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The Secrets We Keep
June, 1943
Betty Ahern isn’t a novice PI anymore. After solving several dangerous cases, she is hired for what she hopes will be simpler one. A soldier home from Europe on medical furlough wants her to find his birth mother. Left at a church and raised an orphan at Father Baker’s Home for Boys, his only clue is a silver St. Christopher medal with a French inscription on the back.
Betty tracks down the unmarried daughter of a wealthy businessman who mysteriously vanished from society for several months in the early 1920s. Against her better judgment, Betty tells her client, who rushes off to meet her. But when the woman is found murdered, and her client is arrested for the crime, Betty must switch from locating a missing mother to clearing his name.
Aided by some new partners, Betty once again delves into the secrets of Buffalo’s elite. What she finds threatens to rip open secrets long buried. Can she find a killer and reunite a family? Or will the hunt cost Betty and her client everything, including their lives?
Betty Ahern isn’t a novice PI anymore. After solving several dangerous cases, she is hired for what she hopes will be simpler one. A soldier home from Europe on medical furlough wants her to find his birth mother. Left at a church and raised an orphan at Father Baker’s Home for Boys, his only clue is a silver St. Christopher medal with a French inscription on the back.
Betty tracks down the unmarried daughter of a wealthy businessman who mysteriously vanished from society for several months in the early 1920s. Against her better judgment, Betty tells her client, who rushes off to meet her. But when the woman is found murdered, and her client is arrested for the crime, Betty must switch from locating a missing mother to clearing his name.
Aided by some new partners, Betty once again delves into the secrets of Buffalo’s elite. What she finds threatens to rip open secrets long buried. Can she find a killer and reunite a family? Or will the hunt cost Betty and her client everything, including their lives?
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2024
7 people want to read
About the author
Liz Milliron
26 books100 followersCompassion, loyalty...and crime.
Liz Milliron is the Shamus award-nominated author of the Homefront Mysteries, set in Buffalo, NY during the early years of WWII, the Laurel Highlands Mysteries set in the scenic Laurel Highlands of southwest Pennsylvania, and the Jackson Davis Mysteries set in Niagara Falls, NY. Her short fiction has been published in multiple anthologies including Murder Most International, Murder Most Historical, and the Anthony award-winning Blood on the Bayou. Liz is a past president of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the current Secretary, as well as the Education Liaison for the National Board of Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of International Thriller Writers, Pennwriters and the Historical Novel Society. Liz lives in the Laurel Highlands with her husband and a very spoiled retired-racer greyhound.
https://www.facebook.com/LizMilliron/
https://www.instagram.com/lizmilliron/
Liz Milliron is the Shamus award-nominated author of the Homefront Mysteries, set in Buffalo, NY during the early years of WWII, the Laurel Highlands Mysteries set in the scenic Laurel Highlands of southwest Pennsylvania, and the Jackson Davis Mysteries set in Niagara Falls, NY. Her short fiction has been published in multiple anthologies including Murder Most International, Murder Most Historical, and the Anthony award-winning Blood on the Bayou. Liz is a past president of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the current Secretary, as well as the Education Liaison for the National Board of Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of International Thriller Writers, Pennwriters and the Historical Novel Society. Liz lives in the Laurel Highlands with her husband and a very spoiled retired-racer greyhound.
https://www.facebook.com/LizMilliron/
https://www.instagram.com/lizmilliron/
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 14, 2024
Betty Ahern, the main character of The Secrets We Keep by Liz Milliron, is a refreshing twist on the traditional private detective. Betty is a young woman in Buffalo, New York during World War II. While waiting for her fiancé to come home from the war, she still lives with her parents and siblings. She’s caught between expectations for women of that era and the freedoms afforded by the war - with the men away fighting there are more job opportunities for women and she enjoys her independence. With her new PI license, she’s taking on a male dominated field.
Her latest client is a young soldier, Christopher Lake. Lake who was raised in a Buffalo orphanage is searching for his mother. His only possession from childhood is a St. Christopher medal with an inscription in French. He hires Betty to find his mother before he returns to his unit in two weeks. After Betty locates a woman who might be his mother, the woman is murdered and Private Lake becomes the primary suspect. Can Betty exonerate her client, find the real killer, and locate his mother? It’s a roller coaster of action and suspense.
Milliron remains historically accurate with dialogue, fashion, and social attitudes. Her character’s lives are touched by the war and remnants of the depression. Reading this book is like being transported back to the 1940s. Betty utilizes all the resources that would have been at her disposal to investigate including a healthy dose of leg work and deduction.
I was reminded of one of my favorite private investigators, Kinsey Millhone who was created by the incomparable Sue Grafton. Betty is much younger and less jaded, but as determined, down to earth, and hard-working as Kinsey. This book is part of Milliron’s Homefront series and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
Her latest client is a young soldier, Christopher Lake. Lake who was raised in a Buffalo orphanage is searching for his mother. His only possession from childhood is a St. Christopher medal with an inscription in French. He hires Betty to find his mother before he returns to his unit in two weeks. After Betty locates a woman who might be his mother, the woman is murdered and Private Lake becomes the primary suspect. Can Betty exonerate her client, find the real killer, and locate his mother? It’s a roller coaster of action and suspense.
Milliron remains historically accurate with dialogue, fashion, and social attitudes. Her character’s lives are touched by the war and remnants of the depression. Reading this book is like being transported back to the 1940s. Betty utilizes all the resources that would have been at her disposal to investigate including a healthy dose of leg work and deduction.
I was reminded of one of my favorite private investigators, Kinsey Millhone who was created by the incomparable Sue Grafton. Betty is much younger and less jaded, but as determined, down to earth, and hard-working as Kinsey. This book is part of Milliron’s Homefront series and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
February 12, 2024
I really love reading about Betty and her business being a PI. Each book has been better than the one before and now I can't wait to read the next.
July 1, 2024
Betty Ahern has just gotten her PI license, and she has a new case, as well. Private Christopher Lake was raised as an orphan, but he’s started to wonder what really happened to his parents. With only a St. Christopher medal as a clue, Betty sets out to see what she can learn. She’s just making progress when someone connected with the case dies. Can she figure out what is happening before Christopher ships out again?
I’ve enjoyed this series set in Buffalo during World War II, and this was another great entry. Even before the murder happened, I was hooked by what Betty was learning. Things only got more interesting the further I got into the book, until I reached the great climax. There are some timeline issues, but they are mostly annoying and don’t impact the story itself. Betty is really growing as an investigator, and it was nice to watch her follow some small clues in this book. The suspects are sharp, and I enjoyed seeing the returning characters again. There is a sub-plot that flows from the previous book in the series, and a few references to past stories, but nothing that is truly a spoiler. If you are interested in this time period, you’ll enjoy these books. If you are already a fan, you’ll enjoy this latest entry.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I’ve enjoyed this series set in Buffalo during World War II, and this was another great entry. Even before the murder happened, I was hooked by what Betty was learning. Things only got more interesting the further I got into the book, until I reached the great climax. There are some timeline issues, but they are mostly annoying and don’t impact the story itself. Betty is really growing as an investigator, and it was nice to watch her follow some small clues in this book. The suspects are sharp, and I enjoyed seeing the returning characters again. There is a sub-plot that flows from the previous book in the series, and a few references to past stories, but nothing that is truly a spoiler. If you are interested in this time period, you’ll enjoy these books. If you are already a fan, you’ll enjoy this latest entry.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews