Book Review: Keep Your Family Close by Annette Dashofy (Detective Honeywell Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and mystery

Cons: One aspect of the plot didn't work for me

The Bottom Line:

Multiple cases

Kept me turning the pages

In strong second book

Two Cases for Matthias Honeywell to Solve

Over the last few years, I’ve become a big fan of Annette Dashofy’s books.  Yes, they are darker than what I normally read, but the characters are fantastic, and the plots are compelling.  So, I was anxious to dive into Keep Your Family Close, the second in her Detective Honeywell series set in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Detective Matthias Honeywell is called to the scene of a man shot in an alley near a bar.  Sounds like a mugging on the surface, especially since his wallet is missing.  Is it that simple?  Or is there more to it than that?  If it is a mugging, will they ever figure out who did it?  Meanwhile, he’s also working on the case of a waitress who vanished while walking home from work one night.  Will he get a break in that case?

Plus, Honeywell’s friend, Emma Anderson, gets a new lead on where her missing sister might be.  The lead is a week old; will it lead Emma to her sister?

Those who read the first book also know that there were serious sparks between Emma and Honeywell.  That tension is just as sharp here, and anyone who enjoys a strong romance with their mysteries will be happy.

But this is a mystery first and foremost.  After all, I talked about three storylines in my teaser.  I actually enjoyed the split focus since it meant something was always happening.  I did see one thing coming before the characters did, but I was along for the ride by that point and really didn’t mind waiting until they caught up with me.  There was one part of the plot that bothered me, but it might just be me (and I don't want to get into specifics for fear of spoilers).  Overall, I was hooked as the story unfolded and felt my questions were successfully answered before things wrapped up.

Another thing that Annette Dashofy does so well in her books in characters.  That’s true again here.  I enjoyed getting to know Honeywell and Emma better, and the growth we saw in them was great.  We also met some interesting new characters that helped draw me into the story.

Since one of our main characters is a police detective, these definitely aren’t cozies.  However, they are still in the traditional camp without too much language, sex, or violence.  Do know that we get some more serious themes and motives, and you’ll be fine.

Keep Your Family Close is a great second book in this series that will keep you turning pages.  I’m looking forward to the next in this great series.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.