The Death of Us by Lori Rader-Day

 Liss Kehoe’s life changed the day her husband’s lover, Ashley Hay, dropped off their baby Callan and never returned in the page-turner mystery The Death of Us by Lori Rader-Day coming out October 3. Never mind that Callan is a “love child”—Liss loved him unconditionally and raised him into the teenager he has become in a twisted tale of love, betrayal, and family secrets.

 

The plot starts 15 years later when a car is spotted in a quarry on the Kehoe family property consisting of the original home in which Liss, Link, and Callan lived until she kicked out Link  as well as the newer home where Link’s parents Patty and Rockwell live. Callan and his friends almost wind up in the quarry themselves when their driver loses control in the same area. Law enforcement arrives and begins a recovery of the submerged car, which appears to be Ashley’s vehicle.

 

Liss had always feared that Ashley would show up one day wanting to reclaim Callan, but Liss could never have guessed that Ashley might have run off the road the night she gave Callan to Liss. Will there be a body when the car is pulled out? If it turns out to be Ashley’s remains in the car, what caused her to drive into the quarry? Was she suicidal or was there something more evil going on?

After the quarry discovery and identification is complete, Liss starts receiving hangups at all times in the night and early morning. Someone paints “KILLER” in red on her white barn. Apparently, her mailbox has suffered an “accident.” She comes home one night to see a light moving around in her house so she flees and calls the police. She and Callan need not only protection but also answers that will put this seeming scandal and possible murder to rest.

 

Lori Rader-Day is also the author of Death at Greenway, a work of historical fiction about a mystery at the home of Agatha Christie where children were evacuated during World War II. Born in Indiana, she lives in Chicago, where she teaches creative writing for Northwestern University.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting August 23, 2023.

I would like to thank William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.