⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
As a Minnesota native, I always get a little thrill when a novel captures the setting with real authenticity—and Allen Eskens *nails* it in *The Stolen Hours*. From downtown Minneapolis to the courthouse corridors, his descriptions feel lived-in and true. I’ve been to many of the places he references, and it made the story all the more vivid.
This is a fast-paced legal thriller that follows Lila Nash, a young assistant county attorney still haunted by a brutal assault in her past. When a woman is pulled from the Mississippi River barely alive, Lila starts connecting dots that others have missed—and realizes a predator has been hiding in plain sight.
Eskens, an Edgar Award winner, writes with a sure hand and plots his novels as well—if not better—than heavyweights like Grisham and Turow. The suspense is tight, the pacing brisk, and the emotional payoff is worth the ride. Readers will cheer when fragile Lila finally finds the strength to stand up to the oppressors in her life.
This is the kind of book that keeps you flipping pages late into the night. Smart, suspenseful, and deeply rooted in place—just how I like my thrillers.