Investigative journalist Max Revere and her assistant, David Kane, leave New York City and head to California in the third installment of Brennan's popular suspense series. The Corte Madera police never caught the person who pushed high-school student Ivy Lake off a cliff perhaps because the suspect list was too long, thanks to Ivy's habit of using social media to humiliate anyone to whom she took a passing dislike. She seemed to particularly enjoy mocking her socially awkward and perhaps developmentally delayed stepbrother, Tommy. Yet it's Tommy who asks Max to investigate the case. Tommy's stepmother thinks Tommy had something to do with Ivy's death and has forbidden him from seeing his other stepsiblings. As Max and David dig deeper into all the lives that Ivy's cyberbullying touched, one surprising suspect emerges as the real killer. Fans of fast-paced thrillers will enjoy watching Max shuffle her suspect list as new information is revealed, and use her investigative skills to isolate the killer. Recommend this series to fans of Sandra Brown and Jan Burke.--Keefe, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist

At the outsetof Brennan's well-crafted third novel featuring investigative reporter Maxine "Max" Revere (after 2015's Compulsion), Max, the host of a criminal justice TV program, Maximum Exposure, and her assistant, David Kane, make a preliminary trip to Corte Madera, Calif., to determine whether a cold case merits coverage. The deceased, teen Ivy Lake, had a reputation as an Internet bully, and some believe that she drove a high school classmate to suicide. Ivy's developmentally challenged stepbrother, 18-year-old Tommy Wallace, wants answers. Local detective Grace Martin has a long suspect list, but no solid evidence to act upon. Grace cooperates with Max in hopes the show's resources will shed some new light on Ivy's murder. Max's communication skills and passionate outspoken personality can serve her as strengths and weaknesses, both in the investigation and in her relationships with David and her lover, Det. Nick Santini. Readers may not like Max, but they will admire her. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

When investigative reporter Maxine ("Max") Revere receives a handwritten letter from a teenager with developmental difficulties, she is intrigued. The letter tells a tale of a murder and of the ostracism that the boy feels from his family, who had accused him of killing his stepsister Ivy. Despite still recovering from the effects of her last outing (Compulsion), in which she had been kidnapped and beaten, Max decides to probe Ivy's death. It seems that the young victim had been a cyberbully. The suspect pool grows wider as Ivy's Internet usage comes under closer scrutiny, and each of her targets becomes a possibility. Verdict Of course, Brennan fans, as well as readers who appreciate Lisa Gardner and Lisa Jackson, will relish her latest offering with its many twists and turns. In addition, anyone who enjoys tantalizing mysteries, especially with young adult protagonists, will find themselves drawn into story.-Elizabeth Masterson, Mecklenburg Cty. Jail Lib., Charlotte, NC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.