ARC Review: Don't Ask, Don't Follow by Mary Keliikoa

Don't Ask, Don't Follow
Author: Mary Keliikoa
Publication: Oceanview Publishing (June 4, 2024)

Description: Murder, dark family secrets, and the unwavering bond of sisterhood—regardless of the cost

Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon, would rather be racking up billable hours than mingling at an office party—especially when her sister Lindsay, aka her plus one, is a no-show.

After making her obligatory rounds, Beth returns to her office to find that her boss, who she’d talked with moments before, has been murdered. She sees a woman fleeing the scene. Wait—was that Lindsay? Unable to catch up to her in time, Beth waits for the police to arrive and notices that Lindsay has left her phone behind with an unsent text message to Beth displayed on the screen: “Don’t ask. Don’t follow.”

Lindsay is unreachable for days, and when Beth starts to come under suspicion for the crime, she decides that waiting is impossible. While retracing Lindsay’s steps, determined to bring her home, Beth uncovers what her sister, an investigative reporter bent on changing the world, was trying to expose—corruption, secrets, and betrayal on an unimaginable level. Revealing the truth might bring back the one person she’s desperate to find—but it could also destroy the only life and family Beth’s ever known.

My Thoughts: Beth Ralston finds her life spiraling out of control when she discovers her boss murdered and her sister Lindsay, apparently, fleeing the scene. Beth is a paralegal working in her father's firm and her sister is an investigative journalist. When her sister disappears after the murder, leaving only her cell phone with a message saying "Don't ask. Don't follow," Beth is determined to ignore her sister's message and find her.

As Beth tries to track down her sister, she learns that her sister was investigating a possible black market baby selling scheme. Poor women were told that their babies died after they gave birth at a special clinic. A DNA report seems to indicate that Lindsay's genetics don't match their parents which makes Beth wonder just how long this baby stealing racket has been going on. 

As she checks out the adoption agency and some of the women she could track down, she's sure that she's being followed. Her father, who is busy running for mayor, tells her to back off and let Lindsay get out of her own mess. He tells her to avoid the police detective who is investigating the murder claiming they had run-ins at a trial that prejudices him against her father. 

Not sure who to trust, Beth finds herself discovering all sorts of things about her family and learning who she can really trust.

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller.

Favorite Quote:

My whole world had been surrounded by justice and books and law. Because of my father, sure, but I'd become enamored by it early on. A desire to have things orderly and in place--for things to make sense and have a reason for being--had long been inside me. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.