Daughter of Mine

When a close family member or other loved one dies, so many events tend to accompany it. Secrets are revealed, inheritances are passed down, tenuous relationship bonds dissolve. So I am always interested in books that follow the wake of these kinds of losses; they have so much built-in suspense. In her latest novel, Daughter of Mine, Megan Miranda carefully unpacks one such death to twist-filled and riveting effect.

After the death of her father—the longtime sheriff of Mirror Lake—Hazel Sharp is drawn back to her childhood home, which she inherits. The house and town are a bit worse for wear. Drought has begun to plague the area. And as it finally dries up all the nearby lakes, many long-hidden local secrets are revealed. These revelations begin to make Hazel wonder if she might be able to finally unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. As she investigates, she must navigate the town’s prickly residents and the sense of foreboding that looms in the air.

This book is deeply atmospheric. You will be able to visualize every nook and cranny of Mirror Lake and each page will give you a case of the heeby jeebies, which, let’s be honest, is what we come to thrillers for ultimately. I bow down to Ms. Miranda; she’s written another impeccable spine tingler.

When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel’s not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.