A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel by Jane Casey, A Stranger in the Family.

BLURB

Every mother’s worst nightmare …

When nine-year-old Rosalie Marshall vanished from her bed one summer night, her disappearance tore her family apart.

Now, sixteen years later, her mother Helena is found dead, her husband by her side. It looks like a straightforward murder-suicide but DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent soon discover nothing about this case is straightforward.

The Marshalls have been keeping secrets. And someone is prepared to kill to hide the truth. Until Maeve finds out what happened to Rosalie, no one will be safe …

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a big, big fan of Jane Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan series. Whenever Jane Casey has a new book out, it goes straight to the top of my TBR pile. In the last book it seemed that things may have been moving for Josh Derwant and Maeve Kerrigan in a way I previously, never thought possible, after they had to pretend to be a young couple moving to a new area, while working undercover. They’ve always been good friends, but I never thought there was a chance of their friendship developing into something more. In the latest book, A Stranger in the Family, Jane Casey takes a deep dive into their relationship. It’s clear to see how much this has developed over the course of this series, and Maeve’s feelings for Josh come through strongly, but Josh doesn’t quite respond to her feelings in the same way. It’s what makes this series so much more than a standard police procedural.

Of course, there is an intriguing case for Maeve and Josh to sink their teeth into. The mother and father of a girl who went missing sixteen years ago have been found dead in what looks like a murder-suicide. Their little girl, Rosalie was never found, and the mystery of her disappearance has never been solved. The discovery of the bodies gives Maeve the push to take a look again at Rosalie’s disappearance, and soon she uncovers that things are not as they first seem. There are some very dark revelations as the truth about what happened comes to light.

I was fascinated by the disappearance of Rosalie, especially as we begin to understand what happened leading up to Rosalie going missing. In the chapters when Jane Casey takes us back to before the disappearance, I really felt for her. I wanted Maeve and Josh to find out what happened to Rosalie, and I was kept hooked right the way through.

Jane Casey is a writer who knows how to delve into human emotion and this is done brilliantly with Maeve and Josh in this book. Their story here gripped me, perhaps even more than the investigation into what happened to Rosalie and her parents. They are both the reason why I keep coming back to this series and I will continue to do so. Now, after reading that ending, I’m desperate to get my hands on the next book in the series and I hope we’re not going to have to wait too long.

Jane Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan series keeps getting better and better, her writing is so addictive and her characters are so compelling. I’m certain this book is going to be in my top ten reads of the year. I loved it.

Publisher: Hemlock Press

Publication date: 14th March 2024

Print length: 463 pages

A Stranger in the Family is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones