Review: Her Father's Secret by Sara Blaedel

Title: Her Father's Secret
Author: Sara Blaedel

Series: Ilka/The Family Secrets series, #2
Published: March 2019, Grand Central Publishing

Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Source: Publisher

Summary:
A woman's murder is only the beginning as a daughter races to unravel the maze of secrets her father left behind--before she becomes the next victim--in the latest emotionally gripping novel from Sara Blaedel, #1 internationally bestselling author with over 3 million copies sold worldwide.

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...

My thoughts: As many of you might already know, I am a big fan of Sara Blaedel's books. She writes one of my favorite crime-fiction series, the Louise Rick series, and now she has a second series out. This second series, the Family Secrets series, focuses more on the characters and the secrets they have as opposed to the crimes that are committed which is what the Louise Rick series tends to focus more on.

This is the type of series where it really would benefit you by reading it in order. While this is only the second book, there are quite a few threads that are continued and while Sara does give some recap, it's quite brief, and having the whole picture would make this much more meaningful and enjoyable.

This book does pick up right where the previous book ends - and if you remember, that one ended in quite a cliffhanger. We jump right back into the fray and I love that. There's no re-introduction of the characters or ambling around to get to the heart of the story - we are right there from the first page.

The problems are still stacking up against Ilka as she tries to settle up things regarding her father. Her biggest issue is trying to sell the funeral home and she seems to be running into roadblocks left and right. In the meantime, there is little money left to run things and while going through some of her father's belongings she came across blackmail letters. What is going on?

This book is filled with mysteries...not just one, but a few, which keeps the book moving. The story is paced just right - not too fast, but not slow either. There are a few twists here and there to keep things interesting and just when you think Ilka is making progress, something new pops up.

I also love that in this second book, we continue to get to know the main characters. There is definitely some mystery to some of them and I liked that we started to get into their backgrounds a little more. Not enough that you know the whole picture, but enough to keep you reading and wanting more.

This book kept me engaged from start to finish, and speaking of the ending...once again we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger. I can only hope that book 3 is being translated as we speak because I need it sooner rather than later!!!