As an infant, Kit McKittrick’s foster sister Akiko was abandoned at a firehouse. Now 32, Akiko has received an unsettling phone call from a woman who says that she knew her birth mother but refuses to divulge any details except in person. Akiko is nervous but also thrilled at the prospect of finally learning about her blood relations.
Kit has a bad feeling about this and insists on accompanying Akiko to meet the woman. Sure enough, as they stand on Mary Sherman’s doorstep, shots are fired and Kit is hit...and inside the house is a corpse: Mary Sherman herself.
Although she’s on medical leave and forbidden to work the case, Kit cannot rest. With police psychologist Sam Reeves, she undertakes a covert investigation into the mysterious Mary Sherman. Was she Akiko’s birth mother? Why did she reach out after all these years? And who had a motive to kill her?
As more bodies pile up, Kit starts to put together the pieces of the frightening puzzle that is Akiko’s birth family, and she’ll come to wonder whether some secrets should stay buried after all.
Karen Rose has a knack for putting a mystery within a mystery so that progress on the cases facing her protagonists often leads to more twists and turns that make matters worse. That ability is on full display in Family Lies, the fourth book in the San Diego Case Files series.
Longtime readers of this series are aware that Kit McKittrick’s foster parents have provided homes to many lost young people over the years. They’ve adopted many of those young people, most of whose stories are full of more questions than answers. One of these is Akiko.
The more Kit and Sam delve into Mary Sherman’s death, the more they learn about Akiko’s birth family. Yet every discovery leads to more questions. Each path they pursue leads to more confusing revelations about Akiko’s family history. One of the witnesses they’re seeking survives an attack but refuses to divulge information that might help them.
The threat to Akiko, which becomes more serious as the story goes on, torments Kit with echoes of the sister she lost not long after coming to live with the McKittricks. Dealing with those memories and the present-day threat to Akiko challenges Kit emotionally.
On top of that, someone shoots at Kit three times, wounding her once. Her insistence on investigating, despite being told to back off, leads to conflict between her and some officers in the police department. Some detectives rally around her, however, in a way that fits perfectly the found family theme that runs through this series.
A longtime supporting character provides an unexpected wrinkle in the investigation. While surprising, it’s not inconsistent with that character’s story to date. It works in the context of the story and the overall context of the series.
A complex story like this can be confusing or difficult to believe. The developments here, though, are presented a few at a time so they’re easy to follow, and the motivations behind them make them believable. When everything comes together in a final, nail-biting confrontation, more twists and turns occur even as what came before finally becomes clear.
Seeing Kit’s parents, Harlan and Betsy McKittrick, is always a pleasure. The story spends only a little time with their latest group of foster children but gives them interesting and distinct personalities. Sam’s parents have less page time but are sympathetic and interesting.
One of my favorite parts of this series has been the slow-burn romance between Kit and Sam. Every book brings it just a little farther along the road. Many thriller and mystery series have slow-burn romances between the protagonists, but they are rarely as grounded in the characters’ backstories and emotions as this one is. For those who want a trope, it’s hurt-comfort, and it’s beautifully handled.
Overall, I enjoyed Family Lies tremendously. The story pulled me in from the first page. The main characters are engaging and easy to root for. The supporting characters, even the ones who’re a problem for the investigation and are not especially likeable, are drawn with layers. The story moves at a good pace.
Highly recommended
5 Stars
Nancy
.jpg)