Long Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen

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Long Gone ⭐⭐⭐ — Too Many Cops, Too Many Secrets, Not Enough Breathing Room

Book: Long Gone
Author: Joanna Schaffhausen
Series: Detective Annalisa Vega #2
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5)

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⚠️ Trigger Warnings

• Murder (multiple)

• Police corruption

• Strangulation

• Domestic violence

• Sexual assault (past, discussed)

• Drug use

• Threats and stalking

• Framing / false accusations

• Family trauma

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🚨 SPOILER WARNING

This review contains full spoilers, including the killer reveal(s) and the ending. If you haven’t read the book and want to go in blind, this is your exit ramp. 🏃‍♀️💨

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🧠 Quick Take

I really wanted to love this one.

After how strong Gone for Good was, I went into Long Gone excited for another dark, twisty, emotionally loaded case. And honestly? It starts strong. The premise is great. The stakes are personal. The corruption angle is compelling.

But then… the character list explodes like a clown car at a police convention. 🚓🤡
By the end, I felt like I needed a whiteboard, color-coded sticky notes, and a spreadsheet just to remember who was still alive.

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🕵️‍♀️ Premise (Before Everything Goes Off the Rails)

Detective Annalisa Vega is already a pariah after turning in her own father for murder. Her family hates her. Her coworkers don’t trust her. So when decorated detective Leo Hammond is found murdered in his bed under bizarre circumstances, Annalisa figures she has nothing left to lose.

The case pulls her straight into old secrets buried behind the thin blue line — secrets involving corruption, cover-ups, and a long-ago unsolved murder. The deeper Annalisa digs, the more dangerous it gets… especially when her best friend becomes a target.

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🔍 Full Plot Summary (All the Spoilers, Buckle Up)

The Past Comes Back Bloody

The prologue jumps back to 2002, where several cops — Leo Hammond, Paul Monk, and Tom Osborne — are involved in a horrifying incident in a precinct bathroom. A waitress named Sandra Romero is strangled with a toilet plunger after witnessing something she shouldn’t have. Leo flees, shaken, while the others promise to “handle it.”

Fast forward to the present:
Leo Hammond is murdered, shot in his bed by someone dressed like a scuba diver — the infamous “frogman.” 🚿🐸

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Suspects Everywhere (And I Mean Everywhere)

Annalisa and Nick Carelli investigate, uncovering:

• Leo’s violent past

• His mistreatment of his wives

• His involvement in multiple corrupt incidents

• And his obsession with Moe Bocks, a wealthy car salesman suspected in the unsolved murder of Josie Blanchard

Moe starts dating Sassy — Annalisa’s sister-in-law — immediately setting off alarm bells. Annalisa becomes convinced Moe is guilty and starts pushing hard… maybe too hard.

Meanwhile, we meet:

• Multiple ex-wives

• Multiple dirty cops

• Multiple side characters with secrets

• And yes, the body count keeps climbing ☠️

This is where things get… crowded.

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Corruption, Frame-Ups, and One Very Messy Middle

As Annalisa digs deeper:

• She’s iced out by the department

• Framed evidence starts appearing

• She’s placed on administrative leave

• Someone tries to set her up for assault and murder

At the same time, the truth about the past starts to surface:

• The cops robbed a club

• Sandra Romero was murdered to keep her quiet

• An innocent man (David Edwards) was framed and imprisoned

And still, the frogman keeps appearing.

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The Real Truth (Actually… Truths)

Eventually, the mystery cracks open:

• Caleb Ingram is actually Eddie Romero, Sandra’s son

• Leo Hammond was his biological father

• Eddie orchestrated the murders as revenge for his mother’s death

But wait — there’s more! 😵‍💫

The Josie Blanchard murder, long blamed on Moe Bocks?
He didn’t do it.

The real killer is Tabitha Flanders, who stalked Josie out of jealousy and murdered her using a garden tool. The evidence was literally painted over and hidden for years.

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The Ending

• Eddie Romero is arrested

• Paul Monk is charged for Sandra Romero’s murder

• Tabitha Flanders is arrested for Josie’s murder

• Annalisa is reinstated (with mandatory counseling)

• Nick gets promoted

• Annalisa reconciles with Nick and agrees to testify for her imprisoned brother

Justice is served… eventually… after a lot of detours.

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🤔 Final Thoughts

This book had:

• ✔️ A strong premise

• ✔️ Meaningful themes about corruption and accountability

• ✔️ High stakes for Annalisa

But also:

• ❌ Way too many characters

• ❌ Too many subplots

• ❌ Too much mental bookkeeping

By the end, I wasn’t confused because it was clever — I was confused because I was tired.

I didn’t hate it, but it felt overstuffed, and the emotional punch got diluted by sheer volume.

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📚 If You Like Messy, Dark Police Thrillers, Try These Instead

• Birdman by Mo Hayder

• The Black Echo by Michael Connelly

• Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

• The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

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Bottom Line

Long Gone has ambition and darkness to spare, but it needed a tighter edit and fewer names flying at my face. If you love sprawling, corruption-heavy procedurals, this might work better for you — but for me, it was a solid 3 stars and no more. ⭐⭐⭐