a cast of wonderfully quirky characters, including the former Canadian Football League player turned nurse practitioner hired by his ex-wife to care for his wounded shoulder. Readers will look forward to seeing a lot more of Nils and crew. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Private detective Nils Shapiro is back, which will please fans of Goldman's Gone To Dust (2017). Nils' buddy Ellegaard has become his business partner in his private-investigation firm. The two are hired to look for a missing teen who never returned from a championship high-school hockey game. When the teen's friend is found dead, the case intensifies, compounded by a near-fatal arrow shot at Nils at the crime scene. The action moves between Minneapolis and small-town Warroad as Nils and Ellie uncover more secrets than suspects. Like all good private eyes, they nominally cooperate with law enforcement while pursuing avenues of discovery unavailable to official channels. Nils continues to be brilliant and flawed, Ellie his eminently practical foil, and Minneapolis itself a major character. A slowly revealed darkness lends weight to the reading experience. In the midst of a compelling mystery, Goldman introduces vivid supporting characters, such as medical examiner Char Northagen, with a finesse built on the author's background in stand-up comedy and television writing, promising a long and enjoyable series. Recommended for fans of clever mysteries and witty detectives such as Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone.--Moroni, Alene Copyright 2010 Booklist
