Sara Blaedel | HER FATHER'S SECRET

Plot (via Goodreads):

After suddenly inheriting a funeral home from her father--who she hadn't heard from in decades--Ilka Jensen has impulsively abandoned her quiet life in Denmark to visit the small town in rural Wisconsin where her father lived. There, she's devastated to discover her father's second family: a stepmother and two half sisters she never knew existed. And who aren't the least bit welcoming, despite Ilka's efforts to reach out.
Then a local woman is killed, seemingly the unfortunate victim of a home invasion turned violent. But when Ilka learns that the woman knew her father, it becomes increasingly clear that she may not have been a completely random victim after all.
The more Ilka digs into her father's past, the more deeply entangled she becomes in a family drama that has spanned decades and claimed more than one life--and she may be the next victim...

Review:

If you've been following my blog or my Instagram, by now you've realized that Sara Blaedel is a go-to author for me. I have devoured the Louise Rick series and absolutely love Sara's writing. In my opinion, she is one of the top queens of crime fiction and will always be there. When the Ilka trilogy was announced, I was so excited to meet more characters in another Blaedel world and while this series is much different from the Louise Rick series, I can honestly say I love it just as much.

Her Father's Secret is the second novel in the Ilka series and I feel as though they are just in a genre of their own. Slower paced with a heavy focus on characterization and combining equal elements of thriller with domestic suspense creating the perfect novel to allow yourself to get lost in. Similar to Louise, Ilka is far from a cliched character and is brutally realistic exposing her flaws and proving to the world that she will not stand down for anyone. I love how well the characters in this series work together and bring the reader along throughout the brilliant pacing and twists and turns that often are effectively churned out within the last third of the book. Even with the slower pacing and less focus on violence, Blaedel still dropped one hell of a bomb in the final chapter and made me go from "I am enjoying this series" to "How quickly can I learn Danish so I can find out what's next?" Needless to say, I am ready for the big finale and am already planning on devouring it in one night.

Special thanks to Grand Central Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5