Published: April 13, 2021

Crooked Lane Books

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alicia Beckman delighted in living in Seattle as a college student, and young lawyer but is happiest back home in her native Montana, where she lives with her husband, a musician, and doctor of natural medicine, and their full-figured gray tuxedo cat.

“Besides, the cops don’t believe women like me.”

Sarah is trying to figure out how her life will continue after the death of her husband. When her mother invites her home to help get the family lodge ready for tourist season, the last thing Sarah ever expected was a reunion. Or a murder. Between trying to figure out her grief, and what happens next, Sarah is faced with more questions than answers. And she might not survive to figure out anything.

I love that this novel took place in Montana. The Midwest is gorgeous, and Montana is such a lovely place. There is a lot of history, natural beauty, secrets, and family in this book. The story is brutally raw but openly vulnerable.

I loved how the stages of grief were so eloquently intertwined throughout the story. The process of healing after a loss is such a quizzical part of life. And Alicia Beckman truly represented every aspect of the process, with the different characters.

The plot moved along at a fast pace, and the character development was divine. I enjoyed getting to know these characters. I also wanted how the past was interwoven with the present and how both had such a bearing on the future.

The twist in this book came at such a perfect place and was unexpected. I found myself connecting with each of the main characters for various reasons, and I love how everything came together in the end. This is my first Alicia Beckman novel, but not my last.