Happy publication day to @VictoriaGoldma2 for #TheAssociate @3CPublishingUK @JoyKluver

Happy publication day to Victoria Goldman for the second instalment in her Shanna Regan series – The Associate. Thanks to Victoria and Three Crowns Publishing for an early read. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.

The Blurb

When an architect vanishes in East London, her concerned fiancé asks journalist Shanna Regan to find her. The missing woman has been leading an interfaith Jewish-Muslim charity project that’s become the target of malicious damage and racist threats.

After Shanna witnesses a teenage girl fall to her death, she’s convinced the architect’s disappearance is also linked to a local youth outreach project. And then another woman is reported missing.

Amid rising local tensions, danger appears to be lurking around every corner. Even the safest sanctuaries seem to be hiding the darkest secrets. As Shanna uncovers a tangled web of lies, she puts her own life on the line. Will she find the missing architect before it’s too late?

The Associate is the compelling and thought-provoking sequel to The Redeemer.

My Review

I loved The Redeemer when it came out last year so I was thrilled to see journalist, Shanna Regan, back for another story. Last time, it was a much more personal story that Shanna was chasing. This time round, Shanna is working for a bigger news outlet, so she’s in London looking for a scoop when she’s asked to use her investigative skills in a different way. She’s reluctant to take a missing persons case but intrigued enough to find out more. And maybe bag a story at the same time.

Shanna has really grown as a character in The Associate and that’s testament to Victoria Goldman’s writing. In The Redeemer, Shanna was still finding her feet after being away for a long time but there’s a sturdiness to her now and I feel I’ve got to know her better as a result. Topical themes come into play in the story, mixed with mystery and suspense. I loved the idea of an inter-faith project between Jews and Muslims and Goldman uses this to inform and educate in an entertaining way. Tension steadily builds throughout the story until we reach the climatic moment. I really enjoyed The Associate and hope there’ll be another Shanna Regan story at some point.

You can buy The Associate here.