As director of social and educational activities at Rainy Creek Gardens Retirement Village in Seattle, Charlotte Sawyer is cautious and careful about everything she does; the opposite of her stepsister Jocelyn Pruett, a fund-raiser for a wealthy entrepreneur's foundation. While Jocelyn is out of town on a month-long, tech-free retreat, Charlotte checks the mail at her condo and finds an unusual envelope with three keys inside and a cryptic note from one of Jocelyn's best friends, Louise Flint. When Charlotte can't reach Louise by phone, she goes to her apartment. W What she finds there is shocking.

Louise Flint is dead. Investigating her death is PI Max Cutler, hired by Louise's cousin. He's convinced Louise did not die from a drug-overdose or suicide, as officials determined, but was murdered, especially since her condo was torn apart. Max offers to help Charlotte contact her stepsister to inform her of Louise's death, but Jocelyn se seems to have vanished. What do the keys unlock? And what se secrets are to be exposed?

Max had been a criminal profiler, but circumstances forced him to leave that career. He's trying to establish himself as a corporate private investigator, but jobs are scarce. Max needs this case to prove himself, and working with the intriguing Charlotte is a bonus. Max's interest in Charlotte soon becomes more personal than professional. She's authentic and real and they easily understand each other. Working together as "partners" proves interesting an and enlightening, as well as fervent, for both of them.

Their search takes them to Loring, Washington, a location with ties to Jocelyn and Louise's other close friends in an unusual investment club. When another death occurs, and Max and Charlotte are almost killed in Loring looking for missing evidence of a cold case they've uncovered, they know they're getting close. The contents of that missing evidence box have been worth a fortune in blackmail for the past ten years. But they have no idea how deep the cover-up go goes, or how many people will do whatever it takes to stop ex exposing the awful truth.

The brilliant and incomparable Jayne Ann Krentz has penned yet another impressive romantic suspense, with the perfect amount of romance and suspense, in WHEN ALL THE GIRLS HAVE GONE. As always, her exhilarating plot progression and emotional characterization is spot-on. I've been reading, and thoroughly enjoying, Krentz's novels for many years, and I'm always excited when a new one is due to be released. Yes, the storyline elements are consistent and readers know what to expect from her books, but her expertise at developing those unique elements is what makes her such a popular wordsmith. And keeps her legions of fans coming back for more! It's knowing that my expectations will always be met when reading one of her novels, be it romantic suspense, historical romance or paranormal romance, which makes it such a wonderful experience and exciting escapism.

Book Summary

Jayne Ann Krentz, the New York Times bestselling author of Secret Sisters, delivers a thrilling novel of the deceptions we hide behind, the passions we surrender to, and the lengths we’ll go to for the truth...

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her step-sister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling…

When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way...