Review: Abandoned by Allison Brennan

Abandoned (Max Revere #5)  by Allison Brennan
Publication date: August 14th 2018
Publisher: Minotaur Books
My rating:  4.5 Stars
Pages: 352
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Investigative reporter Max Revere has cracked many cases, but the one investigation she's never attempted is the mystery from her own past. Her mother abandoned her when she was nine, sending her periodic postcards, but never returning to reclaim her daughter. Seven years after the postcards stop coming, Martha Revere is declared legally dead, with no sign of what may have happened to her. Until now.

With a single clue―that her mother’s car disappeared sixteen years ago in a small town on the Chesapeake Bay―Max drops everything to finally seek the truth. As Max investigates, and her mother's story unfolds, she realizes that Martha teamed up with a con man. They traveled the world living off Martha’s trust and money they conned from others.

Though no one claims to know anything about Martha or her disappearance, Max suspects more than one person is lying. When she learns the FBI has an active investigation into the con man, Max knows she’s on the right path. But as Max digs into the dark secrets of this idyllic community, the only thing she might find is the same violent end as her mother.

New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan weaves the intimate, unputdownable story of an investigator confronting the most important--and most dangerous--mystery of her career.

My Thoughts:

As an investigative reporter for Maximum Exposure it’s Maxine’s job and passion to investigate cold cases and get answers.  Not only for justice, but for the family left behind without closure. But this case is personal.  Maxine’s mother, Martha, disappeared sixteen years ago and was finally declared dead, but they never found out what happened to her. 

After getting to know Max through the previous books it’s apparent her mother’s abandonment and then disappearance has cast a shadow over her life. We get glimpses of Martha Revere in the past and let me tell you she was a piece of work!  Self-absorbed without a care for anyone else, least of all her daughter.  She dumped Max off with her mother (Max’s grandmother) when Max was just nine and never looked back.  My heart hurt for Max.

After so many years of not knowing what exactly happened she gets a break in the case when Sean Rogan finds a clue leading back to the seaside town of Cape Haven.  Could Martha Revere have spent her last days there? And if so what was she doing there that led to her death?  Max is determined to find out exactly what happened.  Not surprisingly, Max’s digging around and asking questions ruffles a few feathers, but even more than that, it puts her in danger.  Abandoned had me on a knife edge with all the tension swirling, and things got very desperate by the end!

I’ve become very fond of Maxine through this series.  Yes, she can be hyper-focused on her mission to the point of stepping on toes or just bulldozing right over whoever gets in her way, but she does it out of the sincere belief that she’s doing what’s right. She’s honest and doesn’t play games, and I was glad that after Nick’s behavior in the last few books it seems Max might’ve finally found someone worthy of her.  I really love how far she’s has come as a person, and I’m interested to see how some of the new developments in Abandoned will affect Max’s life in the future.

Each book of the Max Revere series tackles and solves a mystery, but I can’t really recommend this as a standalone.  Max’s personal life and history are built upon with each new installment and that’s a huge part of what makes the series so addictive.  It is a series that I love and whole-heartedly recommend! 

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