- Title: Family Secrets
- Author: Shawn Mcguire
- Series: Whispering Pines
- Genre: Mystery
- Takes Place:Â Whispering Pines, WI
- Main Character: Jayne O’Shea
- Other Characters: Tripp, Sheriff Brighten, deputy reed, Morgan
- Pets: Meeka, Jayne’s West Highland White Terrier
- Stars: 3
This is the first book I have read by this author. It is the first book in the Whispering Pines Mystery Series. Since this book was also categorized as a cozy mystery, I wasn’t prepared for some of the graphic content. In terms of graphics, it wasn’t too horrible, just a little more than I had anticipated.
Jayne O’Shea was a detective who left her position as a result of a tragedy that she found difficult to overcome. She also ended her relationship with her boyfriend shortly after he proposed. He had political aspirations and she struggled to imagine herself as a politician’s wife. She really liked being a detective.
Jayne’s Grandmother recently passed away and her parents asked her to travel to Whispering Pines to take care of her grandmother’s house and prepare it for sale. There was only one issue: the house had been vandalized and her dog had discovered a dead corpse in the backyard when she arrived.
Although Jayne hadn’t intended to employ her investigative abilities when she arrived, the Sheriff’s lack of interest in finding the crime forces her to do so. The more she investigates, she continues to learn secrets, adding to the number of potential suspects.
For my taste, there was too much paranormal activity involving witches, fortune tellers, and spells. Because I’m not a big fan of the paranormal, I suppose I should have read more about the book before I started it. The majority of the people in the town appeared to be Wiccans. I didn’t even know What Wiccans were and had to look it up. In case you don’t know, the definition I read is: “Wicca, the largest of the modern Pagan, or Neo-Pagan, religions. Its followers, who are called Wiccans, typically identify as witches and draw inspiration largely from the pre-Christian religions of Europe.”
With the exception of Tripp, who I liked, it features some odd characters. If I had been in a town with all of them, I definitely would have fled. Jayne met Tripp, a man who was camping at the campground, after she discovered the body on her first day there. He and Jayne became instant friends
There just seemed to be some elements missing. For example, The vandalism of her grandparents’ home never seemed to be fully resolved, and other elements of the plot appeared to be missing. It wasn’t a huge surprise as to who killed the young girl, but it was surprising as to why. I just couldn’t figure out why this individual killed her or what their goal was. The explanation just didn’t make sense as to why her! It would have made more sense if he had killed another character in the book.
Another individual in the book was poisoned and sent to the hospital; however, we were never told if he survived or not. Because I don’t want to spoil it I won’t reveal who.
Jayne started out by giving a physical description of each person she encountered, giving the impression that she was a detective trying to remember how they looked.
Although there were a few plot gaps that distracted me, overall I really liked the book and wanted to keep reading to find out who did it and how.
If you read this book, please let me know what you think.
Happy Reading!
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