I very rarely read mystery novels and often find myself bored by them, but this novel was able to build and keep tension alive very well, while also allowing for personal growth of the main characters. So in the mystery and thriller aspect of it this novel was a positive surprise to me and one I really quite enjoyed. I would have liked some trigger warnings before reading it so I will include the ones I noted down at the bottom of the review.
My favorite thing about this novel was the solidarity between Erin and Sharise as trans women and that Erin defended Sharise's right to be addressed as a woman even to her own detriments (by requesting that she be referred to as a man, which none of her colleagues were willing to do and thus exposing their double standards). It also awknowledges the difference in experience for Erin, a white woman who came out later in life after already having a career, and Sharise, a Black survival sex worker who was kicked out of her home as a teen. Another thing I very much enjoyed was the tension that this novel built, because even though it is revealed quite early one who is behind everything, the danger to Sharise and Erin (as well as others) is always present and keeps things interesting and it left me racing along, wondering how they were ever going to be able to stop it from happening. I also found the motivations of the criminals to be sound and despite their obvious horrible-ness they didn't seem like charicatures to me, which I enjoyed (well besides one character, but one over the top freak is allowed per thriller I think). I also liked that there were moments of peace, acceptance and trans joy in between all the horror. However, be adviced that if you are looking for a pure thriller, you will also find romance and family drama in here, which might not be what you were expecting (I wasn't, but it worked for me!). I also liked that some stuff for the future book was set up with Duane's backstory, whose character I also liked a lot.
However, there are also a few things I did not enjoy at all and they are the reason I can only give this book 3 stars. Sharise, the black trans woman, a survival sex worker, who was kicked out of her house as a teen, speaks in AAVE that seems stereotypical and over the top, especially since nobody else in her family speaks that way. It borders on seeming like a bad charicature at times and takes away from a story that could have been a lot more impactful.
Furthermore some of the scenes of explaining trans womanhood seemed stereotypical and boring, they were clearly written for a cis audience and left me bored to tears. I understand that sometimes a heartfelt "I am a woman and I've always been!" might feel very validating, but it is very clichee and probably does not have the power to change transphobes minds the way it is portrayed here.
And lastly I am really annoyed that the book passed up the opportunity to include an interesting exploration of trans feminine sexuality. Erin starts the book having divorced her wife after coming out and we are told she had other relationships with women after her transition, but was too hung up on the divorce to allow herself to dive into them. In the course of the book, she finds herself attracted to a man for the first time. However, what could have been a lovely exploration of bisexuality (or of the fact that for some people sexuality can change radically due to transitioning and a different embodiment), is completely tossed into the trash with one line in the epilogue stating Erin is now a happy heterosexual woman! WHAT? If Erin discovered that about herself that's great! But since her discovery of her confusing attraction to men plays such a huge role in the story her realization what this might mean for her sexuality (and especially why being attracted to one man after considering herself a lesbian for some years should mean she is a 100% straight certified heterosexualTM) needed to play a bigger role. The way it was done it felt like a holy batman bi-erasure moment that would have made me toss the book if it hadn't been in the epilogue and absolutely soured my enjoyment of the book.
All in all, I feel like the thriller and regular life aspect of this novel was quite well done and with some further sensitivity reading and better editing (which should point out glaring plotholes such as Suddenly StraightTM) this could have been a book I enjoyed a lot more. I'm not sure if I will be checking out the sequel even though I found myself very excited to up until the epilogue :(.

TW: murder, transmisogyny (including sexualised violence due to trans status), forced public & familial outing, trans woman locked in man's prison, graphic threats of sexual violence, attempted sexual assault & groping, threats of torture, child abuse (physical, emotional, homophobic & transphobic, as well as the attempt to humiliate a transgender girl by forcing her to dress in feminine attire by a mother in a way that felt sexual), physical violence, murder + graphic murder attempts, murder made to look like suicide, mention of drug use