The nature of secrets

Webb's engrossing sequel to 2022's The Last Lie Told finds former ADA Finley O'Sullivan, who's still recovering from the shock of her husband's murder a year earlier, working as an investigator for her friend and mentor, attorney Jack Finnegan. Their newest client, Ellen Winthrop, the head of a financial consulting firm in Nashville, Tenn., is accused of killing her new and much younger husband, Jarrod Grady, in their home with a titanium hammer, a gift to Ellen from a friend to mark her breaking into the Fortune 500. Ellen admits she recently discovered that Jarrod had been taking large sums of money out of three of her savings accounts to which he had access, making her the prime suspect. Finley has a hard job proving Ellen's innocence as the five senior members of Ellen's staff, who have secrets to hide, do their best to thwart her investigation. Meanwhile, Finley tries to uncover the truth behind her own husband's murder. Readers will root for the fully realized lead characters, despite their flaws, as the complex plot builds to a satisfying climax. Webb should win new fans with this entry. Agent: Stephanie Rostan, LGR Literary. (Mar.)

A Nashville investigator with a dark past fights inner demons to reclaim her life in this follow-up to The Last Lie Told (2022). Finley O'Sullivan was a respected prosecutor until her husband, Derrick, was murdered in front of her and she was raped; afterward, a meltdown in court forced her to leave the district attorney's office. Fortunately, she found a job as an investigator for brilliant lawyer Jack Finnegan--who happens to be her godfather. Their new client is wealthy businesswoman Ellen Winthrop, whose new husband, Jarrod Grady, was recently murdered, and it's their job to protect her by winkling out every fact the police could use against her. Ellen had recently discovered her husband was raiding her bank accounts, so naturally the police suspect her. Meanwhile, Finley is trying to get evidence against the man behind Derrick's murder and her own rape; she knows who's responsible for the crimes but can't prove he was the one who hired thugs to do the deed. Finley has so far been unable to discover what Derrick was up to before his death, as it turned out he'd been lying to her about a lot of things, and the police have been suspicious of her since one of her three attackers was shot dead. The brilliant women who work with Ellen always seem a step ahead of Finley in coming up with information that might be suspicious and finding ways of neutralizing it. Finley is discovering more about her own family, a second of Derrick's killers is shot in front of her, and the detective assigned to his case is almost killed. Finley will never give up and actually gets help from Ellen, who is far from what she seems. A convoluted mystery/thriller eventually brings closure to a wounded spirit. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.