Murder. Betrayal. Love Gone Wrong.

With her ability to present clues without giving away the endings and offering surprising twists encouraging the reader to the next page, D. J. Adamson delves into a family tragedy ending up in murder and a teenage daughter missing. When Lillian Dove finds herself involved in the police investigation, she realizes the daughter holds the key to unravel who killed her mother.

It is three days before Christmas when Lillian Dove comes across Dr. Conrad standing out in front of his house, covered in blood. When going inside the house to help other members of his family, she finds his wife killed, his son seriously injured, and his teenage daughter, Peyton Clayton, missing. Even more shocking, the police suspect Dr. Conrad. Understanding how emotional dilemmas have strained the family emboldens Lillian to help Detective Jacque Leveque, Major Crimes Detective for the Frytown Police Department, find the prime witness to the Conrad truths.

Let Her Go is a nerve-wracking exploration into a family lost, and the extent love elicits both the good and the bad. In this Third Step in Personal Recovery Lillian works to find Peyton Clayton, while battling the worse arctic freeze in Frytown’s history, untangling human frailties, and confronting the ghosts of Christmas.

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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I was happy to read Let Her Go because I’d already read Admit to Mayhem and Suppose, both books in the Lillian Dove series, and I enjoyed both of them. 

Lillian Dove has been battling an addiction to alcohol most of her life. She has been sober for over 5 years and has straightened out her life. She worked at the police department but was laid off. After the owner of the local liquor store died, he left Lillian the store and his house. Although it’s ironic that an alcoholic is running a liquor store, she handles it well.

What she hasn’t handled well in the past is relationships. She has slept with the Chief of Police a couple of times but she found out he’s married. His wife has been sick and in a facility for years, but Lillian doesn’t know if she wants to date a man who is technically married. There is also Detective Leveque, a player who she has a like/hate relationship with. Although Lillian is a bit confused at times about men, I think she is handling things better than she thinks. Even Lillian’s relationship with her verbally abusive mother is in the process of changing for the better.

When Lillian is driving by the home of the Conrads, Dr. Conrad is holding a knife and has been stabbed. Of course, Lillian stops and finds that his wife has been murdered, his son is badly injured, and his daughter is missing. It’s a murder mystery that Lillian says she’ll let the police investigate, but her curiosity gets the best of her. There are some good twists in Let Her Go and the big questions are will the murderer be found before someone else dies and where is Dr. Conrad’s daughter?

The author’s writing flows well and made this a quick read. Anyone who enjoys mysteries with twists, humor, and a touch of romance will enjoy Let Her Go.

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About the Author

Outré, AWARD WINNER of MIDWEST BOOK FESTIVAL 2016 and CLUE AWARD, YA SUSPENSE.

D. J. Adamson is the author of the Lillian Dove Mystery series and Outré, a science fiction-suspense YA. She is the editor of Le Coeur de l’Artiste, a newsletter which reviews authors and their work. She also teaches writing and literature at Los Angeles colleges. And to keep busy when she is not writing or teaching, she is the Membership Director of the Los Angeles Sisters in Crime, Vice President of Central Coast Sisters in Crime and an active member of the Southern California Mystery Writers. Her books can be found and purchased in bookstores and on Amazon. To find her, her blog L’Artiste, or newsletter go to http://djadamson.com. Make friends with her on Facebook or Goodreads.

Adamson “weaves this suspenseful tale that grabs the reader like the tornado at its core. It starts out slow, like a train leaving the station, then accelerates to a feverish pace, leaving you in a sweat.”