The Last Thing Claire Wanted by Karin Fitz Sanford

Loaded with family drama, The Last Thing Claire Wanted is a great introduction to the Wine Country Cold Case mysteries. As ex-FBI agent Anne embarks on her new career of estate liquidator, she befriends Claire, the matriarch of a family still dealing with an unsolved murder. Struggling to put her own past mistakes behind her, Anne is asked by Claire to investigate the murder of her 5-year old son, Danny. Teaming up with her retired detective uncle, Jack, and his old friend, Dean, Anne digs into the circumstances surrounding Danny’s death, bringing to light family secrets.

Time is running out for Claire, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and as the title suggests, Claire has one last wish – to find out what happened to her little boy decades earlier. Sandford portrays her characters with empathy and grace, drawing readers into the last days of a dying woman who is desperate for closure. Finely researched in terms of police procedure, Sandford’s debut mystery depicts realistic law enforcement officers with personal issues of their own.

A well-paced mystery, with twists and turns that keep you wondering!