Publishers Weekly
02/01/2021
In Lelchuk’s rollicking sequel to 2019’s Save Me from Dangerous Men, Nikki Griffin, a Berkeley, Calif., bookstore owner and badass PI, investigates the alleged blackmail of the matriarch of a prominent San Francisco family that has made a fortune in the pharmaceutical market. The motorcycle-riding Nikki, who looks like “an extra in Sons of Anarchy,” is tasked with tracking down a smooth-talking grifter who milked more than $1 million out of the family’s coffers. But when Nikki finds the seductively manipulative con man and watches as he’s forcibly stuffed into an oversize suitcase by a group of vicious thugs, she quickly realizes that she’s stumbled across a much larger, and far more brutal, criminal enterprise. Nikki, with her brass knuckle vigilante attitude, is nicely complemented by a cast of over-the-top characters, including Buster, a giant mechanic with an anger management problem, and Mason, a kid sidekick with a penchant for note-taking. This breakneck-paced thriller—while straining the bounds of believability at times—is unapologetically bloody fun. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
“A fast-paced and frenzied thriller that will keep [readers] guessing right up until the end… The author does a great job at making seemingly random events come together in a way that does not feel last-minute or hastily put together… In short, Nikki Griffin is one spectacular heroine…and Lelchuk's One Got Away is one seriously entertaining read.”
—USA Today
“There will be kidnappings, blackmail and twists…Lelchuk delights in showing just how shady everyone turns out to be.”
—New York Times Book Review
“With cliff-hanging chapters and a plot that rushes and weaves like a roller coaster, Lelchuk’s writing holds a tight grip from start to finish…Overall, One Got Away treats readers to a thrilling story that unwraps just like Highway 1, winding and bending, simultaneously enchanting and disenchanting readers with the beauty and darkness that coexist, in the state and in life.”
—L.A. Review of Books
“Rollicking...This breakneck-paced thriller...is unapologetically bloody fun.” —Publishers Weekly
“Bookseller/private detective Nikki Griffin lands in hot water when she takes on a wealthy new client...The nearly fearless and deeply empathetic Nikki is ridiculously easy to root for, and the pace is fast and furious all the way to a deeply satisfying finale. A smashing sequel. More please.” —Kirkus Reviews
“One Got Away is a delightfully complicated mystery, one that constantly keeps readers —- much like Nikki herself —- on their toes.”
—Bookreporter.com
“Fans of the first book or of hard-boiled women detectives in general will relish this heroine’s latest outing, especially given that Lelchuk’s writing is more nuanced and atmospheric than that found in hard-boiled mysteries of old. Those who followed...TV’s Dexter are another audience... A fine choice for mystery collections.” —Booklist
Praise for Save Me From Dangerous Men
“Action packed and razor sharp - Jack Reacher would love Nikki Griffin.”
—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Past Tense
“Save Me from Dangerous Men is one of those rare thrillers that draws you in so relentlessly that you find yourself getting kicked out of bed and reading all night on the sofa. If you’re a fan of Jack Reacher or Lisbeth Salander, you are gonna love Nikki Griffin. This is an outstanding debut novel to what promises to be an exceptional series. Highly, highly recommended.”
—Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of the acclaimed Pendergast series
“Save Me From Dangerous Men pulses with daring and risk. Nikki Griffin, bookseller by day and private investigator by night, takes on men who hurt women and makes them sorry. Calm, complex, lethal, and fascinating, she’s the revenge fantasy you want right now.”
—Taylor Stevens, New York Times bestselling author of Liars’ Paradox
Library Journal
11/01/2020
Bookstore owner Nikki Griffin has an ulterior motive for her private-eye side hustle; as we saw in Save Me from Dangerous Men, she seeks out guys who have hurt women and punishes them. Here, her attempt to protect a woman in danger crashes into a case involving a con man who defrauded a San Francisco matriarch, and she's got tough choices to make. With a 50,000-copy first printing.
APRIL 2021 - AudioFile
Narrator January LaVoy guides listeners into the second book of the action-packed Nikki Griffin series with a performance that is captivating and versatile. LaVoy’s voice is a perfect fit for Griffin, a complicated bookseller and private detective who is hired by a wealthy family in San Francisco to find a charismatic con man who has defrauded the family’s matriarch. Griffin tracks the man to the most luxurious hotel in Monterey and discovers there is more to him and to the story than she has been told. LaVoy’s stellar performance captures Griffin’s determination to set things right and punish those at fault. LaVoy’s diverse array of character voices for men and women, young and old is masterful. L.S.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2021-01-27
In the follow-up to Save Me From Dangerous Men (2019), bookseller/private detective Nikki Griffin lands in hot water when she takes on a wealthy new client.
Business is booming at Brimstone Magpie, Nikki’s Berkeley bookstore, and she’s found contentment with her English professor boyfriend, Ethan, who wants her to move in with him. Contentment doesn’t quite suit Nikki, however, so she’s raring to go when she scores new client Martin Johannessen, who happens to come from one of San Francisco’s wealthiest families. Martin says his octogenarian mother has been blackmailed by the charming and much younger Geoffrey Coombs, a suspected con man. Coombs' trail leads Nikki to a ritzy Monterey hotel, and despite herself, Nikki finds herself attracted to the handsome, smooth-mannered psychologist, who seems to see her for who she really is: a woman who loves being on the edge of danger. Nikki’s scenes with Coombs, chock full of snappy dialogue, are right out of a black-and-white noir, but, unfortunately, their time together culminates in his abduction by some very bad men who threaten to fit him with concrete shoes. Coombs may have been up to something nefarious, but allowing him to be killed by these guys is not in Nikki’s playbook, and after Martin terminates her contract, she’s hired by his mother, Marie, who is most definitely not helpless or a victim. Marie wants Nikki to save Coombs, and it will undoubtedly be dangerous, but Nikki has friends in high and low places who are always eager to help. She even gets a boost from Mason, an inquisitive 12-year-old she meets by chance. Nikki has a moral imperative to mete out justice that is fueled by childhood tragedy. Those who dare to underestimate her are in for a nasty surprise, and she’s not afraid to use a little violence to help those who can’t help themselves. The nearly fearless and deeply empathetic Nikki is ridiculously easy to root for, and the pace is fast and furious all the way to a deeply satisfying finale.
A smashing sequel. More please.
