Book Review: The Lessons We Learn by Liz Milliron (Homefront Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and story

Cons: I didn’t learn any cons

The Bottom Line:

With friend a suspect

Betty must track down killer

Great historical

Betty Must Clear Her Friend

Most of the time with the series I read, each mystery stands completely alone.  The victim and suspects are all introduced in that story.  Every so often, however, a sub-plot that’s been brewing for a couple of books jumps to the forefront and becomes the main plot of a book.  That’s the case with The Lessons We Learn, the third Homefront Mystery from Liz Milliron.

This series takes place in Buffalo during World War II.  In the past two books, we’ve gotten to know Betty Ahern, who is working at Bell Airplane to do her part for the war effort.  However, she longs to become a private investigator, and she’s found some success with a couple of cases that have come her way, fitting it in around her job.  We’ve also gotten to know her family and friends, including her best friend, Lee Tillotson.  Unfortunately, Lee’s homelife isn’t the best since his father has started drinking after an accident left him in pain.  To make matters worse, Mr. Tillotson is a mean drunk.

It's now March of 1943, and Lee’s dad has been missing for a couple of weeks.  Lee isn’t at all concerned about it, but Betty is afraid something might have happened to him.  Sadly, Betty proves to be correct, and Mr. Tillotson’s body turns up in the Buffalo River.  The police quickly determine that his death wasn’t an accident, and Lee’s statements about being glad his dad was gone make him the prime suspect.  That’s when Lee starts getting very secretive, not even telling Betty the truth.  Can she prove her friend is innocent?

Since we already know the characters, the book is able to just right into the story.  And, as a fan of the first two books in the series, I was hooked right away.  I never wanted to put the book down, and the twists and surprises kept me engaged until the very end.  It helped that Betty had more of a deadline with this case, and the story was compressed into a few days, making the action feel that much more urgent.

One thing that definitely helps is Betty’s first-person narration.  It’s got just enough of a 1940’s flavor to feel authentic without being off putting to us today.  In fact, it’s one of the reasons I got pulled into the book each time I picked it up.  It flows, allowing me to get fully lost in the story.

Since this book focuses on characters we’ve already met, we get a chance for some character development in the secondary characters.  I loved learning more about them and watching some relationships grow.  Speaking of which, I was glad to see some of the growth in Betty and her relationships from the previous books stayed.  Betty also gets a surprising partner in this investigation, and I really enjoyed that dynamic.

I also felt like I was back in 1943.  It’s the little details of everyday life and made me feel that way.

The Lessons We Learn is the strongest book in the series to date.  I enjoyed every page, and now I must wait impatiently for Betty’s next adventure.  If you haven’t started this series yet, you won’t be disappointed.

Keep fighting with the rest of the Homefront Mysteries.