Dead and Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen
Dead and Gone ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5 stars)
A.k.a. “This book has way too much going on and I still couldn’t stop reading.”
⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️
This review contains FULL AND COMPLETE SPOILERS, including the ending. If you haven’t read Dead and Gone yet and don’t want everything ruined, bookmark this and come back later. Seriously. I’m about to tell you everything. 😈
Trigger Warnings
Sexual assault & attempted sexual assault
Stalking and harassment
Kidnapping
Murder
Suicide
Gun violence
Drugging / paralysis
Cancer
Overall Thoughts
I officially have a complicated relationship with the Detective Annalisa Vega series. I enjoy it. I’m invested. I keep reading. But wow—this book is doing the absolute most.
There are four separate cases happening at once:
Sam Tran’s death
Two cold-case motel murders (actually two sets of them)
A serial college predator in a gorilla suit
A chicken-masked robber terrorizing convenience stores
Is it too much? Yes.
Did my brain occasionally feel fried? Also yes.
Did I keep turning pages like my life depended on it? Unfortunately… yes again.
It’s almost a form of literary torture: overwhelming, messy, stressful — and yet weirdly addictive. Joanna Schaffhausen is very good at keeping you engaged even when you’re thinking, Why are there still more plotlines being added??
4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
The Setup: Masks, Fear, and a Body in a Cemetery
The book opens with a deeply unsettling scene at a college Halloween party. A man wearing a gorilla mask arrives with a syringe, intending to drug and assault a woman. He targets Sienna Soto, but she’s saved when a mysterious woman dressed as a black cat intervenes and chases him into the woods.
Meanwhile, Detective Annalisa Vega is spiraling in her own personal hell:
She thinks she might be pregnant
She’s called to a cemetery where ex-cop/private investigator Sam Tran is found hanging from a tree
The word “PIG” is painted on his chest — with a backward “p”
Things immediately get personal when Annalisa learns Sam had been investigating her brother Vinny’s daughter, Quinn, who has been receiving threatening messages at college.
And that’s just the beginning. 🫠
Case One: Sam Tran’s Death
Sam Tran’s death looks like murder. He had enemies, he was investigating dangerous people, and the scene feels staged. But details don’t add up:
Sam was a strict non-drinker, yet bourbon is found in his stomach
Annalisa is later shot at using her own stolen gun
Someone clearly wants this investigation buried
Much later, the truth finally emerges: Sam’s cancer had returned, and he chose to end his own life. He staged his death to look like a murder so his son would receive the insurance money.
It’s a heartbreaking reveal and one of the quieter, more emotional moments in an otherwise chaotic book.
Case Two: The Queen of Hearts Murders
Two old double-homicides resurface involving couples murdered in motel rooms, each scene marked with a Queen of Hearts playing card. Annalisa discovers:
Sam Tran had been digging into these cold cases
Her own father worked one of them years earlier
One suspect, Brad Morrison, writes the letter “p” backward — matching the graffiti on Sam’s body
The real killer turns out to be Matthew Armstrong, who murdered couples using plumbing pipes. He knocks Annalisa unconscious and attempts to abduct her, which brings us to one of the most chaotic scenes in the entire book…
The Chicken Bandit
During the confrontation with Matthew Armstrong, Annalisa escapes into an alley while injured and disoriented. As Armstrong attacks her, the Chicken Bandit (Calvin Jones) appears and fires a gun, hitting Armstrong.
Calvin then continues toward Annalisa while armed. Given that Calvin had previously shot a store clerk and fired at Annalisa earlier in the book, she believes he poses an immediate threat and shoots him.
Case Three: Campus Horror
Back at the college:
Natalie Kroger disappears
A burner phone is used to stalk Quinn
A gorilla suit is traced back to the biology department
Multiple red herrings pile up until the truth finally emerges:
Sarah Beth bought the burner phone because she wanted Quinn’s boyfriend, Jason
Zach Spencer, Jason’s roommate, is the gorilla-masked attacker
Zach framed Jason, murdered him, kidnapped Natalie, and escalated everything
Zach later abducts Quinn and Byron, taking them to a cabin in the woods.
The Finale: Quinn Saves Herself
Quinn escapes the cabin, uses a compact mirror to reflect moonlight, lures Zach outside, and stabs him with his own paralyzing syringe. Annalisa arrives and shoots Zach in the spine, permanently paralyzing him.
Honestly? Good for Quinn. 👏
The Ending
With all the chaos finally resolved:
Sam Tran’s death is understood
Zach is permanently stopped
Nick proposes to Annalisa (again) 💍
She says yes
Annalisa resigns from the Chicago PD and takes over Sam Tran’s PI office
It’s a satisfying full-circle ending that sets up a new chapter for the series.
Final Verdict
Dead and Gone is overstuffed, chaotic, and sometimes exhausting — but it’s also gripping as hell. Joanna Schaffhausen somehow makes all these moving parts work well enough that you keep reading even when you’re overwhelmed.
If you like:
Multiple overlapping cases
High-stress pacing
Dark crime with personal stakes
This series is probably already on your radar — and if not, you might want to start at book one.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5 stars)
If You Liked This, Try These
Gone for Good – Joanna Schaffhausen
Long Gone – Joanna Schaffhausen
Before She Disappeared – Lisa Gardner
You Will Never See Me – Jake Hinkson
The Night Shift – Alex Finlay
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