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Full Circle
A split-second decision. A past that won’t stay buried. A killer who’s been waiting.
Ten years ago, rookie cop Jane Rieger helped put away a hit-and-run driver with testimony that sealed his fate. She thought it was over. She thought she’d moved on.
Now, a decade later, Homicide Detective Sergeant Jane Rieger-Franklin confronts a ghost from her past. The same man—or someone strikingly like him—has reappeared, lurking in plain sight. And this time, he’s not fleeing. He’s hunting.
As Jane and her team dig into the case, buried secrets claw their way to the surface, and the lines between justice and revenge blur. And when the danger strikes too close to home—threatening her wife and children—Jane is forced into a desperate game of cat and mouse.
Can she outthink a predator who has spent a decade preparing for this moment? Or will the past finally claim its revenge?
Packed with gripping suspense, razor-sharp, witty dialogue, and intricate family dynamics, Full Circle is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the final, jaw-dropping twist.
Ten years ago, rookie cop Jane Rieger helped put away a hit-and-run driver with testimony that sealed his fate. She thought it was over. She thought she’d moved on.
Now, a decade later, Homicide Detective Sergeant Jane Rieger-Franklin confronts a ghost from her past. The same man—or someone strikingly like him—has reappeared, lurking in plain sight. And this time, he’s not fleeing. He’s hunting.
As Jane and her team dig into the case, buried secrets claw their way to the surface, and the lines between justice and revenge blur. And when the danger strikes too close to home—threatening her wife and children—Jane is forced into a desperate game of cat and mouse.
Can she outthink a predator who has spent a decade preparing for this moment? Or will the past finally claim its revenge?
Packed with gripping suspense, razor-sharp, witty dialogue, and intricate family dynamics, Full Circle is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the final, jaw-dropping twist.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2025
13 people are currently reading
1250 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Kronwith
7 books30 followersStephen Kronwith, M.D., Ph.D., lives in Floral Park, New York. A Brooklyn native, he’s had a unique and varied career path: first as a university professor of mathematics, then as a programmer for IBM, and ultimately as a pediatric ophthalmologist in both private and academic practice for over three decades.
Though he had long dreamed of writing fiction, the demands of his medical career left little time—until retirement. He began writing his debut novel, Lover Boy, six months before retiring, and despite the challenges of working through the early chaos of the COVID crisis, he completed the manuscript within eight months. Lover Girl followed more quickly, aided by pandemic restrictions and newly found creative freedom.
He is now preparing to release Book #2 in the Detective Jane Rieger-Franklin mystery series, Full Circle, available for pre-order now and on sale May 20, 2025.
Though he had long dreamed of writing fiction, the demands of his medical career left little time—until retirement. He began writing his debut novel, Lover Boy, six months before retiring, and despite the challenges of working through the early chaos of the COVID crisis, he completed the manuscript within eight months. Lover Girl followed more quickly, aided by pandemic restrictions and newly found creative freedom.
He is now preparing to release Book #2 in the Detective Jane Rieger-Franklin mystery series, Full Circle, available for pre-order now and on sale May 20, 2025.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 17, 2025
Full Circle opens with an unforgettable prologue: a young policewoman witnesses a fatal hit-and-run, and her sharp observations and quick action lead to the conviction of the driver, a brilliant but unrepentant physicist named Liam Martin.
Ten years later, the same officer, Detective Sergeant Jane Rieger-Franklin, has built an enviable life. A decorated career, a devoted wife, and two extraordinary daughters. But when a murdered woman is discovered clutching a copy of Moby Dick with a note addressed to Jane, the detective’s past hurtles back with chilling intent.
From its opening scene, Full Circle immerses the reader in an atmosphere of intelligent dread. Kronwith doesn’t rely on jump scares or clichés; he tightens the screws through psychology, wit and the tension of inevitability. His writing is brisk and cinematic, yet deeply humane.
Breaking from the trope that rules 95% of crime fiction, Kronwith has ensured that Jane is no jaded loner. She’s a fully realized woman of intellect, humor, and conscience. Her marriage to the compassionate and stunning Anna Franklin is rendered with warmth and authenticity, and their home life, with daughters Felicity and Khaleesi, balances the novel’s darkness with a beating heart of love, laughter and maternal strength.
Elsewhere, Shakespeare and Melville echo throughout, shaping both the novel’s tone and its theme: the cyclical nature of vengeance, guilt and redemption. Kronwith’s antagonist, the self-styled “Moby Dick Killer,” is both terrifying and tragically believable. A man whose genius and bitterness merge into something almost mythic. Yet, the book’s real power lies in how it examines the collateral damage of obsession. Each crime feels personal, each clue meticulously chosen, and each moral choice carries weight.
As always, Kronwith’s dialogue sparkles. The repartee among Jane’s homicide team, particularly wisecracking partner Ted Davis (“I can smell the testoster – er – estrogen in the room”) lends humor and realism to the procedural moments. Even as the body count rises, the tone remains grounded by the humanity of those investigating it. There’s an artful rhythm here – the pulse of danger alternating with the calm of family dinners, the hum of police radios fading into the sound of teenage banter.
Jane’s true battle may not be with the killer alone. It’s also with the echoes of her own conscience. Equal parts police procedural, psychological study, and family saga. Kronwith writes with the assurance of a storyteller who knows both the anatomy of crime and the anatomy of the heart.
Ten years later, the same officer, Detective Sergeant Jane Rieger-Franklin, has built an enviable life. A decorated career, a devoted wife, and two extraordinary daughters. But when a murdered woman is discovered clutching a copy of Moby Dick with a note addressed to Jane, the detective’s past hurtles back with chilling intent.
From its opening scene, Full Circle immerses the reader in an atmosphere of intelligent dread. Kronwith doesn’t rely on jump scares or clichés; he tightens the screws through psychology, wit and the tension of inevitability. His writing is brisk and cinematic, yet deeply humane.
Breaking from the trope that rules 95% of crime fiction, Kronwith has ensured that Jane is no jaded loner. She’s a fully realized woman of intellect, humor, and conscience. Her marriage to the compassionate and stunning Anna Franklin is rendered with warmth and authenticity, and their home life, with daughters Felicity and Khaleesi, balances the novel’s darkness with a beating heart of love, laughter and maternal strength.
Elsewhere, Shakespeare and Melville echo throughout, shaping both the novel’s tone and its theme: the cyclical nature of vengeance, guilt and redemption. Kronwith’s antagonist, the self-styled “Moby Dick Killer,” is both terrifying and tragically believable. A man whose genius and bitterness merge into something almost mythic. Yet, the book’s real power lies in how it examines the collateral damage of obsession. Each crime feels personal, each clue meticulously chosen, and each moral choice carries weight.
As always, Kronwith’s dialogue sparkles. The repartee among Jane’s homicide team, particularly wisecracking partner Ted Davis (“I can smell the testoster – er – estrogen in the room”) lends humor and realism to the procedural moments. Even as the body count rises, the tone remains grounded by the humanity of those investigating it. There’s an artful rhythm here – the pulse of danger alternating with the calm of family dinners, the hum of police radios fading into the sound of teenage banter.
Jane’s true battle may not be with the killer alone. It’s also with the echoes of her own conscience. Equal parts police procedural, psychological study, and family saga. Kronwith writes with the assurance of a storyteller who knows both the anatomy of crime and the anatomy of the heart.
September 9, 2025
As a young police officer, now Detective Jane Rieger-Franklin was a witness to a hit and run accident. It was her testimony that put the driver of the car behind bars. Now a number of years later as Jane begins investigating a new murder, she realizes that the man committing the murders is the one she put behind bars, and he's now out for revenge.
First, I think the plot of this book is great and well thought out. Lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. Where I get hung up on this one is the characters, the writing and some of the unnecessary details.
The characters don't seem "real". They almost seem too perfect. They say and do things I don't think many real life people do. It just all seems like a lot of fluff.
The writing can be very clunky at times. I actually see this a lot from a lot of authors that are just starting out - the writing is almost too proper at times.
And finally, there are just things included in the book that aren't necessary. There are descriptions of details that we don't need and don't add to the plot. And there are a lot of sex scenes with several of the characters that are just kind of written in a cringey manner. It just doesn't go with the thriller/mystery style book and adds nothing to the plot.
Another book that I think some good editing could improve and could make the book shorter, which would result in having it seem more fast paced with the action.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
First, I think the plot of this book is great and well thought out. Lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. Where I get hung up on this one is the characters, the writing and some of the unnecessary details.
The characters don't seem "real". They almost seem too perfect. They say and do things I don't think many real life people do. It just all seems like a lot of fluff.
The writing can be very clunky at times. I actually see this a lot from a lot of authors that are just starting out - the writing is almost too proper at times.
And finally, there are just things included in the book that aren't necessary. There are descriptions of details that we don't need and don't add to the plot. And there are a lot of sex scenes with several of the characters that are just kind of written in a cringey manner. It just doesn't go with the thriller/mystery style book and adds nothing to the plot.
Another book that I think some good editing could improve and could make the book shorter, which would result in having it seem more fast paced with the action.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 16, 2025
A clever criminal seeks revenge on a cop by sequentially murdering people, leaving cryptic clues for her at the murder scenes. The plot was interesting enough, as long as you can suspend disbelief, (e.g. Why bother with such elaborate clues when they could just murder/torture the cop and/or her family for revenge? A teenager old enough to be dating who calls her mother “Mommy”? Amongst other things.) And so many characters are perfect! We have the sexy teenage daughter with the 4.0 GPA who is fluent in French and quotes Shakespeare, the cop with the near photographic memory and her beautiful, best-chef of a wife who is ultra-rich so she can make anything happen by making a call to one of her connections or gifting someone a trans-Atlantic flight on her private jet. etc. It was all a bit ridiculous and had me rolling my eyes. (I prefer my characters to be real with flaws and some grit.) We are also introduced to lots of people early on and sometimes it is hard to keep track of them as they are often not referred to by name but instead as “the youngest amongst the group” or “the sergeant” or “the newest member”. The content was also disturbing at times with the creepy love/sex scenes that did not help the plot. In summary, I did not enjoy the book. I won a free copy of this book (thanks to the author & publisher!) and am voluntarily providing an honest review.
May 22, 2025
I have read all the author’s novels and was getting worried. He usually publishes one every year or so, but two years went by without one and I was worried there’d be no more. Finally, though, comes “Full Circle” and it did not disappoint. There is the usual, excellently written, combination of mystery, suspense, police procedural, humor and interpersonal relationships that have marked all of his novels. And nobody writes a climactic chapter like Kronwith - chapter 30 is alone worth the price of purchase. My only beef with it is I think it should have been split into two. It’s a long chapter, meticulously plotted, building the suspense along the way, so make sure you’ve got about 30 minutes to spare before reading it because once started, you’ll want to finish. I still like the author’s “Lover Girl” the best, but “Full Circle” was well worth the wait. And the end is a surprise, in more ways than one.
June 29, 2025
I received this book for free as a Goodreads giveaway.
I did not read the first book in the series.
As a young officer, Jane’s testimony was the deciding factor in the conviction of a hit-and-run driver. He’s out of prison now, and has spent years plotting his revenge.
I have mixed feelings about this one. I was somewhat engaged in the actual mystery. I was relieved to see that Jane has a good relationship with her team - the renegade cop stories are getting old. I was also happy that she has a solid relationship with her family, instead being yet another bitter, lonely detective.
But…the perfectly perfect children, and the totally, way, way too perfect wife (she’s a billionaire! And a gourmet chef!) caused a few eye rolls. The random appearance of a high-ranking official from Scotland Yard (and his hat) was … puzzling. The bad guy wasn’t just vengeful, he was disturbingly over-the-top. …and then there’s the sex. There’s a lot of it, and a lot of talking about it. Even the “good” sex is so crudely written that it’s not even the tiniest bit titillating. It’s just gross.
I did not read the first book in the series.
As a young officer, Jane’s testimony was the deciding factor in the conviction of a hit-and-run driver. He’s out of prison now, and has spent years plotting his revenge.
I have mixed feelings about this one. I was somewhat engaged in the actual mystery. I was relieved to see that Jane has a good relationship with her team - the renegade cop stories are getting old. I was also happy that she has a solid relationship with her family, instead being yet another bitter, lonely detective.
But…the perfectly perfect children, and the totally, way, way too perfect wife (she’s a billionaire! And a gourmet chef!) caused a few eye rolls. The random appearance of a high-ranking official from Scotland Yard (and his hat) was … puzzling. The bad guy wasn’t just vengeful, he was disturbingly over-the-top. …and then there’s the sex. There’s a lot of it, and a lot of talking about it. Even the “good” sex is so crudely written that it’s not even the tiniest bit titillating. It’s just gross.
May 20, 2025
She is about to come face to face with her past when he appears. He looks like the man she put away for murder. Secrets will come out as she tries to get the answers and keep her family safe. See just where it will all lead her
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and wow what a thriller
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and wow what a thriller
May 24, 2025
This was an exciting fun book. I never put it down. Loved it. I was given an arc and i choose to give a honest review.
June 14, 2025
Enjoyed it
Couldn't put it down I gave it 5 stars Because I had to finish it I was up late I recommend this book just story line The characters were great I recommend this book
Couldn't put it down I gave it 5 stars Because I had to finish it I was up late I recommend this book just story line The characters were great I recommend this book
December 12, 2025
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews