Shadow Hill

by Thomas Kies

Overview

How far would someone go to protect corporate profits?

Just days before Morris Cutter, a retired powerful oil executive, is scheduled to give a pseudo-scientific report to Congress that will delay crucial action on climate change for decades, he and his wife are found shot to death in their Greenwich, Connecticut, home. The police call it murder-suicide. The couple's son refuses to accept the official conclusion and hires Geneva Chase, crime reporter turned private detective, to prove otherwise.

Genie soon learns that there are suspects everywhere, including within the deceased's immediate family. Morris Cutter's own daughter hadn't spoken with him in years, and his nephew is a climate activist with a radical organization. But Cutter's former company has a vested interest in keeping a low profile until it is able to present its mock-science on Capitol Hill. Genie is bribed, then threatened, to wrap up her investigation before the scheduled hearing date—and to concur with the police findings.

When the lead scientist of the study goes missing, followed by Cutter's daughter, Genie begins to piece together what actually may have happened to Morris and Julia Cutter, putting herself in harm's way as she races to find the truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781464214400
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/10/2021
Series:	Geneva Chase Crime Reporter Mysteries , #4
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	657,538
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Author of the Geneva Chase Mystery Series, Thomas Kies lives and writes on a barrier island on the coast of North Carolina with his wife, Cindy, and Lilly, their shih-tzu. He has had a long career working for newspapers and magazines, primarily in New England and New York, and is currently working on his next novel, Graveyard Bay.

Editorial Reviews

05/24/2021

In Kies’s memorable fourth mystery featuring PI and occasional freelance journalist Geneva Chase (after 2019’s Graveyard Bay), Eric Cutter hires Geneva to open a fresh investigation into the shooting deaths of his parents, Julia and Morris Cutter, a retired CEO of CP&G, an oil company. The couple were found dead in their upscale Sheffield, Conn., home in what the police ruled a murder-suicide. Morris was about to present a report subsidized by CP&G to Congress with the purpose of stalling legislation on climate change to allow the company time to roll out an international publicity campaign to sway the public to their view and increase their corporate earnings. Morris’s death delayed the report, but the pressure mounts for Geneva to quickly wrap up the investigation. The stakes rise as the report’s lead researcher disappears, as does Morris’s estranged climatologist daughter, and Geneva unearths secrets both spouses kept from each other and rumors of embezzlement. Complex characters and brisk plotting make this a winner. Readers will look forward to Geneva’s further adventures. Agent: Kimberley Cameron, Kimberley Cameron Assoc. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Shadow Hill is a suspense-fueled and relevant crime novel that delves into the seedy underbelly of politicians and climate activists, seeking to gain from a grisly murder...action-packed [and] completely unexpected.

"Sleek and engaging. If you miss Kinsey Millhone, you might give Geneva a whirl." — Kirkus Reviews

" Complex characters and brisk plotting make this a winner. Readers will look forward to Geneva's further adventures." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2021-04-14
Who killed the oil company executive? And why is everyone so anxious to cover it up?

When wealthy retired oil executive Morris Cutter and his wife, Julia, are found shot dead in their home, their distraught son, Eric, hires investigator Geneva Chase to determine whether his father really killed his mother before turning the gun on himself, as the police have determined. Both Eric and his wife, Olivia, are adamant that Morris is innocent. After years as a reporter, Geneva now freelances as a researcher for Nathaniel Rubin at Lodestar Analytics. After accompanying her to her meeting with the Cutters at their luxurious Connecticut home, Nathaniel suggests that this was a double murder. Cutter’s company, Continental Petroleum & Gas, doesn’t want the case reopened. Their lawyer is charismatic Frank Mancini, who, although married, is unfortunately also Geneva’s former lover. At CP&G headquarters in Manhattan, Geneva meets a stable of likely suspects, all of whom were afraid of their late boss. Kies follows a traditional path of multiple interviews peppered with Geneva’s everyday problems; his crisp character portraits keep it all interesting. Suspicion falls on other family members not as loyal as Eric and Olivia. The more dirt Geneva uncovers, the more suspects want to open up, making the case both more complex and more dangerous for her even as she struggles to be a good parent to Caroline, the daughter of her late fiance, who chafes at the restrictions of adolescence. The tale deftly drops in the details of Geneva’s colorful past and current challenges without slowing down the plot.

Kies’ fourth is sleek and engaging. If you miss Kinsey Millhone, you might give Geneva a whirl.

Kirkus Reviews