E.G. Scott | IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Plot (via Goodreads):

Charlotte, a midthirties Long Island woman, has felt so alone since her promising career in neuroscience imploded. But she has an online support group for trauma survivors; she has Rachel, a friend who has seen her through the worst of it; and now she also has Peter, a mysterious new boyfriend who has asked that their budding romance remain a total secret.

That is why she is too scared to report his disappearance to the authorities when he vanishes without a word.

Weeks later, police contact her to make an ID on a body and she fears the worst for her missing beau. Instead, she arrives at the morgue and feels a terrible relief when she sees a woman she has never met before on the table in front of her. But relief is replaced by confusion, then terror, when Charlotte realizes she has become a person of interest.

Why did Jane Doe have Charlotte listed as her emergency contact? Was it revenge or a warning? And where exactly does Peter factor into all this? As Charlotte becomes the prime murder suspect, she enters into a race against the clock to find truth about the dead woman and the connections they shared. But what she discovers is beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Review:

In 2019, the writing duo known as E.G. Scott catapulted on the scene with one of my favorite novels, The Woman Inside. This summer they are back with an even more deliciously devilish tale that will seduce your imagination, grip you in its chaotic pages, and solidify their stance as one of the best writing duos the thriller genre has yet to see.

This time around, E.G. Scott brings an eerie novel that is part psychological thriller, part police procedural, and all around one hell of a time. I loved that the detectives of Wolcott and Silvestri returned and this time they play a much larger role. I enjoyed that they both played bigger parts as I wanted to know them better after The Woman Inside and then you throw in the third perspective of Charlotte and it was game on. There were again, some really creepy moments and they were broken up and sporadically spread throughout due to the brilliant pacing with this novel. E.G. Scott really take their time with this one building a premise and introducing their readers to some new characters and set the scene before they unleash their twisty game of cat-and-mouse on the reader and when they did, it became such an immersive and compelling read. This story is the definition of a book that is so hard to put down. The characters are vivid and perfectly written, the plot is wonderfully built, and the twists and turns are done in such a believable manner, yet you want to slap yourself in the forehead for not thinking of it yourself. Reading this one with the Wolcott/Silvestri perspectives and then Charlotte's perspective was so entertaining as it was like reading two books in one. Wolcott and Silvestri were definitely more police procedural and gave you an inside look as to how they would handle such a unique and complex case whereas Charlotte's perspective was psychologically chilling and full of confusion as she tries to put the puzzle pieces together with the reader.

The case with this novel was really complex and reading it was like running behind Hansel and Gretel. So many small morsels of information created such a twisted turn of events that created a brilliant collision between the past and present. I loved that this one wasn't solely focused on the big mystery at hand, but focuses more on the life of Charlotte and so many aspects of her past that I just had to keep going. Right when I got somewhere, the narrative would switch and I'd be back in the hands of Wolcott and Silvestri as we tried to crack the case and figure out what is really going on. As the novel progressed, I was truly stumped. I did without hesitation, take a couple of quick breaks to rack my mind as to how things could be connected and what I thought was going to happen, only to dive back in and have my theories debunked. Oh well, that makes this juicy and thrilling read even better! I have learned that while I think that Greg and Liz make great friends that I could talk to all day about books, movies, and anything under the sun, their writing and characters always trick me in the end. This novel was truly immersive and hit the nail on the head on every single aspect that creates the perfect thriller and I can honestly say I am not only excited for book three, but everything else the future holds for these two dazzlingly talented human beings. Thank you again for such a great read!

Special thanks to Dutton for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5