I was looking for an unusual mystery to read and review in celebration of Mystery Month in This Awful Awesome Life.
I belong to a couple of groups with Liz Milliron on Facebook. We’ve never met, and I’d never read any of her books.
Milliron isn’t one of those writers who constantly makes every post about themselves and their work.
Her posts are usually humorous and are always supportive of other authors. Our mutual friend, author Annette Dashofy, is also supportive of other writers. When Annette shared a link for Liz Milliron’s latest novel, it got my attention, and I’m so glad it did.
Milliron is the author of two mystery series, the Laurel Highlands Mysteries, and the Homefront Mysteries. She also writes Hero’s Sword, a middle-grade adventure fantasy series as M.E. Sutton. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, including Mystery Most Historical and the Anthony-award winning Blood on the Bayou.
Betty Ahern, the main character of The Secrets We Keep by Liz Milliron, offers a refreshing twist on the traditional private detective. Betty is a young woman in Buffalo, New York during World War II. Her fiancé and her brother are both oversees fighting in the war. Fresh out of school, she still lives with her parents and other siblings.
Betty’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. 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 the fifth and most recent book in Milliron’s Homefront series. I look forward to reading the previous books in the series, and new additions. Betty Ahern is an exciting character, and the Homefront Mystery series is my front row seat to the action.
Visit her author page at: https://lizmilliron.com/
Books by Liz Milliron:
The Laurel Highlands Mystery Series:
Root of All Evil (Book 1) 2018
Heaven Has No Rage (Book 2) 2019
Broken Trust (Book 3) 2020
Harm Not the Earth (Book 4) 2021
Lie Down with Dogs (Book 5) 2022
Thicker Than Water (Book 6) 2023
Murder Most Scenic: The Laurel Highlands Mysteries short story collection – 2015
An Idyllic Place for Murder: A Laurel Highlands Mysteries short story (1) 2014
Death & Politics: A Laurel Highlands Mysteries short story (2) 2014
Fatal Frost: A Laurel Highlands Mysteries short story (3) 2015
Dead of Summer: A Laurel Highlands Mysteries short story (5) 2014
A Brew to Die For: A Laurel Highlands Mysteries short story (6) 2014
The Homefront Mystery Series:
The Enemy We Don’t Know (Book 1) 2020
The Stories We Tell (Book 2) 2021
The Lessons We Learn (Book 3) 2022
The Truth We Hide (Book 4) 2023
The Secrets We Keep (Book5) 2024
Hero’s Sword:
Power Play (Book 1) 2015
Storm Clouds (Book 2) 2015
Wedding Bliss (Book 3) 2015
Snake in the Grass (Book 4) 2015
Fire Storm (Book 5) 2015
Shadow Dance (Book 6) 2015
Silks & Swords (Book 7) 2017
Images are from Liz Milliron’s author page.