“Davidson’s latest novel is her best work yet. One Small Sacrifice is a fast-paced winner. Highly recommended.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben“Twisty, absorbing, and deeply humane, it’s a thriller you won’t want to miss.” —New York Times bestselling author Megan AbbottNYPD detective Sheryn Sterling has had her eye on Alex Traynor ever since his friend Cori fell to her death … Traynor ever since his friend Cori fell to her death under suspicious circumstances a year ago. Cori’s death was ruled a suicide, but Sheryn thinks Alex—a wartime photojournalist suffering from PTSD—got away with murder.
When Alex’s fiancée, Emily, a talented and beloved local doctor, suddenly goes missing, Sheryn suspects that Alex is again at the center of a sticky case. Sheryn dislikes loose ends, and Cori’s death had way too many of them.
But as Sheryn starts pulling at the threads in this web, her whole theory unravels. Everyone involved remembers the night Cori died differently—and the truth about her death could be the key to solving Emily’s disappearance.
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Davidson’s latest novel is her best work yet. One Small Sacrifice is a fast-paced winner. Highly recommended.
A taut, compelling narrative with a nerve-tingling climax. Davidson turns clichés of the contemporary novel on their heads to create a wholly believable cast of characters. I hope we’ll see more of Detective Sheryn Sterling.
Davidson has crafted a tightly woven mystery. Each thread of the intricate plot draws you toward one surprising revelation after another.
I really enjoyed this book. Couldn’t put it down. Sheryn Sterling is a terrific character, written with nuance, determined to find the truth despite her preconceived notions. Written in multiple viewpoints, I rooted for Emily and Alex, too. The backdrop of New York City gives it such texture. Nicely done.
Hilary Davidson’s One Small Sacrifice is both a heart-pounding procedural and a rich, mesmerizing tale of the weight of trauma and the elusive nature of memory. Twisty, absorbing, and deeply humane, it’s a thriller you won’t want to miss.
Packed with secrets, lies, and surprises, One Small Sacrifice kept me guessing to the very end. A gritty kaleidoscope of a thriller.
A thrilling ride I couldn’t put down until the last page. The twists and turns came naturally. Characters were real and invoked empathy. Highly recommended.
One Small Sacrifice hooked me hard. Hilary Davidson has written a riveting and beautifully layered thriller that satisfies on every level. The characters surprise, the plot twists, and the pages turn themselves.
I tore through this book! Hilary Davidson is at the top of her game with this masterful and twisty new novel that’s jam-packed with suspense. Filled with wonderfully diverse characters, breakneck pacing, and surprises at every turn, this modern mystery will thrill even the most old-school crime fiction lovers. This book satisfied me on so many levels.
Alex Traynor is a former war photojournalist, back home in New York City, and severely suffering from PTSD. His fiancee, Dr. Emily Teare, seems to be the only one who can keep his nightmares at bay. Emily volunteers with Doctors Without Borders … and has gone missing.
Detective Sheryn Sterling is absolutely convinced that Alex has had a hand in his fiancee’s disappearance. She believes that he was responsible for the death of his friend, Cori. Although ruled a suicide, Sterling thinks Traynor has gotten away with murder once before.
Where is Emily? What has happened to her? Everyone involved remembers the night Cori died differently—and the truth about her death could be the key to solving Emily’s disappearance.
A tautly women plot, a story line filled with twists and turns, and a cast of credible characters make this an auspicious start to a new series.
Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley for the digital copy of this suspenseful crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
This was my first Hilary Davidson’s book, and won’t be my last. This is the first book in the Shadows of New York, a suspenseful police procedural Series. The characters are great!: Alex, a photojournalist who suffers from PTSD; Emily, a doctor, volunteers with Doctors Without Borders; Sheryn, an NYPD detective, and Rafael, her partner. The secondary characters are intriguing, and they have an important part in this story. The storyline is fast-paced, suspenseful, and filled with mystery, secrets, and twists and turns. The intrigue unfolds at a great pace. The full cast narration is really well done. Natalie Naudus, Lacy Laurel, Joe Hempel and Mark Turetsky did a wonderful job with the narration. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to listen to the next book in the Series, Don’t Look Down.
What do you get when you put an obsessed detective, a grieving father, a doctor on a mission to help others around the world, and an ex-soldier with PTSD together? A very well-written mystery. Or should I say two mysteries. A mystery of the past where a woman jumped off the roof of a five-story building and died, and a doctor who goes missing. Will she end up dead as well? You’ll have to read the book to find out. Ha!
The only things she left behind was an apology note to her fiance, her engagement ring, and a secret stash of threatening letters.
I like the twists and turns in the book. It kept me guessing throughout and the storyline was 100% original. The characters were also well-developed, with just enough of their past disclosed to make you feel like you knew them.
I give it four out of five stars just because of the length. In the spots where the story dragged on for a minute, the book could of been shortened.
I really enjoyed this cat-and-mouse story of a cop trying to solve an old murder and a new disappearance. The pacing is quick, the characters likeable, and the multiple POV perspective really ramps up the suspense.
Is Alex a monster? Did he kill Emily?
One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson is an exceptional mystery with plot twist and secrets everywhere. I was mesmerized by the details of the characters’ lives and how far they would each go to get what they wanted. The compassion, hatred, broken, jealousy that I felt from the characters was so thoughtfully written that I was engrossed in the story.
There are multiple points-of-view throughout the story. However, I will talk about the two main characters.
Sheryn Sterling,
Sheryn is a New York City Detective, wife, and mother. She is full of pride and also compassion. Detective Sterling doesn’t like to leave cases unsolved, and a year ago she had to walk away from a man named Alex Traynor, whom she believes killed a woman. I really liked Sheryn and her family. She is such a fabulous character, and I felt like she and I could be terrific friends. Well, if she weren’t working all the time.
The thing about Sheryn is that she will admit if she is wrong. I felt like her integrity is held at a high level. She wants justice, but she wants it to get it the right way, no cutting corners. Sheryn has a way of making people trust her, or they could just be scared of her. Either way, I like her.
Alex Traynor
Alex is the most broken character that I have read in a long time. His PSTD is tragic, I felt so sorry for him, and yet, I completely believed in him throughout the story. He may be broke, but he can mend it is just going to take time. Alex has no living family, but he has his fiancé Emily and a friend named, Will from his childhood.
Alex has been taking pictures and documenting the wars around the world for quite some time. The things that he has witnessed must be is horrifying. And he was abducted and tortured not long before all of this happened. Alex has this vulnerability that also makes him endearing. He is such a great character.
5 Stars for One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson
My rating for One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson is five stars. I love Ms. Davidson’s writing style, her characters, and the descriptions make the story come to life. I will be looking for her next book.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book on your site. – Jen
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One Small Sacrifice is a terrific thriller with a big heart. A smart, compelling examination of guilt, blame, and responsibility that will keep you turning the pages. Hilary Davidson is a rising star of suspense.
Hilary Davidson is one of the best crime writers on the planet. This novel is a dazzling work by a master operating at the height of her abilities. Dark, twisty, and psychologically complex, One Small Sacrifice kept me guessing and gasping until the final page. I couldn’t put it down, even though I didn’t want it to end.
A Roller Coaster Mystery Thriller
For Mature Readers
Very limited harsh language
No sex
Tense situations. Violence is not overdone or in gory detail.
Alex, who suffers from PTSD, is suspected of murder. He’s pretty sure he didn’t do it, Sheryn, the police officer, is convinced he did, and his girlfriend Emily, who might be able to shed some light on the situation, has disappeared.
Each chapter is written from a different character’s point of view effectively giving us the full picture of what happened one tragic night as well as the consequences thereafter. These include exceptionally well-written descriptions of what it’s like to suffer from PTSD.
The plot twists and turns continuously without ever coming across as contrived.
Recommended!