Note: An ARC of Hunting Abigail was provided through Reedsy Discovery. Click HERE to a read a preview of the novel, as well as links for where to buy it. This review is reposted from Reedsy. Thank you!

Traveling through the airport is a psychological thriller unto itself. Unlike the airport, Hunting Abigail is fast-paced and engaging. If there’s one similarity between the two, it’s that both are chock-full of surprise twists and turns.

Hunting Abigail centers on two time periods: 1992, where detectives search for the “Valentine Killer,” and 2011, where survivors of a plane crash must confront their own deadly mystery. Connecting these periods is Abigail Fuller, who came face-to-face with the killer in 1992. She wasn’t afraid then, but now, stuck on a deserted island with ominous happenings, she can’t help but fear that the past has caught up to her.

Costello has created a story simultaneously unique in idea and familiar in some of its tropes. Is it really a murder mystery if there isn’t at least one rough-talking detective with a hat? Fortunately, the narration seemingly acknowledges these tropes, which stops them from becoming distracting. Instead, they become small hints of humor between all the tension.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of tension, and little breathing space between the story’s reveals results in what can feel like a quick read. This isn’t bad; however, there were some reveals that I would have liked to sit on longer before they were overshadowed. My other critiques lie in small details. There are odd ways of describing someone’s skin tone or accent, and with another character, behavior that seemed to be a clear case of workplace harassment is overlooked, or even played off as a sort of laugh.

Overall though I did enjoy Hunting Abigail. If you like psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, and want a new but at times familiar take on them, then you’ll likely enjoy it too. Novel length matters little as curiosity will have you finishing as fast as possible. In fact, while I don’t plan to, there is good reason to re-read once you finish, as things once confusing suddenly become clear in their implication. That there’s the seeds for a possible continuation of this universe, should Costello decide to go that route, helps too.