I am a big fan of this author's Will Jackman series and I really loved the series opener, that this book is the follow-up to, when I read it last year. What happens in this book can be read in isolation but, to get the very best from Beth as a character, you could do yourself a favour and read After He's Gone first.
Once again Beth is the assigned Family Liaison Officer to a recently widowed woman whose husband was killed in what looks like a deliberate hit and run. But, with the victim himself being the accused in another crime, she has a bit more of an investigative role than the usual support she needs to try to deliver. With the deceased being who he was, there are more than enough suspects to investigate and filter through before the truth, the shocking truth of the matter, eventually comes out. But not before Beth herself is targeted for her close to the edge investigating skills.
This book hits the ground running right from the start and continues in this vein pretty much all the way through as things definitely start to heat up. With an interesting and intriguing plot, tightly crafted and delivering multiple suspects from the off which all need to be whittled down to get to the crux of the heinous crimes being committed, this book delivers punch after punch as it weaves its way towards the final and rather shocking truth. It's a tale of a family torn apart by a suspected crime that happened before the action contained within the main storyline. But one that could prove key to the solving of the initial murder. But to say more would inevitable spoil things so I'll leave it at that. Needless to say that the way things eventually ended has me yearning for the next episode.
Once again Beth is front and centre of the investigation and, having connected to her so well through her first outing, I'm happy to say that she continues to impress me through this, her second. She manages to seamless combine her FLO work with her investigations, her patience and compassion making her easy to trust and confide in despite some spanners thrown in by others.
As with book one, she also has her own personal stuff to contend with, notably regarding her sister's choice in men, but she manages to juggle this pretty seamlessly with her own work, albeit at times the two colliding occasionally.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read that kept my attention nicely throughout, leaving me satisfied at it's conclusion but eager to resolve that which was left open. Hopefully book three will not be long in coming - I really can't wait to hook up with Beth once again to find out what happens next.