Tag Archives: fiction

Nov21

REVIEW: Miller and Kelby: Major Case Squad Files by Maxine Flam

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Thank you to the author and Rosie’s Reviews for the copy of this book to review.

It took me a while to get through these stories. Each was pretty short and could easily be read quickly. When I did read them, I read two at a time during my lunch breaks. They were okay reads but I wasn’t compelled to return to them promptly.

While the premise of each story was creative and well thought out, the two main characters were written with very similar personalities and I was glad there were a lot of voice tags so the reader could tell who was speaking.

There were a few things that bothered me about the whole series of stories. There was a police psychologist that the two main characters consulted on over 70% of the tales. This guy was a mind reading savant of some sort because every case, on very little information, he nailed what kind of suspect they should look for; it was especially jarring in the eleventh story. In that one, he barely knew one thing about the crime and spouted off a lot of details. When the reader was invited in the head of the perpetrator, his thoughts mirrored exactly what the psychologist said was the type of killer and the motivation for murder they were looking for in their quest to solve the case. This happened in each story where the psychologist gave advice to the main characters.

there was another thing that bothered this reader. The two partners would set up a stake out at a particular location and that very same night, the killer would show up to their location.  I know these are short stories, but they were too easily solved with the psychologist and the killer playing right into their set up to catch him.  There were no moments of disappointment that they had to try again at another time. I felt there was no real drama or really high stakes (until the eleventh story which was the one with car salesman murders).

My favorite story was the one with the food critic (story number ten) as none of the things that bothered me were present in that story. I’m wondering if the stories were presented in the order the author wrote them as it appears her story telling improved as this reader kept reading.

In short, the writer of these stories has a nice way with prose and plotting. I just wanted the stories to be more fleshed out and a little harder for the protagonists to solve, along with more high stakes as there were in stories eleven and twelve.

3 stars

BLURB:

“Two Detectives, One City

The time: the late 1970s

The place: Los Angeles, California

Joseph (Joe) Miller and William (Bill) Kelby are detectives with the Major Case Squad. They get the hard-to-solve cases. And they solve them the old-fashioned way with grit and determination, forensics, and help from the department psychologist.

Miller and Kelby are a dedicated detective team that Los Angeles turns to when there are unsolved murders in the city. And solving murders is their specialty. They put their lives on the line every day for the citizens of Los Angeles, a city that rarely sleeps.”

Oct13

Review: Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

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I bought this book back in July when the bookstore had a Christmas in July sale. I finally had a chance to read it and absolutely loved it.

The two main characters are Anna and Maryam. Anna was raised in a Christian household but had a Jewish stepmother. Maryam is a Muslim whose family comes from India.

Both live in Denver. Anna works for a magazine and has a boyfriend she’s been seeing for only about six months. He thinks she’s perfect, but she worries that he doesn’t know the real her.

Maryam is a pharmacist and works with her family in their drugstore. She’s always been the dutiful daughter. Her sister is a doctor with Doctors Without Borders. Maryam spends a lot of her time being the person who arranges things for her family and making sure all things run smoothly. She’s also been roped into planning her sister’s wedding during Ramadan.

Anna finds herself on a separate plane when she is to fly to Toronto to meet her boyfriend’s family for the first time for Christmas. She has to catch a later flight than him due to work commitments.

Maryam’s family ends up on the same flight as Anna. They find themselves as seat mates and when the plane hits turbulence, they each share secrets with each other.

The problem is Maryam shares her lifelong crush on a family friend, Saif. Who just happens to be seated behind them and hears the whole thing.

The plane is forced to make an emergency landing at a small airport as the snowstorm that had started at take-off has worsened. By the time their plane would arrive at Toronto, it would be impossible to land there.

They find themselves in a small town called Snowfalls.

Maryam’s sister is miserable and making everyone around her the same as she’s concerned about her wedding. Maryam has that worry as well as finding food for her family to break their Ramadan fast. She’s also concerned that her crush is staying at the same inn and is making no secret of overhearing the conversation with Anna.

Anna, on the other hand, has a boyfriend who is completely enraged that she was on a flight that was delayed. He’s making demands that she make arrangements to get to Toronto any way she can. She stops at a bar she finds open and makes the acquaintance of a man named Josh. He’s nice enough to help her find the inn where he’s staying and Maryam’s family as well.

Over the next few days, Anna makes friends with Maryam’s family as well as Josh and both women become involved with each other as well as the small town that is welcoming to all. Maryam spends time with her crush although she tries to push him away. Maryam’s sister remained self-centered and miserable for most of the book, blaming the family fixer, Maryam, for everything from the snowstorm socking them in to the fact she had to cancel the venues for her celebrations.

This book was charming and inclusive.  All three holidays were celebrated and this reader learned a bit more about Ramadan than she knew. It was interesting to learn those traditions as well as the various celebrations surrounding an Indian marriage.

The two main character women grew in themselves and faced their own faults and shared friendship and guidance with each other. One particular character this reader like a lot was the grandfather of Maryam. He was wise and warm to everyone.

The book celebrated Ramadan, Chanukah, and Christmas in a lovely way, along with the normal romantic tropes. The authors did a beautiful job merging the cultures and celebrations of the seasons of each of the holidays as well as showing growth for the two main characters. I recommend this one as a lively holiday story that could be a Hallmark movie.

BLURB:

Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos.

As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops.
An emergency landing finds Anna, Saif, Maryam, and her sister’s entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town, where fate has Anna’s actor-crush filming a holiday romance. As Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to Saif, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love—both women soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.

Aug19

The Glass Eel by J. J. Viertel

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I received a copy of the ARC of this book from the publisher, The Mysterious Press in exchange for an unbiased review on behalf of Rosie’s Review Team. I thank the publisher and Wunderkind PR firm for this opportunity. It comes out in September and you should have it on your list to read, for sure.

The book was quite enjoyable and even educational. I didn’t know one thing about eel migration and spawning nor did I know about how they are harvested or transported for sale. The father/Son writing team clearly are well-acquainted with the process as well as the state of Maine.

But don’t think this is some boring tale about fisheries and eels. It’s a downright interesting mystery and thriller of a novel.

There are a few chapters from the point of view of sea creatures which add to the atmosphere of the story. It’s not like they’re anthropomorphic, but more like we, the readers, are included in the biosphere of the ocean and currents and how they interact with sea life. I thought it was a pretty cool concept that added richness to the story.

Jeanette, the main protagonist, is a woman with strength and conviction. She’s brave to the point of irrationality in some places, but I never felt like she was “too stupid to live” like sometimes happens in novels. She was sensible and bright and one steady-nerved person. She didn’t hesitate to move into danger when she needed to be strong and unafraid.

The other characters in the story who were her friends and close comrades were all well-written and fully realized. I liked all of them and they each added an important element to the story telling. It’s always a good read when the protagonist’s allies are also people the reader can root for and like. This reader is very much someone who needs to care about the characters to full enjoy a story. This writing team delivers that and more.

The bad guys were also well developed and each were a different brand of evil. None were caricatures which is always a good thing.

The story is intriguing and very nicely plotted and laid out.

Environmental issues play a part as well as the treatment of indigenous people in the state historically, as well as in the modern era. The authors didn’t bang the reader over the head with any of those things, though. They seamlessly wove those issues into the tale.

The action was fast and the suspects many and varied.

I truly enjoyed this book and hope to see more from these writers. It was a quick read. Filled with action, great plot points and a satisfying ending.

Five stars

BLURB:

In this gripping debut thriller, struggling divorcée Jeanette King becomes embroiled in a criminal ring when she discovers her ex-husband’s cache of baby eels.

Caterpillar Island is off the central coast of Maine―beloved vacationland of lobster bakes and quaint fried clam shacks, kayaking and country houses. At night, though, by the light of a headlamp, the island is alive with cash, guns, and poachers. Oxy addicts, struggling retirees, and unemployable deadbeats dip their nets in the creeks to catch elvers―two-inch-long baby eels that fetch $2000 a pound on the international black market.

Into this dark and dangerous world falls Jeanette King, who has, up to this moment, been earning her meager living mainly by picking and packaging peekytoe crab meat for shipment to New York and Boston. As Jeanette gets drawn into a fast-moving story of risk and violent consequences, she enlists the aid of a local policeman and an Indigenous activist. Together they try to set things right for the people and the planet. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous things get. An ensuing procession of colorful locals, corrupt state politicians, and treacherous outsiders weaves a tale that reveals the underbelly of a deadly business.

Aug12

The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer, a Review

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Allie is a romance writer with writer’s block and a book due imminently.

Martin is a famous writer of murder mysteries who hasn’t had a new book out in so many years that he calls himself a former writer.

They share a publishing house and meet in an alley at the publisher’s summer party where both are avoiding certain people at the party. Also on that alley is an attractive young man who Allie had a conversation earlier when he was passing out hors d’oeuvres.

Both Allie and Martin are in a bind. They’re required to honor their contracts or return their advances. Allie still has hers but she doesn’t want to part with it. Martin has loaned his to his daughter and he’s positive she’s spent it all. And his wife has no idea.

Each of the writers are called in to the office of the publisher to see the new guy running the place. The man with no soul. After their meetings, separately, they both head to the cafe across the street to lick their wounds. Recognizing each other from that alley encounter, they sit together to commiserate.

The conversation turns to Allie’s boyfriend who broke up with her the night of the summer party. She’s not upset as they’d drifted apart, but she did fantasize about him being the victim of a serial killer. Martin talks about needing advice from a romance writer on how to reignite the passion in his marriage.

Martin tells her she should write a murder mystery with her idea about the serial killer, but her contract is for a romance, so she tells him he can have her plot if he helps her with her writer’s block by sharing the story of how he and his wife met as well as the romantic gestures he creates in his quest to win back his wife.

The story jumps off from there with many situations that cause the reader to cheer for both of the writers as well as laugh at some of the situations Allie finds herself in.

Allie is an absolutely charming character who steps into interesting scenarios as she flirts with and sort of dates the handsome man who was also in the alley that night. She also continues to try to work through her writer’s block and finds herself telling many fibs to her editor in the process.

Martin’s journey feels a little easier but he’s not the main protagonist so that was fine with this reader.  He’s a likable character as well. There is a twist in the tale that leads to more angst for Allie.

This was a fun book and a pretty quick read. It was left in my little free library on a Friday and I finished it that weekend. I’m not one to read a lot of romance as there are certain aspects of some of them I don’t enjoy, but this was witty, charming, and somewhat unique. I recommend it.

BLURB:

This love story is a work in progress…

When romcom author Allie Edwards crosses paths with bestselling crime novelist – aka publishing dinosaur – Martin Clark at a party, they discover they both have crippling writer’s block, overdue manuscripts and precisely zero words to show to their respective editors.

With deadlines looming, Allie and Martin decide to switch plots and tell each other’s stories. In the writing process, Allie not only gains a father-figure in Martin, but also meets gorgeous events caterer Will, the answer to the leading man-shaped hole in her life and her lack of spicy material.

Caught between love and her career, what could possibly go wrong?

Jul30

Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker

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Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel set in California. A modern-day novel with some historical factors blended into the tale.

Lew Gale is a detective in Orange County, California.  He is also part of the indigenous Acjacheme tribe. He is sent to investigate the killing of a man by a lion. What he finds is anything but a simple man vs. wild animal scenario. In addition, the victim is a prominent citizen of the county.

Things get convoluted and the trail leads Lew and his new partner in many directions, keeping the reader engaged in the mystery and the action. The new partner wasn’t someone I really could get behind based on her spying on her child and other things the character had going on in her life.

There are flashbacks to Acjacheme tribe lore which was a fascinating part of the book. Clearly, the author did a lot of research into the tribe. I had not heard of this particular tribe before picking up this book and enjoyed learning about them.

Many social issues come into play in this story, like Lew’s PTSD from his time in the military, tribal rights, the historical treatment of indigenous peoples by the church, and greed of corporations and the people who run them.

Even with the social issues raised in the story, there is no feeling of lecturing by the author. It is all seamlessly interwoven into the mystery and action. The story may have bogged down in some places, but it was still an enjoyable read.

A really good read for the fan of the genre. The reader is also educated about many things without feeling as if they are in a classroom.

Four stars

BLURB:

The hunt for the truth is the deadliest game.

Former Marine sniper Lew Gale, now a detective with the Orange County California Sheriff’s Department, is assigned to track and shoot a mountain lion that has killed a man in the rugged country east of Laguna Beach, California. The victim is Bennet Tarlow, a rich developer and man-about-town in upscale coastal Orange County.

The investigation takes a chilling turn when Lew and his new partner, Daniela Mendez, discover that Bennet was dead long before the lion got to him. And while he might have been the first to die, he certainly will not be the last.

Feb16

The Library Game by Gigi Pandian

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Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the copy of this book for review.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by this author with these characters. I’m very much enjoying the series. The main character is Tempest Raj, a woman who was an entertainer for many years who is now working in her family’s business of remodeling homes. But these remodels have a twist. The company specializes in secret staircases, hidden alcoves, trick entries and other seemingly magical architectural details.

Tempest’s family are very supportive of each other as well as their community and friends.

The characters in these stories have come to feel like friends to this reader as well. They have quirks in their personalities and each one is unique.

In this story, Tempest and her gang are working on a house they are transforming into a library. The owner passed away and left a vast number of volumes of old-school mystery books. He left funds for his nephew to renovate the house and make it into a specialty library with living quarters above.

To introduce the new specialty library to the community, a play is written to entertain the crowds during a weekend event. While rehearsing the play, things begin to go awry. From what seemed to be a murder victim, to a disappearing body, a busybody neighbor, and one of Tempest’s friends being put under surveillance by the police, this story is full of twists and turns. One issue after another arises and Tempest and her friends have to solve the real life mysteries before someone else gets hurt or killed.

Another successful adventure by Gigi Pandian. Even though I figured out many parts of it, I love these characters and plot lines so much that it’s like hanging out with old friends.  Bring on the next one.

Feb10

The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall

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I have been remiss in posting reviews lately. No excuses, just madness in my day job. I wrote a few this weekend, so I am trying to do better.

This was an excellent book. I very much enjoyed it. There are two distinct story lines with two heroines, Audrey and Kate. The stories intersect when the two characters meet at a large estate house that has been turned into a boutique hotel.

Audrey was an English young woman who was living in Berlin in the 1930s. Her mother had been German and her father was English. Her mother passed away when Audrey was young and she spent a lot of time with the neighbor girl where she lived. When her father returned to England, Audrey stayed in Berlin with the Jewish family across the street. The daughter of the house was her best friend. Audrey was a gifted pianist studying her craft and stayed to keep at her studies.  

Kate is a young woman in the early part of the 21st century. Her marriage and job ended and she had nowhere to go as the lease was up on the place she and her husband rented while married. Her parents had passed away in a car accident and she was going to be all on her own. She was lucky enough to land a job at the boutique hotel that came with a place for her to live.

The two ladies meet and, after some initial animosity, they form a friendship over a period of time. Slowly, both of their stories come to light.

Audrey was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Nazi party took over Berlin and the Jewish family she lived with had some harrowing times. Audrey refused to abandon them and her own life thereby became fraught with danger.

Kate was also in the wrong place at the wrong time and had her own life changing moments.

Without giving away any spoilers, I have to say the bravery and heroism of Audrey was amazing to read as her story unfolded. The time period she lived in held many dark days and she withstood a lot.

Kate’s story was not as full of life or death circumstances, but she had a rough go at life as well.

How both of these ladies persevered and overcame makes for a great read. This one is high on my list of favorites. I read a lot of stories set in Audrey’s early life time frame and this one ranks high on intrigue and a compelling story line. 5 stars.

BLURB:

Northern England, 2010. After a tragic accident upends her life, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border, where she hopes to find a fresh start and heal from her loss. When she arrives, she begins to unravel the truth about her past, but discovers that the mysterious elderly proprietor is harboring secrets of her own .

Berlin, 1938. Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she’s been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan. As war looms, Ilse’s family disappears and high-ranking Nazi officers confiscate the house. In desperation, Audrey becomes their housekeeper while Ilse is forced into hiding in the attic. When a shocking turn of events embroils Audrey in the anti-Hitler movement, she must decide what matters most: protecting those she loves, or sacrificing everything for the greater good.

Inspired by true stories of courageous women and the German resistance during World War II, The Secret History of Audrey James is a captivating novel about the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and the healing that comes from human connection.

Oct29

Run by Matthew Becker

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Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to be reviewed by Rosie’s Book Review team.

Ben’s wife, Veronica, is missing. She went out for a run and never came home.

A news story about the bodies of four runners being found causes Ben greater anguish as the route his wife Veronica runs goes right by the place where the bodies were found.

Ben works a high profile job as the aide for a politician. He enlists the assistance of his friend Jeremy who is mounting a run for president. With his contacts, perhaps they can get past any bureaucratic walls of the police investigation to find out if Veronica was a victim or perhaps just a witness who is hiding because of concerns she may be a target of the killer if he knew she saw him. But if that was the case, why didn’t she call and say she was fine?

Ben is sure they have a strong marriage and she wasn’t having an affair. She would never leave him and the two children. At least he’s adamant about that. Unsure of anything else, that’s one thing he knows in his gut.

When no real answers are forthcoming about her whereabouts, Ben decides to become an investigator himself. He believes he can find her if no one else can.

The story has many twists and turns. I figured out a lot of it early on as I always challenge myself to do. Two big surprises were obvious to me but I still enjoyed the story a lot. Great character in Ben and his relationship with his in laws is very good. I love how they all supported each other and stepped up to protect the children from worry about their mother.

This is a fast paced story and I enjoyed it very much. The only thing I’d say that bothered me was the formatting on Apple Books. The chapter headings were at the end of the chapter before and the page headings were in the middle of the page.  It was a bit distracting but fixable for the author and I still kept reading as the plot compelled me on.

Four stars.

BLURB:

‘I LOVE YOU. I JUST NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT.’
When Congressional staffer Ben Walsh receives this cryptic text from his wife he initially doesn’t think much of it.

But while waiting to hear from her again, Ben discovers that the text came an hour before a shooting that occured along her daily running route. Veronica won’t pick up her phone, and when she doesn’t return home, he knows she is somehow involved.

If she isn’t one of the victims, then where is she, and what did she know?

While Ben searches for his wife, he stumbles upon another violent death, with clear connections to the shooting. The police name Veronica as their main suspect, and when more evidence suggesting his wife’s involvement appears, even Ben has to reconsider what he knows about her.

Unbeknownst to Ben, a killer from Veronica’s past stalks his family, with his own reasons for wanting to find her. What Ben does know is his best chance at saving Veronica, and keeping her out of prison, is finding her and the truth before the police—or this killer—do. But what if the truth is even more deadly than he could imagine?

Sep16

Booked for Murder- by P.J. Nelson- Review

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It’s been a summer! Didn’t realize I hadn’t posted here since the beginning of July. Life sometimes carries on the crest of a wave!

Booked for Murder, by P.J. Nelson

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

This one had lots of things I love about cozy mysteries. A quirky setting, a bookstore, a murder mystery, set in the south and a feisty heroine. It was a good read and I read it in an afternoon. The characters were fleshed out for the most part and the plot was well executed.

Where the book fell short for me was that it wasn’t memorable. It was such a quick read that when I sat down on two occasions to write a review, I honestly couldn’t remember a lot about what happened in the story. It just didn’t stay with me for long. While I was reading it, I liked it well enough. Sadly, it wasn’t very memorable. It looks like it’s been set up to be a series and I enjoyed it enough to probably read the next one, but I’ll have to refresh my memory to recall what happened in this one.

The writer has excellent skills in characterization and plotting and I wish something had stood out to make the book resonate more and stay with me.

I’m giving it four stars as it was well-written and I think perhaps I have merely read too many books that are similar and it’s a “me” problem as opposed to a problem with the work.

BLURB:

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she’s left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. The gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn’t leave immediately.

But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there’s another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it’s up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim.

Jun26

Familia by Lauren E. Rico, a Review

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Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was wonderful and enjoyable. I inhaled it in a couple of reading sessions.

We first meet Gabby, a fact checker for a magazine who has aspirations of being a writer for the same magazine. The problem is, she is too good at the job she currently holds and is being thwarted in making her dream come true. She is an only child and her parents are deceased.

The magazine editor decides to do a story on people finding relatives through the genealogy websites and asks all the staff to take the DNA test offered by one site to see what gets uncovered.

Isabella is a young, married women living in Puerto Rico. Her mother passed away and left her and a baby sister with their father. The father, in his grief, turns to drink. One night, while he is out at the bar with the baby, he passes out in the street and wakes up to an empty stroller. He can’t forgive himself for losing his daughter and life for the older daughter changes dramatically as her father isn’t there to protect her from the evils of the world as he is too busy drinking and grieving, now both for his lost daughter as well as his wife.

Isabella is able to make a happy marriage but she spends a lot of her life searching for her lost sister.

When Gabby receives the results of her DNA test, she is stunned to see that the company has indicated she has a relative. She can’t believe the test is correct. Isabella gets an email that there is a match for a sibling. While Gabby wants another test since the first one was in error, Isabella is hopeful that this Gabby person is her long-lost sister.

Gabby’s boss wants to send a staff member to Puerto Rico to get the story. Gabby wants to do it herself and, when she’s denied the chance by her boss, she quits her job. Skeptical that this is anything but a mistake, she goes to Puerto Rico anyway and meets Isabella.

The story takes off from there on the lives of these two women, solving mysteries for each, and learning about each other. One is convinced she has found her sister at last and one is convinced there’s been a huge mistake. This makes for some great conflict in the storyline.

The way the author weaves the stories of the two women is brilliant. As well, she has captured Puerto Rico and its beauty and culture and I’m not surprised to learn she spent a lot of time there over the years visiting her grandmother. The island becomes a character itself in the excellent descriptions of various places in the story.

If you enjoy multi-cultural stories with heart, this one is highly recommended.  Five Stars.

BLURB:

What if your most basic beliefs about your life were suddenly revealed to be a lie?

As the fact checker for a popular magazine, Gabby DiMarco believes in absolute, verifiable Truths—until they throw the facts of her own life into question. The genealogy test she took as research for an article has yielded a baffling result: Gabby has a sister—one who’s been desperately trying to find her. Except, as Gabby’s beloved parents would confirm if they were still alive, that’s impossible.

Isabella Ruiz can still picture the face of her baby sister, who disappeared from the streets of San Juan twenty-five years ago. Isabella, an artist, has fought hard for the stable home and loving marriage she has today—yet the longing to find Marianna has never left. At last, she’s found a match, and Gabby has agreed to come to Puerto Rico.

But Gabby, as defensive and cautious as Isabella is impulsive, offers no happy reunion. She insists there’s been a mistake. And Isabella realizes that even if this woman is her sister, she may not want to be.
With nothing—or perhaps so much—in common, Gabby and Isabella set out to find the truth, though it means risking everything they’ve known for an uncertain future—and a past that harbors yet more surprises . . .