The Things We Keep by Janet Dawson

20th April, 2023.

In the latest mystery, private investigator Jeri Howard comes across a footlocker while helping to clear a house, previously occupied by an aunt of a friend. Inside the footlocker, she finds bones, including two human skulls. She has no idea how old the bones are, but the scant evidence available suggests two bodies were dug up and moved.

While she passes the matter to the local police, she’s going to find out what happened for herself and her friends. She starts a journey into the past that leads back to the music scene and hippy days of the late sixties as she slowly homes in on people who went missing around the time the aunt moved into the house.

It’s a complex investigation that ruffles several feathers as she gets closer to the truth, the victims and the person who killed them.

Like all the previous stories in the series, this is a complicated investigation that brings out all that is best in Jeri – her determination, the way she tracks down every detail, fitting them together into a trail that will bring her to the motive and the killer. She shows no favours and never baulks, no matter what the odds.

From the gentle introduction, through the painstaking investigation, the story gathers momentum until the pieces start to fall into place for an exciting and gripping climax.

Another excellent story in a distinctive and exciting series I’ve followed and loved from the first book.

Description

TWO HUMAN SKULLS ON A PILE OF BONES. EMPTY EYE SOCKETS STARE UP AT JERI HOWARD.

Oakland PI Jeri Howard finds a battered footlocker hidden in a dusty storeroom. When she pries open the lid, she’s shocked at what she finds.

Human bones. Whose bones? How did they get there—and why?

Jeri is a detective who grabs a case and doesn’t let go. Especially a case like this. It twists and turns as Jeri sorts out the truth from the lies that stretch back decades. She’s determined to find answers and put flesh on those bones. When she digs into the past, someone has a lot to lose—and will kill to keep those secrets.