I’m back! Just saying hello and sharing my review for one of five books I managed to read while on vacation in Mexico. The socials kept me busy, so I didn’t get to read all the books I had planned to, but I enjoyed the ones I managed to read. My regular midweek blog will resume on Wednesday. I still have a mountain of things that need tending to, and I have yet to write my vacation journey posts but I thought I’d get the ball rolling with the first of reviews for one of the books I enjoyed while away – Genuine Deceit by Joy York.
Blurb:
When a young woman finds herself unknowingly accountable for the past sins of her family, she must unravel their secrets and lies to stay alive.
When her grandmother is brutally murdered in her own home, Reagan Asher leaves her corporate job and rushes to her sleepy hometown in Ohio. She has barely entered the house before a second break-in attempt is made, prompting police to believe it’s not just a random burglary. Reagan’s lifelong friend Mattie asks Aiden Rannell, her brother-in-law and an ex-Navy Seal, to lend support and protection to Reagan as she navigates the investigation.
Aiden suggests a ring that Reagan’s grandmother owned may be more valuable than anyone realizes. Considering her frugal life growing up, Reagan dismisses the idea, showing Aiden an old pink box filled with similar colorful, ornate costume jewelry she and her friends played with as children. When they find a decades-sealed container with shocking contents supporting Aiden’s concerns, Reagan begs him to help her find the origin and if it is related to her Nana’s death.
Finding clues to solve a decades old mystery proves challenging as the threats to Reagan’s life escalate. Could the discovery of a water-stained, half-torn photo found in her grandmother’s safe deposit box be significant? Her mother’s suicide? Her father’s abandonment? Unanswered questions send Reagan and Aiden across the country in search of answers, with danger never far behind. With each new revelation of deception and lies, Reagan begins to doubt everything she ever knew about her life.
My 5 Star Review:
I will start by saying, whew! What a roller coaster of events!
An engaging suspense story. It all begins at Reagan’s Nana’s house when she is found murdered. Reagan flies from her hometown Chicago, to Ohio when she hears what happened to her Nana.
A seemingly frugal grandma murdered in her own home, for what? That’s what I savored every page to find out as Aiden and Reagan led a dangerous investigation of their own. The police had still assumed it was a burglary gone bad when Reagan and Aiden uncovered something big and they were determined to find out what some of the clues led to for themselves before sharing with the police. If Aiden hadn’t have had a sneaky suspicion about a ring Reagan played with as a child and believed her whole life it was costume jewelry, this story would have turned out very different – and not in a good way.
Besides the many chases and perilous moments in this great suspense – with a touch of romance, Reagan had to deal with realizing that some of the people she grew up with as family, had quite the pasts that left her questioning much of her childhood. With her father abandoning her as a child, and her mother committing suicide when she was only seven, her Nana raised her, and everything she thought she knew about her grandmother wasn’t truth.
Reagan’s best friend Mattie, since childhood asks her husband’s brother Aiden to watch over Reagan while the burglar/murderer is still at large. The pair begin searching the house hoping to find clues as to what this burglar wanted and come across some old photos of Reagan’s mom and some of her friends that piqued Reagan’s curiousity. And then a surprising discovery of a safety deposit key that belonged to her Nana.
During one of their many visits back to Nana’s house, Reagan and Aiden are faced with danger as the burglar comes back, still looking for what he didn’t previously find. And the hunt and chases begin. With many near death experiences, attempted kidnappings, plentiful twists and turns, this book was an addictive read. The author masterfully ties in all the characters, crimes, and red herrings. Also, there was a stunning revelation in the last chapter we don’t see coming. I certainly look forward to reading more from this author. If you love suspenseful page-turners, you will love this book.
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