Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A private detective hired to find a young girl who vanished from an upscale children’s home soon discovers that the case is not at all as it appears in Miller’s mystery. Hazel Cho, a 30-year-old private detective who’s about to go under if she can’t quickly drum up some more business, seems to have her dreams answered when Madeline Hemsley offers her $100,000 to find her goddaughter, 12-year-old Mia Thomas. The young girl seemingly vanished from St. Agnes, a private orphanage for children who have lost their parents or are experiencing other “family issues.” Mia disappeared three months ago, and Madeline refuses to let Hazel, who’s given a deadline of less than two weeks, to talk to any of the previous P.I.s who have worked the case. Desperate for the money, Hazel agrees to take the job and quickly becomes enmeshed in the curious world of St. Agnes as she interviews its eclectic faculty and staff, including the friendly administrator, Sonia Barreto, the ancient headmaster, Thomas Mackenzie, and the nervous choir teacher, Gregory Goolsbee. While attempting to gather clues at the orphanage’s fundraiser gala, Hazel is unexpectedly swept off her feet by Andrew DuPont, the son of a big-name donor. But the more people Hazel talks to, the less certain she becomes about anything that’s going on. Apparently, Mia was not the first girl to vanish at St. Agnes, the local police force seems suspiciously unhelpful, and Hazel becomes convinced that most of the people she talks to are flat-out lying to her. A shocking revelation midway through the book primes readers for even more twists and turns before Hazel finally learns the horrifying truth. Hazel’s narration, which often directly addresses the reader, remains breezy and casual despite the increasingly grim subject matter that arises as the plot unfolds. Her humor grants some much-needed levity to the proceedings, such as her description of her fellow Korean American roommate: “He reminds me of an Asian Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, except without the sailor hat.” She also has moments of surprising insight, as when a client accuses her of doctoring photos that prove his wife’s infidelity: “Every day I feel like I’m one wrong move away from being throttled by an impotent man and his insecurity.” Hazel’s likability goes a long way toward smoothing over some of the novel’s bumps, which mainly consist of continuity errors that could have been caught with a tighter edit(a character says she was 17 when an event happened, then mentions that she was 16 when the event happened just one page later, for example). Miller does an effective job of throwing enough red herrings into the mix to keep readers on their toes, although devoted thriller readers will likely figure out at least some of the mysteries before the end. The story wraps up with a somewhat hokey “the villain conveniently explains their whole dastardly plan” scene—but that misstep is countered by yet another surprising revelation. Overall, Miller has crafted a suspenseful tale with quick pacing, naturalistic dialogue, and an endearing narrative voice that will likely leave fans of the genre more than satisfied. A plucky, likable protagonist buoys this agreeably twisty thriller with a neatly packaged ending. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.