Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark for the free electronic ARC of this novel, received in exchange for an honest review. Randall Silvis is a new author for me but this is not my first go around with this kind of novel I love suspense reads. the introduction was a beautiful blueprint, I loved Ryan DeMarco as a character I felt that his portrayal of what a police officer goes through while engrossed in a case is spot on. I however did not connect well with professor Huston. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the story I actually did. What I loved was that the novel is told from the points of view of both Thomas Huston and Ryan DeMarco. The whole time while I was reading this I didn't know who committed these gruesome murders. It is a puzzle with both protagonist in the center while we the readers are fed each piece slowly to make sure we enjoy the read as a whole. I felt that the story started off great and held my interest. I think the best part of it was you will never guess who actually did it. I will not compare it to other books what I will say is that it is a good way to spend an hour or two if your poison of choice is a good thriller. Even though this was a three-star read for me I will be buying more from this author to see how he progresses. ( )

DNF!

After reading two books in a row that was pretty bad did I not feel like adding another one to the list. The story about a professor that kills his whole family should be interesting, however, it's a lackluster novel that lacks compelling characters and instead how trying to find the missing professor is the cop more interested in finding the notebook that contains the book the professor is working on. Also, we get the professors POV during the story's progressed and I mentally groan every time it's time for his POV. The writing is meh, the story is meh and my feeling towards the book is blah!

This book has Ryan DeMarco with a past but you don’t know all of it. I like that. There is a second book and I’m sure we’ll find out more details about why he acts the way he does. ( )

this book definitely kept my attention & had me quickly turning pages. it shifted between telling the story from Thomas’ & DeMarco’s points of view. i think the plot started off strong & the narrative was entertaining overall, but i’d say that it deflated a little to me towards the middle-end because some of the points in the plot could be a bit predictable. i’m honestly terrible at predicting things though, so i honestly enjoyed it and thought it was a steady-paced read! but i’d probably rate it more of a 3.7 for those of you that are good at predicting things. ⠀
i loved how Thomas viewed the world from an author’s perspective & thought about his next moves as he would if he were a character in one of his books. Sergeant DeMarco was my favorite character in the beginning, but he began to annoy me a little as his confidence grew lol. ⠀
there was no main female character & i wish there would have been!⠀
overall, it was a good & easy mystery read & i thought the ending gave good closure. ✨ ✨✨ ( )

Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis is a dark mystery about the murder of a beloved college professor's family.

Pennsylvania State Police Sergeant Ryan DeMarco might be broken and troubled but he has not lost any of the instincts that make him an outstanding policeman. His current case investigating the horrific murders of Thomas Huston's wife and three children hits a little too close to home but he mostly succeeds at keeping his personal feelings at bay. He is having a difficult time believing Thomas is responsible for the murders, but he tries not to let his friendship with the professor (and best-selling author) cloud his judgment. Despite his boss's doubts about letting him remain on the case, DeMarco remains committed to uncovering the truth about who murdered Huston's family.

Ryan finds his most promising lead after interviewing Huston's student Nathan Briessen who is also an aspiring author. Nathan provides valuable insight into Thomas's writing process that takes DeMarco to his first solid lead in the case. Trying to piece together the professor's whereabouts in the weeks prior to the murders takes Ryan down an unexpected path and leaves him wondering if Thomas truly is the devoted family man everyone believes him to be. Was there more to Thomas's relationships with the people he was interviewing than research for characters in his next novel?

Closer to home, DeMarco quickly learns the academic world is full of political maneuvering and infighting. Are professional jealousy and denied tenure motives for murder? Were Thomas's colleague's truly happy for his success as an author? Or were they secretly seething with envy for his commercial success? DeMarco's discoveries about Thomas's interactions with his students reinforces every accolade for the well-liked professor but was there something darker lurking beneath the surface? Could one of his students be responsible for the murders?

The chapters written from Ryan's point of view follow the investigation and to some extent, provide valuable insight into where his life went so tragically wrong. DeMarco remains trapped in an unhealthy relationship with his estranged wife. He drinks too much, sleeps too little and devotes too much of his time to his career. Ryan appears to have one healthy relationship that he seems determined to destroy, but working on the Huston case eventually serves as a turning point for him to deal with the dysfunction in his life.

The chapters written from Thomas's perspective appear to be designed to keep the reader guessing whether or not he was involved with his family's deaths. These chapters are often disjointed and somewhat rambling interruptions that disrupt the overall flow of the story and rarely add anything useful to the storyline.

Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis is an intriguing police procedural that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. The mystery aspect of the storyline is very well written and the various twists and turns make it difficult to figure out whodunit and why. Ryan DMarco is a compelling character but some of his actions during the investigation are a little far-fetched. The investigation ends with a final plot twist that is impossible to predict and neatly wraps all of the loose ends. All in all, a dark, atmospheric mystery with a surprisingly upbeat conclusion.
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