HER SECRET PAST

4 stars out of 5

This is the third in a series featuring Detective Inspector Jessie Blake, but it's a first for me. Happily, this one seems to stand on its own well - at least I didn't feel at a disadvantage for not having read the other two. Better still, it's good enough that I won't hesitate to grab the next one.

The prologue is set in 1990, when a man and his wife are brutally murdered - admittedly by their teenage daughter and her older boyfriend. Fast forward to the present, when Jessie and her partner Dylan are called to the scene of another murder on Boxing Day - also a married couple. Confounding matters is that their grandson, the son of their only son, is nonchalantly noshing in the kitchen amid the bodies and a ton of blood. Needless to say, he's a suspect, but there's no evidence that he's actually involved in any way. Such is also the case with the boy's father, who seems truly devastated that his parents are dead.

Soon thereafter, Jessie learns that the dead people were locked in a property dispute with a neighbor, Rachel Ferguson; further checking reveals that Rachel and her wealthy husband are hiding a dark secret about her past that puts her right at the top of the suspect list. Evidence begins to point to Rachel as the killer, but while her superiors at the police department are sure they've got their woman, Jessie has her doubts and insists on continuing the investigation. Meantime, Jessie must deal with a past of her own as her abusive ex-husband Dan keeps showing up at all hours - often with his new girlfriend in tow - ostensibly to beg Jessie to let bygones be bygones. 

The story moves along quickly and with almost constant excitement (plus a few twists). An overabundance of characters overwhelmed me a bit, and overall, the whole thing seemed a titch choppy. Nonetheless, my attention was captured from start to finish (an ending, by the way, that didn't make me very happy with Jessie's actions, or lack thereof). As I advise with all series, it's always best to start at the beginning, but you won't go wrong to start here. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to test drive this one.

Her Secret Past by Kerry Watts (Bookouture, January 2020); 326 pp.