A Matter of Trust by Lis Wiehl ~ Book Review

Mia Quinn's husband passed away 3 months before in a car accident and she has been forced to go back to work as a King County prosecutor to provide for her teenage son and preschool daughter.  Already trying to juggle everything on her plate that being a new single parent requires, she is totally unprepared for what is coming her way and struggles to find a balance.  While on the phone discussing a case with an office colleague and friend, she hears a gunshot on the other end of the phone and her friend goes silent.  In the stress and panic of the moment Mia makes a parenting decision that she will regret as it really effects her son.  As a result of the murder of her friend, her boss asks her to take on the case which will require top priority and more hours in the day than Mia has but she feels she must put her friend's killer behind bars.  Unfortunately, Charlie Carlson is the detective assigned to the case and Mia has not had a good experience working with him.  Add to that, her teenage son is giving her attitude and her young daughter is having screaming episodes at night and Mia's world seems to be one big complication.

This is the first book in the Mia Quinn Mystery series.  I must confess I have already read #2 and #3, reviewed here and here.  I received those for review and really liked them so when I saw number 1 on clearance at the book store I nabbed it and picked up the beginning of Mia's story.  It was a fast paced murder mystery that kept me guessing as it delved into bullying, accepting others for who they are,  and appearances not always being what they seem.   Having been a stay at home parent, Mia was struggling with her husband's unexpected death just a few months before and was forced back to work quickly because of unknown to her debts that her husband had accumulated.  And then one thing after another just continues to pile onto her plate.  I really was pulled into her story, sympathizing with her and the family issues she was having to deal with.  Single parenthood, debt, and all that comes with returning to work unexpectedly while her and her family were still trying to deal with their grief, the struggle of a young teen pulling away and not knowing how to help him.  The character of the teenage son was also well written and I really felt for him in his grief and trying to fit in at school and all of a sudden having to grow up so fast and help around the house so much.   His struggles as he deals with death and school were tough.  There were two mysteries woven into the story and I thought they played out well and the author was able to interweave them  into the story without confusion.  A good mystery earning 9/10 from me.

Reading Challenge Goals Met:  A trilogy (bit of a cheat because I'd already read the other 2  but at least I completed a trilogy), book by a female author, A mystery or thriller, A book from an author you love but haven't read yet