DEATH IN THE FAMILY
A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. In this captivating mystery that’s perfect for fans of Knives Out, Senior Investigator Shana Merchant discovers that murder is a family affair.
Thirteen months ago, former NYPD detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Now hoping to leave grisly murder cases behind, she's taken a job in her fiancé's sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York.
But as a nor'easter bears down on her new territory, Shana and fellow investigator Tim Wellington receive a call about a man missing on a private island. Shana and Tim travel to the isolated island owned by the wealthy Sinclair family to question the witnesses. They arrive to find blood on the scene and a house full of Sinclair family and friends on edge.
While Tim guesses they're dealing with a runaway case, Shana is convinced that they have a murder on their hands. As the gale intensifies outside, she starts conducting interviews and discovers the Sinclairs and their guests are crawling with dark and dangerous secrets.
Trapped on the island by the raging storm with only Tim whose reliability is thrown into question, the increasingly restless suspects, and her own trauma-fueled flashbacks for company, Shana will have to trust the one person her abduction destroyed her faith in—herself. But time is ticking down, because if Shana's right, a killer is in their midst and as the pressure mounts, so do the odds that they'll strike again.
What People Are Saying
"The trick of Death in the Family is that Wegert is not only in control of the book's allusive material, but she has freshened it by fusing it with a contemporary thriller's grit."
— Shelf Awareness starred review
"This locked-room thriller has all of the requisite tangled motives and deductive crime-solving, along with a riveting introduction to edgy survivor Shana and Tim, her steady, easygoing foil."
— Booklist
"Fans of golden age closed circle murder mysteries will enjoy this effective update"
— Publishers Weekly
"Tessa Wegert has crafted an utterly irresistible modern-day mystery that is deeply indebted to the great ‘locked room’ puzzles of the past."
— Crime by the Book
“Intricate plotting and razor-sharp narration keep the pages turning in this up-all-night murder mystery.”
— Wendy Walker, USA Today bestselling author of The Night Before
“A deliciously complicated locked-room mystery that would make Agatha Christie proud.”
— Margaret Coel, New York Times bestselling author of Winter’s Child
“Isolation, a ticking clock, family secrets... bloody good comfort food.”
— Andrew Pyper, bestselling author of The Homecoming and The Demonologist
“An ominous, compelling take on the locked room mystery, teeming with old secrets, twisty motives, and a prickly, damaged detective determined to prove herself.”
— Erica O’Rourke, bestselling author of Dissonance and Time of Death as Lucy Kerr
Death in the Family is available wherever books are sold
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"Terrifically atmospheric, Death in the Family contains the perfect balance of a solid and creative mystery and intriguing character development. This is the start of a promising new series with a cliffhanger ending that will have readers clamoring for the next installment.” — Cindy B.