There are many secrets and even more lies in this little town in Iowa.
Detective Maggie Kennedy-O'Keefe works for the Grotto Police Department. Since she's 8 months pregnant, her boss asks her to look into a cold case when new evidence comes to light. That case, however, is one that Maggie knows very well. It was 25 years ago when she and the victim's younger sister, Nola, found the brutalized body of 15-year-old Eve Knox inside a cave. Eve was Maggie's best friend and the murder has haunted her ever since. Even though the chief investigator was Maggie's own father and there were several possible suspects, no one was ever charged. Can Maggie find the truth and get justice for her friend after all these years?
Well, wow. First thing -- you must be able to suspend disbelief in order for this all to work. Then, you must be able to get past the actions of the characters. One of them is definitely destined for the psych ward, and another has quite the ability to compartmentalize. Then there's the sexual predator and also the abusive boyfriend. I don't want to forget to mention that this story includes a father with dementia and some other fairly clueless people. Quite the unsavory collection of possible killers, but the narrative takes a turn about half-way through that may take you by surprise.
I would have rated this higher if the climax and conclusion had been more realistic. And I definitely had to shake my head at the preposterous situation that occurs in the cave. I would expound but NO SPOILERS. It definitely held my interest and I read it all in a single sitting this evening. I've read quite a few books by this author, and I'll continue to do so. I'm looking forward to seeing other reviews and comments about this novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre -- Mystery, detective, suspense
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