Shoot the Moon: A Rainey Hall Mystery

Rainey Hall #2

by Ava Barry

Private investigator Rainey Hall stumbles into a dark mystery from her past that embroils her with an underground society of artists,  a dangerous new drug,  and a string of violent deaths.

While in high school, Rainey spent a summer taking advantage of the wildfires near Los Angeles to break into the empty houses of the rich and famous with her best friends, Alice and Spencer, committing small acts of larceny. These acts of rebellion culminated in a big theft from a powerful, well-connected musician with underworld ties. Days later, Alice went missing.

Now—nine years later—Rainey is private detective chasing a missing person case. Chloe, a young vulnerable artist with a history of substance abuse, disappeared from her parents' house without a trace. As she digs into the case, Rainey not only discovers a string of missing artists, but connections to Alice, a case that had gone cold years ago. Diving back into her own past and Alice’s disappearance, the investigation quickly becomes more twisted and dangerous than Rainey'd ever anticipated. She unearths a mysterious society steeped in drugs, art, and some of the most influential people in Los Angeles.

Powerful forces begin to close in on Rainey as she finds herself in a race against time to save Chloe—and finally reveal the truth of what happened to Alice all those years ago.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

464 pages, Hardcover

Published February 4, 2025

About the author

IG: @themodernatlas

I'm a California native currently living in a National Park in Australia.

Reviews

[Kay Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book could’ve been condensed somewhat. It was a little too long, dragging out the story.

[Hillary Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shoot the Moon reads very much like modern noir—moody, psychological, and more focused on atmosphere and interiority than on tight plotting.

I was immediately pulled in by the opening. The middle, however, slowed for me. There were many details that seemed intentionally placed as red herrings or mood-building elements, but not all of them felt purposeful, and at times, the narrative felt weighed down by excess detail. As a busy mom, it was difficult trying to keep everything and everyone straight.

The prose leans heavily into the protagonist’s inner world, which I understand as a stylistic choice aligned with noir traditions. Still, some of that interiority felt a bit forced; emotional beats were occasionally explained rather than allowed to emerge naturally.

Overall, I admired what the book was aiming for, even if the execution didn’t fully click for me. Also, this was the 2nd book in a series (which I didn't know before starting), and I did not read the first book. Based on the first book synopsis, however, I think the book works fine as a standalone.

[Allani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting story and spot on descriptions of LA so I could picture the area well from my memory.
The language really detracted from the overall story however. Some words were completely unnecessary for the dialogue so without those, this book would have been 4 stars.

[William Dury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice piece of work. Plot has Rainey and her two other people PI firm investigating missing young artists. Quibbles include an obsession with the upper classes and the necessity of being a pedigreed person oneself, and a plot that always takes the long way around. These are quibbles, because you may not be as defensive about social class as some of us and because the generously proportioned plot develops good momentum. That’s called rhythm, I guess. The scenes of teenaged girls house breaking Los Angeles mansions are somehow both vivid and shadowy memories of the past. The ending has solid emotional heft. Impressive.

[Cyndy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the most boring book I've ever tried to read. Plus, it's not well written at all. She made a really confusing error in the section where she goes to some party with one of her rich and influential friends (which she seems to have in abundance). She seems to have lost a day. It's bad enough that the book stinks but then I have to proofread it too--too much trouble. I got to around page 250 but I give up. But at this point, I don't really care if she finds her druggie friends.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlikely but exciting.

[Carol Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice twist on murder mystery. Really like this one.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

mid

[Milan Mijailovic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started interesting but was too slow so dnf after page 80