Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

Scottoline asks some hard questions in her newest standalone thriller.  How do you define family?  Is there such a thing as an ex-stepdaughter?  Do you ever stop loving a child?

When Abby, Jill’s ex-stepdaughter, shows up drunk and hysterical on her doorstep Jill’s quiet life with her daughter Megan and husband-to-be Sam is turned upside-down.  Abby brings with her the news that her father, Jill’s ex-husband William, is dead.  And Abby is convinced that he was murdered and wants Jill to help her find the killer.  But was William really murdered?  And if so, why?

I really liked the way Scottoline portrayed the family dynamic.  Sam is a little more communicative than I think most men in his position would be, but his displeasure at suddenly inheriting another daughter, one that appears to be a handful and a half, rings true.  And she has written tween Megan very realistically as well.  When forced into a corner Jill attempts to explain why she divorced William to her daughter.  I don’t want to reveal the juicy bits here, but when Jill is done explaining Megan is incredulous that she divorced William “just because of money.”  Ah, the naiveté of youth.  It is also interesting to see how large medical practices are run and the issues doctors face day to day.

A good suspenseful family crisis story.