Kendra Elliot has written twenty-three thrillers, and her newest novel, “Her First Mistake,” is the start of a new series. This new series is based on one of the minor characters from her Columbia River series, Noelle Marshall. If you have not read that series, rest assured that you will still completely enjoy this novel.
Noelle Marshall is currently a detective in Deschutes County, Oregon. Her past, however, was filled with violence when her husband, a California assemblyman, was brutally murdered thirteen years ago. Noelle was also attacked and left for dead. The crimes remains unsolved, and while Noelle has moved on, some fragments of what she endured will haunt her forever.
Elliot’s clever use of a timeline that is not chronological, but rather takes us back in time to before Noelle’s husband was killed as well as the current narrative, works extremely well. After Elliot provides the information we need about Noelle’s backstory, the narrative for the last part of the novel stays in the present, except for a brief chapter that takes us back thirteen years to the night of the murder where we see the shocking and surprising events unfold.
While Noelle’s husband left her a wealthy woman, she was inspired by the investigation into her husband’s death and decided, with the encouragement of the FBI agent who protected her during the aftermath, to go into law enforcement. Noelle is surprised when, so many years after the murder, two FBI agents appear and want to question her about the cold case.
Noelle repeats what she’s said about the night of the murder to the agents, and they plan to interview her two sisters and her great-aunt Daisy, but shortly after her interview, Noelle’s car is bombed. It’s pure luck that Noelle and her sisters aren’t seriously harmed, but the coincidence of the bombing and the renewed investigation of the murder put Noelle on edge.
She’s never been able to remember what happened that night when her husband was bludgeoned by a statue in their home, repeatedly hit with a crowbar, and she was hit in the back of the head by a crowbar and left with some serious injuries. She still has some problems with her short term memory, which she carefully covers up by assiduous note-taking and other compensatory strategies.
As in any good thriller, the narration, the dialogue, and the action draw us deeper and deeper into the life of the main character. Elliot really does lead us on a goose chase as we do not expect what is finally revealed at the conclusion of the novel. In fact, even the title seems to be a clue about the mysterious killer, “her first mistake” being referenced in the novel as part of Noelle’s past, but is that truly a clue or clever misdirection?
What I do know is that by the end of the mystery and through Elliot’s capable narration, we feel a connection with Noelle. The budding romance with one of the FBI agents is well crafted and touching. While the mystery about her past is now solved, I can’t wait to see what her future brings.
This review was first posted in an edited format on Bookreporter.com.