Book Review: A Relative Murder by Jude Deveraux

A Relative Murder
Author: Jude Deveraux
Series: A Medlar Mystery (Book 4)
Publication: MIRA; Original edition (March 29, 2022)

Description: Even the closest families have secrets hidden away.

Bestselling novelist Sara Medlar is skilled at sharing stories about other people, but she hoped the truth about her own family would never surface. Her home in Lachlan, Florida, is her refuge and she loves having her niece Kate and dear friend Jack Wyatt together under her roof. The Medlar Three, as they are known around town, have sworn off getting involved in any more murder investigations.

When the sheriff unexpectedly leaves on vacation, Jack is surprised to find himself appointed as deputy. So when Kate stumbles upon a dead body while visiting a friend, the Medlar Three are back in the sleuthing game. Kate also has a charming new real estate client with a mysterious past. He seems to be followed by trouble and that makes Sara and Jack uneasy.

It doesn’t take long to discover that the murder and the new man in town are somehow related—the question is how. When the stranger’s true identity is revealed, Sara realizes her carefully crafted story is about to unravel and she fears she’ll lose Kate and Jack forever. But she desperately hopes that love and honesty will win out over years of lies and deceit. And besides, family is family—even if you sometimes want to kill them.

My Thoughts: The fourth book in the Medlar Mysteries reveals a lot of secrets many of them centering around Kate. First of all, the father her mother told her was dead is released from prison early and has come to Lachlan to get to know his daughter. Kate's world is shaken. Her beloved Aunt Sara has been keeping secrets from her for years. 

And Sara is suffering from guilt of her own as she feels that she was instrumental in her brother Randal's incarceration. Kate also doesn't know that Aunt Sara is the one who provided all the money for her and her mother ever since her father went to prison. 

Then Kate's mother Ava, who has been insisting that Kate return to Chicago to take care of her, decides to show up in Lachlan too. She wants her daughter and her husband back and is keeping quite a few secrets of her own too. 

There is some element of slapstick to this episode with both Sara and Randal both doing everything they can to keep out of Ava's sight. And the sheriff who has his own reasons for staying away from Randal convinces Jack to become deputy sheriff and take over the department saying that he's going on a cruise with his wife but stays almost hidden in his home. 

This was an excellent episode in the series. I enjoyed learning some of the secrets and liked that the Medlar Three came through it all still a tight trio. 

Favorite Quote:

"There's no reason to be upset," he said. "Nothing has happened to you. Well, except your mother flaunting herself about town to make sure you know she's here--which is eating you with guilt. Sara's so angry that black mold is beginning to grow on the walls. And then there are a couple of dead bodies, but one's not dead. He's in a coma and may not ever wake up. And of course there's your not-dead father who's making you crazy by courting you like he's the Beast, and you're Beauty. If he doesn't  win you over to his side, he seems to think his life will be forfeit. And then there's..."

Kate's laugh cut him off. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.