Author: Hannah Martian
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (October 15, 2024)
Description: A family goes to drastic lengths to protect their version of the truth in this dual-timeline rural debut mystery, perfect for readers of Kelly J. Ford and Hayley Scrivenor.
In the small town of Wonderland, Wyoming, the truth is whatever the Coldwater family says it is. When their prodigal daughter, Jessica, was murdered forty years ago, their truth was that Holly Prine killed her–regardless of Holly’s innocence.
But the Coldwaters aren’t the only reason private investigator Quinn Cuthridge hasn’t set foot in the town in nearly a decade. After her aunt sent her away when she was a teen, Quinn swore she’d never return. When she gets an unexpected call from her aunt’s ranch hand, Hunter, Quinn learns that her aunt has gone missing. Reluctantly, she returns to Wyoming to investigate and soon realizes that her aunt was getting dangerously close to long-buried Wonderland secrets, including who really murdered Jessica Coldwater.
As Hunter and Quinn dig into what lies in the Wyoming backcountry, attraction flares between the two women, complicating their investigation–and Quinn’s steadfast refusal to have any ties to Wonderland. With someone threatening Quinn and her own dark past echoing in the present, Quinn must struggle against her hometown and herself to find the truth in this rich queer mystery.
My Thoughts: Loud and proud lesbian PI Quinn Cuthridge comes back to Wonderland, Wyoming, when she gets a call from Hunter telling her that her aunt has disappeared. Quinn hasn't seen her aunt Cora for eight years since she sent Quinn away and told her she never wanted to see her again.
Quinn learns that her aunt was very interested in a forty-year-old mystery when Jessica Coldwater died and her best friend Holly Prine disappeared. It had been assumed that Holly had murdered Jessica but Aunt Cora didn't believe that.
Quinn finds herself investigating the old crime while she investigates her aunt's disappearance. She learns that the Coldwater name still holds vast importance in Wonderland, and no one wants the old crime investigated.
The book is told with a dual timeline so that we can find out what happened between Jessica and Holly who are beginning their own lesbian relationship and running afoul of the Coldwater matriarch. The parallels between Quinn's growing relationship with Hunter and Holly's with Jessica provide Mirrors of each other.
The story was interesting and the characters compelling. The twists and turns of the story provided all sorts of surprises.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
This sounds good, I'll make a note of this one.
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