New Hampshire, 1865. Marion Abbott is summoned to Brawders House asylum to collect the body of her sister, Alice. She’d been found dead after falling four stories from a steep-pitched roof. Officially: an accident. Confidentially: suicide. But Marion believes a third option: murder.

Returning to her family home to stay with her brother and his second wife, the recently widowed Marion is expected to quiet her feelings of guilt and grief—to let go of the dead and embrace the living. But that’s not easy in this house full of haunting memories.

Just when the search for the truth seems hopeless, a stranger approaches Marion with chilling words: I saw her fall.

Now Marion is more determined than ever to find out what happened that night at Brawders, and why. With no one she can trust, Marion may risk her own life to uncover the secrets buried with Alice in the family plot.

The premise of After Alice Fell is simple, but oh so intriguing!  I love a mystery, especially one with a Gothic feel that centers on a creepy old asylum.  Considering all this, I expected to like the book more.  Problem is, the story moves along at a glacial pace, so slowly that I almost put it down several times.  The pace picks up in the second half of the novel, but it's still a bit of a slog.  In addition, the characters are off-putting and unlikable.  Add in a predictable plot that isn't nearly as twisty as I wanted it to be and you've got a tale that I wanted to love and just...didn't.  Although I had high expectations for this one, in the end it turned out to be an average read for me.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  A little like Woman 99 by Greer McAllister)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of After Alice Fell from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Jazz Ramsey is crazy about Nick Kolesov, her cop boyfriend.  His mom?  Not so much.  Kim's not only a lousy mother, but she's also an alcoholic with a flair for the dramatic.  So, when Jazz answers a phone call in the middle of the night to hear Kim raving about how she's just killed a man who was trying to break into her home, Jazz isn't sure what to think.  There's no evidence of trespassing at Kim's house, nor a body in the drunk woman's yard.  Most likely, her wild bender caused her to hallucinate the whole sordid affair.  The fact that Wally—the human remains detection dog that Jazz is training—finds no evidence of human decomposition on the property confirms it.

Then, a body is discovered in a local park.  Murder isn't uncommon in Cleveland, but what is weird is the photograph the dead man had in his pocket.  The snapshot clearly shows Kim holding an infant Nick.  Although Kim swears she doesn't know Dan Mansfield and had nothing to do with his death, Jazz can tell she's lying.  Who was Dan?  Why was he killed?  Although Nick insists Jazz stay out of it, she's not about to back down now.  She can't rest until she finds out what happened, why, and what exactly Nick and his mother aren't telling her.  

I've enjoyed all the books in the Jazz Ramsey mystery series by Kylie Logan and A Trail of Lies (available May 12, 2021), the third installment, is no exception.  While the main characters are kind of ho-hum, they're definitely likable.  Jazz's warm, strong bond with her family is palpable and is one of the highlights of the series.  The working dog aspect is my other favorite element, although I never feel like the canines get enough stage time.  As far as the mystery in this one goes, it's actually a lot twistier than I expected it to be.  I did not see the killer coming at all.  So, while there's nothing super original or shout-it-from-the-rooftops amazing about the book, A Trail of Lies is still an engaging, engrossing read that I enjoyed.  I'm excited to see where the series goes next.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books in the Jazz Ramsey series, including The Scent of Murder and The Secrets of Bones as well as A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier)

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