The Bottom Line: Buried family secrets, steamy romance and a terrifying serial killer add up to a masterfully told psychological thriller.
Coming off a botched murder investigation, Detective Josephine Kelly is contemplating early retirement. Feeling the need to regroup, she uses her father’s declining health as an excuse to take time off and return home to Ames, Iowa. But thanks to a troubled childhood, the truth is that Josephine doesn’t give a damn what happens to her dad, a fact that that childhood friend-turned-hottie Rocco Giordan knows all too well.
As every crime thriller fan knows, murder has a way of following detectives home. The intrigue in Their Little Lies begins as Rocco, who has been dutifully caring for Josephine’s father, hands her an envelope from the old man. Inside is a single polaroid photograph depicting two little girls, one of whom has a distinctive birthmark. On the back are just two handwritten words: “I’M SORRY.”
Soon after, Josephine discovers another photo featuring the girl with the visible birthmark, along with the caption, “Our sweet Josphine.” It’s an emotional gut punch that calls everything she ever knew into question (“Who is this girl? If she’s Josephine, then who the hell am I?”)
As she begins to unpack the mysteries of her troubled past, Josephine uncovers the presence of a potential serial killer who may have a higher victim count than Jeffrey Dahmer. Whatever secrets lie buried in her past, can Josephine discover the truth in time to save herself?
Along the way, sparks fly between Josephine and Rocco, whose physique isn’t just chiseled from a career in the U.S. Army. He’s now the co-owner of a local gym (Josephine: “I seem to lose all sense of responsibility when faced with his tantalizingly fit body”), and author Avery Quinn creates palpable chemistry between the two from the get-go.
Throughout, Avery tells the story from alternating perspectives and across multiple timelines. Among the storytellers are Josephine herself, Rocco, Josephine’s long-dead mother Diane, and two women whose exact identities remain a mystery until later in the book – Marianna and Carolyn. The technique effectively creates a narrative puzzle for readers to piece together alongside their heroine’s quest. Moreover, the timing is handled perfectly, as Josephine’s discoveries are often a quick step ahead of what’s revealed through multiple narrators, ensuring suspense.
Fans of Avery’s must-read whodunnit Right Across the Bay will celebrate Josephine’s return while delivering the richest possible character study of this intrepid heroine. For newcomers to Avery’s work, Their Little Lies also works well as an entry point to her impressive body of work.
