Sent to Longbill Beach to protect a judge who's been receiving death threats, newly minted U.S. Marshal Andrea Oliver has something else on her mind: she hopes to discover who killed Emily Vaughn there on her prom night in 1982. With a 250,000-copy first printing.

Slaughter's (False Witness) 24th book, the second in the "Andrea Oliver" series (following Pieces of Her), begins two years after Andrea learned that her mother was in witness protection and that her childhood was built on lies. Andrea is no longer the timid woman whose life was turned upside down in the series' first installment. Now she's a newly deputized United States Marshal, eager to take control and start life on her terms. Her first official assignment takes her to the small Delaware town of Longbill Beach to protect federal judge Esther Vaughn. She is also asked, unofficially, to investigate the 1982 murder of Judge Vaughn's daughter Emily, who was pregnant and a high school senior at the time. This assignment is personal—the prime suspect in Emily Vaughn's murder is Andrea's currently imprisoned father, who might be paroled sooner than she or Judge Vaughn is comfortable with. The plot of Slaughter's thriller unfolds over a dual timeline—the contrasts between the novel's 1982 and 2022 United States cannot be ignored—as Andrea uncovers a truth that has been hidden for 40 years. VERDICT Slaughter skillfully leads readers on a thrilling journey into the past to solve the murder that a small town wants to forget, yet is still haunted by. Will appeal to fans of Michael Koryta, Joe Lansdale, and Jennifer Hillier.—George Lichman

Bestseller Slaughter's gripping follow-up to 2018's Pieces of Her takes Andrea Oliver, a newly minted U.S. marshal, and her partner, Deputy Leonard Bible, to Longbill Beach, Del., to protect federal judge Esther Vaughn, who has received a series of threatening letters. Longbill Beach happens to have been the childhood hometown of Andrea's psychopathic father, Clayton Morrow, who was convicted of domestic terrorism and is now up for parole. Andrea believes Clayton poses a threat to her mother's safety if he's released from prison. In 1982, Clayton was a suspect in the murder of Judge Vaughn's 18-year-old daughter, Emily. If Andrea can prove Clayton guilty of this crime, he will remain behind bars. Deputy Bible, too, has a private agenda and is looking into a series of suicides that have occurred in the area. Captivating flashbacks follow Emily in the period leading up to her death as she engages in a Columbo-inspired investigation of her own. Was what happened to Emily a prelude to even more horrific crimes? Andrea's complicated backstory at times slows the pace, but readers eager to see justice for Emily will keep turning the pages. Slaughter reliably entertains. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (Aug.)