Thrillers & Suspense
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The Stolen Hours
A woman finds herself in a race not only for justice but for her life in this "riveting, hold-your-breath" new mystery from the bestselling author of The Life We Bury (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author).
Lila Nash is on the verge of landing her dream job-working as a prosecutor under the Hennepin County Attorney-and has settled into a happy life with her boyfriend, Joe Talbert. But when a woman is pulled from the Mississippi River, barely alive, things in the office take a personal turn.
The police believe the woman's assailant is local photographer Gavin Spenser, but the case quickly flounders as the evidence wears thin. It seems Gavin saw this investigation coming-and no one can imagine how carefully he has prepared.
The more determined Lila is to put Gavin behind bars, the more elusive justice becomes. Battling a vindictive new boss and haunted by the ghosts of her own unspeakable attack, which she's kept a dark secret for eight long years, Lila knows the clock is ticking down. In a race against an evil mastermind, it will take everything Lila's got to outsmart a killer-and to escape the dark hold of her own past.
"A near-perfect thriller, The Stolen Hours is a true nail-biter that will have you reading long into the night." -Book Reporter
"Even readers who predict the tale's biggest twist before it arrives will still have the breath knocked out of them by the surprises that follow." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"There's not a moment misplaced or a second lost. With the precision of a watchmaker, Eskens assembles the fine parts of a mystery and sets them to the tempo of a thriller, leaving the reader breathless." -Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries
Lila Nash is on the verge of landing her dream job-working as a prosecutor under the Hennepin County Attorney-and has settled into a happy life with her boyfriend, Joe Talbert. But when a woman is pulled from the Mississippi River, barely alive, things in the office take a personal turn.
The police believe the woman's assailant is local photographer Gavin Spenser, but the case quickly flounders as the evidence wears thin. It seems Gavin saw this investigation coming-and no one can imagine how carefully he has prepared.
The more determined Lila is to put Gavin behind bars, the more elusive justice becomes. Battling a vindictive new boss and haunted by the ghosts of her own unspeakable attack, which she's kept a dark secret for eight long years, Lila knows the clock is ticking down. In a race against an evil mastermind, it will take everything Lila's got to outsmart a killer-and to escape the dark hold of her own past.
"A near-perfect thriller, The Stolen Hours is a true nail-biter that will have you reading long into the night." -Book Reporter
"Even readers who predict the tale's biggest twist before it arrives will still have the breath knocked out of them by the surprises that follow." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"There's not a moment misplaced or a second lost. With the precision of a watchmaker, Eskens assembles the fine parts of a mystery and sets them to the tempo of a thriller, leaving the reader breathless." -Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries
Editorial Reviews
"A riveting, hold-your-breath, frightening mystery. The Stolen Hours is a thoroughly captivating legal thriller."
―Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Wife
"In Allen Eskens' newest thriller The Stolen Hours, there's not a moment misplaced or a second lost. With the precision of a watchmaker, Eskens assembles the fine parts of a mystery set to the tempo of a thriller, leaving the reader breathless."
―Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire Mysteries
"Eskens captures the legal drama skillfully. But it's how he nails his characters, with believable dialogue and shrewd interplay, that makes this work stand out. Oh, and there's a fabulous twist at the end. Wouldn't you know it?"
―Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"The Stolen Hours is as good as it gets; a heart-pounding and utterly engaging thriller that had me turning the pages at warp speed. At the core of this magnificent and beautifully told story is Lila, a strong yet vulnerable woman in search of the truth. But Eskens cleverly lets her share the spotlight with two other women whose strengths and weaknesses play off of and enhance each other. Alone, each is a character that readers will identify with and root for. Together, they're unstoppable. I loved this book!"
―Karen Dionne, New York Times bestselling author of The Marsh King's Daughter and The Wicked Sister
"A rousing legal thriller that's also an acute study of female victimization and male privilege."―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A nail-biting thriller."―Shelf Awareness
"The plot provides satisfying twists and poses thought-provoking questions about gender. Eskens reliably entertains."―Publishers Weekly
"Intense and satisfying." -Booklist
―Booklist
―Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Wife
"In Allen Eskens' newest thriller The Stolen Hours, there's not a moment misplaced or a second lost. With the precision of a watchmaker, Eskens assembles the fine parts of a mystery set to the tempo of a thriller, leaving the reader breathless."
―Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire Mysteries
"Eskens captures the legal drama skillfully. But it's how he nails his characters, with believable dialogue and shrewd interplay, that makes this work stand out. Oh, and there's a fabulous twist at the end. Wouldn't you know it?"
―Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"The Stolen Hours is as good as it gets; a heart-pounding and utterly engaging thriller that had me turning the pages at warp speed. At the core of this magnificent and beautifully told story is Lila, a strong yet vulnerable woman in search of the truth. But Eskens cleverly lets her share the spotlight with two other women whose strengths and weaknesses play off of and enhance each other. Alone, each is a character that readers will identify with and root for. Together, they're unstoppable. I loved this book!"
―Karen Dionne, New York Times bestselling author of The Marsh King's Daughter and The Wicked Sister
"A rousing legal thriller that's also an acute study of female victimization and male privilege."―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A nail-biting thriller."―Shelf Awareness
"The plot provides satisfying twists and poses thought-provoking questions about gender. Eskens reliably entertains."―Publishers Weekly
"Intense and satisfying." -Booklist
―Booklist
Readers Top Reviews
Linda FitzgeraldL
I have been a fan of Allen Eakins writing from his first novel and his reputation as a formidable crime writer has grown with the publication of his further books. Each and every one is beautifully crafted and engages the reader from the first page to the last. His latest book The Stolen Hours continues to develop characters and scenarios from his previous books, developing the idea and with this one , hopefully leaving it at a point where there will be more to come. I can’t wait…….
Judy in CAFay Wal
3.5 stars is a high rating by me for a novel. This book kept getting better. I liked the portrayal of all the characters. It was even good when Lila would delve into her past. I will definitely try this author again.
CTJPGJudy in CAFa
Five years ago, if someone would have told me I wouldn't have enjoyed an Allen Eskens book, I would've called them crazy. I thought (and still do) his debut novel "The Life We Bury" was (and is) a masterpiece. Brilliant mystery, fleshed-out characters, and the writing! There are times when his writing seemed almost like prose and has literally moved me to tears at times. This didn't change at all during the next three novels, all of which were mostly about Detective Max Rupert. I raved about all of those books and recommended them to all of my friends. Then 2018 saw the release of "The Shadows We Hide" and to say I was excited about it is an understatement. This was the highly-anticipated follow-up story about Joe Talbert (protagonist from "The Life We Bury") and I hungrily read it and.....- it was okay. Really enjoyable and better than most books I've read, but just "OK". It simply was not as brilliant as the others had been. To be fair, tho, it was still good enough that I didn't even notice it not quite living up to its predecessors. The next release, a year later, was "Nothing More Dangerous" and the first Eskens' novel that left me thinking "ehhhhhh". It seemed to try too hard to make a politically correct point and the plot and character development suffered. Imo! I gave the author the benefit of the doubt, tho, because I had read where that was actually the first novel he'd written so I assumed that explained the mediocrity. I forgot all about it and still eagerly looked forward to this release. I began reading and wanted to like it so much, just as I had enjoyed his first four-five novels. I am sad to say that I did not. Once again, Eskens seems very determined to make a politically correct point and it causes him to lose his focus. And please don't misunderstand me, it's an important point: the inequalities that women face in our society. I'd *love* for Allen Eskens to tackle this issue with the same prowess of his earlier work, but I just don't see it, unfortunately. Where is the compelling mystery? Where are the fleshed-out characters? I easily predicted how this plot would be resolved and I found the characters to be so one dimensional that I was actually rooting for the killer lol! As for the writing itself, I sorely missed the beautiful prose-like text of his earlier works. To me, this comes across as heavy handed and preachy. I'll try his next novel, "Forsaken Country", especially since it's going to be about Max Rupert, but if it's no better than "The Stolen Hours," I'm afraid my days of reading Allen Eskens will come to an end.
Dwain TownsendCTJ
I love mr. Damon's writing and books. Hope for many more. Have ordered the one coming in September. Thank you
