Book Review for Don't Ask, Don't Follow by Mary Keliikoa

 Don't Ask, Don't Follow by Mary Keliikoa

Published June 4, 2024 by Oceanview Publishing

Genre:  Thriller, Mystery

Taken from Goodreads:  Murder, dark family secrets, and the unwavering bond of sisterhood— regardless of the cost

Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon, would rather be racking up billable hours than mingling at an office party— especially when her sister Lindsay, aka her plus one, is a no-show.

After making her obligatory rounds, Beth returns to her office to find that her boss, who she'd talked with moments before, has been murdered. She sees a woman fleeing the scene. Wait— was that Lindsay? Unable to catch up to her in time, Beth waits for the police to arrive and notices that Lindsay has left her phone behind with an unsent text message to Beth displayed on the screen: “ Don't ask. Don't follow.”

Lindsay is unreachable for days, and when Beth starts to come under suspicion for the crime, she decides that waiting is impossible. While retracing Lindsay's steps, determined to bring her home, Beth uncovers what her sister, an investigative reporter bent on changing the world, was trying to expose— corruption, secrets, and betrayal on an unimaginable level. Revealing the truth might bring back the one person she's desperate to find— but it could also destroy the only life and family Beth's ever known.

 

My Thoughts:  Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow is an amazing mystery and thriller.   Lindsay’s investigation is at the center of the story but Beth is the character that is front and center of everything.  

I love Beth’s tenacity to find out what is happening with her sister. She takes risks while investigating clues, she protects what she learns with her life, and is cautious with who she trusts. The secrets of her family were deep and dark.   With each secret she revealed, it seemed there were even more still deeply buried.   I have finished the book but am still thinking about all the Beth went through for Lindsay.

This is the first book that I have read by Mary Keliikoa and it will not be my last.    She is a phenomenal author and I recommend Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow to any mystery thriller reader.  

Thank you GetRedPR for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Meet Mary Keliikoa (taken from her website):  Mary Keliikoa is the author of the Shamus Finalist and Lefty, Agatha and Anthony award nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series and the upcoming Misty Pines mystery series featuring Sheriff Jax Turner slated for release in September 2022. Her short stories have appeared in Woman's World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music of the ‘60s. A Pacific NW native, she spent a part of her life working around lawyers. Combining her love of legal and books, she creates a twisting mystery where justice prevails.

When not in Washington, you can find Mary on the beach in Hawaii where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.