When social worker Hildy Schneider commits to an after-hours side job, she finds herself drawn into the darker side of small-town Sorenson, Wisconsin—and the twisted mind of an unnamed killer . . . Strange things have been happening since Hildy started moonlighting with local police, but a desperate late-night call involving a former patient from Sorenson General Hospital tops the list. Although … Although Danny Hildebrand has been tormented by hallucinations for years, he swears he’s being haunted for real by the victim of a grisly murder . . . The rambling ghost story seems like another delusion. But after a body turns up in a neglected farmhouse crawling with secrets, Hildy and the magnetic Detective Bob Richmond rush to explain Danny’s knowledge of the incident. As the crime-solving partners unwittingly grow closer while examining a series of eerie leads, they realize that surviving past sunrise means shedding light on a criminal willing to do whatever it takes to stay in the shadows . . . Praise for Annelise Ryan and her Mattie Winston series“The funniest deputy coroner to cut up a corpse since, well, ever!”—Laura Levine, author of Killer Cruise“The forensic details will interest Patricia Cornwell readers . . . while the often slapstick humor and the blossoming romance between Mattie and Hurley will draw Evanovich fans.”—Booklist “Has it all: suspense, laughter, a spicy dash of romance.”—New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen “[Ryan] smoothly blends humor, distinctive characters, and authentic forensic detail.”—Publishers Weekly
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Annelise Ryan’s second book in the “A Helping Hands Mystery” series, Night Shift, is out now in bookstores. This is a down to earth story about a wonderful character, Hildy, who has many issues. Like her patients, Hildy has emotional and mental challenges that she is working to overcome and control. She also has two jobs, bills to pay, and a jealous demanding boss. Just like everyone else, she strives to do her best professionally and personally. This ultimately makes her very human and sympathetic.
When a patient, Danny, has a crisis, Hildy is there to help and support him and his family. But before long, she realizes that something more is going on with Danny other than his typical issues. She fears his mental illness may have progressed to a strange and unusual degree, but worse that he may have become violent and not even know it. Danny’s sister asks for Hildy’s help.
Other characters in this book are aware of Danny’s issues, and some know of Hildy’s as well, they want to help, but they don’t want to see a possible murderer get away with the crime. Roscoe is amazing; readers will love the beautiful animal’s tenderness and compassion. Hildy’s patient is a mess, and it takes all of her support and will power to get him and herself out of trouble. Bob is the love interest for Hildy, but he may move too slow for her liking. There are a few suspects, but not an overwhelming number. The evidence is clear and easy to spot. The killer may come as a surprise to some. The ending will answer the reader’s questions, and clear up some issues as well as give them satisfaction on all fronts. I enjoyed Night Shift and look forward to book three.
Loved this book! The story and characters were so intriguing. Hildy has just started her new job doing ride-alongs with the police as a social worker and helping hand with her dog, Roscoe. On the second night, they visit a patient she has seen in her hospital job who seems to be having a mental break. The man, Danny, is saying he saw the ghost of a man who was murdered. Later, Hildy and Devonshire find a man dead and the situation is just like Danny described. Hildy and the police later discover that the dead man was growing poisonous plants in the cellar under his barn. It seems that a local militia has been growing these plants and recruiting people who are vulnerable, yet have experience with weapons and chemistry. I found this book to be intriguing and wanting to read more. I look forward to more books with Hildy and her dog, Roscoe, and hope to see Hildy and Bob grow closer. Highly recommend!!
‘Night Shift‘ is the second title in the ‘Helping Hands Mystery‘ series (which has a connection to the ‘Mattie Winston Mysteries‘ series). I try to read in order, that’s just my style, but if you haven’t or cannot read the connecting or the first title in the series you will not feel the least bit lost for anything relative you really should know is spelled out for you. And that is what brings me back to certain authors, making certain that I know what I need to know for right now.
I like Hildy, I really do for she’s realistic in so many ways. She has her own issues, a past that still affects her today and probably always will. She’s real in the sense that I can accept what she’s doing, how she’s acting, and even how she’s thinking things through in a way that makes sense for her. To be frank, I don’t always feel that way about mystery heroines… and it’s worth a mention when I do.
As a social worker for the local hospital, Hildy already has a full plate yet now she’s taking on a second job of riding along on certain police calls where her expertise (and that of her dog Roscoe) can be of great help. It’s on one such call that Hildy will begin to follow the trail of a murder that couldn’t possibly be as a former patient described – yet, there’s the dead body, and the dinosaur (even if it is a cookie jar).
Most of what you’ll need to know before diving into ‘Night Shift‘ can be found in the Cover Description. I was easily swept up in the mystery that Hildy and Bob are investigating. If I figured out who the culprit was before the reveal, well, that certainly didn’t spoil the rest of the story… for there was always that chance that I was wrong. Nope, not going to say if I was or wasn’t – you’ll have to do your own sleuthing.
I enjoyed stepping back into this world, and I’m already anticipating the next story to come. If you love a good Cozy Mystery that draws you in until the ending, then you’ll want to add ‘Night Shift‘ to your reading list.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
This is a cozy mystery centred on Hildy Schneider, a social worker who has taken on a new role in a joint program with police in her small town, going on ride-alongs to call outs and welfare checks. It’s actually a really interesting look at how the US police could change their modus operandi; I don’t know if it’s based on real pilot programs but I’m guessing that it could be and it makes a lot of logical sense. Hildy’s non-confrontational, problem-solving, sympathetic approach defuses situations before they can descend to violence.
Hildy herself is a character with an awful lot of baggage; raised in the foster care system she has some major personality quirks – OCD, food hoarding, a strained relationship with diet as a whole – that are nevertheless treated very matter-of-factly and in no way inhibit her being excellent at her job. Her own past (her mother’s murder is an unsolved cold case) means she has a genuine passion for helping victims get justice. When a call-out on one of her first ride-alongs with the police leads to Danny, a regular patient of hers suffering a schizophrenic break, Hildy’s efforts – and those of her canine companion, therapy dog Roscoe – calm the situation, but at a different scene later that night Hildy and her cop partner find a body in a scene that bears an uncanny resemblance to Danny’s babblings. The mystery only deepens when Hildy and Roscoe make an alarming discovery which could lead to a dangerous cell of domestic terrorists.
I really enjoyed this. Hildy’s a fascinating, raw character; honest almost to a fault, she doesn’t hide anything. Her relationship with her precocious pre-teen neighbour is really intriguing, as is her approach to her love life. She uses her wits and her life experience to adapt practically to her new job quickly. I’d have liked more Roscoe in the story (a common plaint of mine in cozy mysteries, sadly) but this was nonetheless an excellent read. I’ll give it five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
What a great read this second in a new series is! The author of the Mattie Winston mysteries gifts us with a remarkable team with social worker Hildy and her trained therapy dog, Roscoe, who rides with police officers four nights a week to help anyone they see on their calls with community resources when needed. Hildy is also a social worker four days a week at the hospital, at least until she finds out if the Helping Hands ride-along program will bring long-term employment. I love the Helping Hands concept, especially with the help of Roscoe, who can melt away panic or stress attacks.
It is Hildy’s second night on the job, and already the two positions are dovetailing. Their first call is at the home of a young man she has met at the hospital. Danny, a man suffering from schizophrenia, lives with his sister Allie and her fiancé. Even though he has not missed any of his meds, he is in a panic, claiming he saw the ghost of a man he said he saw killed. The ghost is angry because he didn’t stop “them” from killing him. This is the first time Danny has had visual hallucinations. They helped him get to the hospital, where Hildy spent a little time with him until the officer she was with had another call.
Called out to do a welfare check on an older farmer living alone, they found a man dead in his kitchen. At first it appeared to be a suicide, but Hildy wasn’t buying it, considering a couple things she sees inside. The next find is almost as distressing – an underground pot farm, a lab, and plants used to make chemical weapons. Possibly in preparation for a terrorist attack. And the dead farmer appears to have died just as Danny said, except he did not see a suicide. Some will try to prove him guilty. Hildy and Allie want to prove him innocent. Yet Danny can’t seem to talk about any other details.
I really enjoyed this 2nd in a new series! This tempts me to begin to read the Mattie Winston series as I appreciated this read by Annelise Ryan! I have the feeling this series will be a new favorite of mine. It did not take long for me to become invested in the characters. When Hildy’s boss tries to find a conflict of interest between her help with Danny at the hospital and her help with the police, she has to be clear what she is doing, but her heart is firmly in the right place. This fabulous mystery kept me guessing throughout, and while I did figure out one of the masterminds, I didn’t count on how thorough whodunit was in covering tracks. There were still surprises, and several moments resulting in laughter in dark places, such as meeting the daughters of the farmer. I highly recommend this to fans of the author and of well-written cozy mysteries, those working in social services positions, therapy pets, and lovable characters.
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel, and this is my honest review.
psych-social-worker, wisconsin, schizophrenia, therapy-dog, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, small-town
not an unbiased review: I live in Wisconsin, I share job history with author, daughter is a social worker.
Use of present tense very disconcerting much of the time, other than that, I loved the way the mystery played out! Complex characters that many of us could have met and interacted with, solid plot with misdirections, twists, and outright red herrings all add up to a very fine read. No spoilers here.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Second in the series about a social worker and her dog; you need not have read the first book.
Hospital social worker Hildy has taken a second job with the police department, going on patrol calls with her therapy dog to help defuse difficult situations. On her first tour, she encounters a former patient whose schizophrenia seems to have worsened dramatically. He’s talking about a killing witnessed by a spotted dinosaur. It seems bizarre until the police find a farmer with his head blown off – in front of a cookie jar in the shape of polka-dotted triceratops. How was Hildy’s patient involved? And just what was the dead farmer growing?
I enjoyed this unusual, grittier take on a cozy mystery. Hildy is a sympathetic, hard-working, relatable character with a troubled backstory, a resilient outlook, a love for dogs, and a kind heart. Therapy dog Roscoe is loving, intelligent, soothing, and perceptive. Hildy has a flicker of romance with a coworker, mostly over sausage and pepper sandwiches. She is too busy for much more. She’s got two jobs, a dog, a semi-dependent neighbor kid, a vengeful boss who wanted the police department gig, and oh, yes – she’s got to solve the darn murder. Because that’s what heroines do.
The murder plot itself seemed strained, and there was little mystery about the likely culprit. But this is an appealing series with an interesting and complex protagonist, and I look forward to the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.