Coming of Age in Willow County Book

Daughter of Deceit is the 3rd book of the Family Tree mystery series set in contemporary Atlanta. Katharine is still trying to restore her home, after malicious vandals stole and/or destroyed all her valuables, with help from her sister-in-law Posey's daughter Hollis, a young talented decorator. Katharine's husband Tom works in Washington D.C., leaving Katharine alone to deal with all the problems and setbacks of renovation.

Wealthy socialite Bara is engaged in a vicious divorce battle with her devious husband Foley. He has frozen their assets, and claims half of all Bara's inherited wealth and possessions, including all she owned before their marriage. Foley is cunning; he won't move out of the house - he lives in the basement. As her comfortable world disintegrates, Bara clings to memories of her recently deceased father Winnie for comfort, as well as excessive alcohol. Drunken carelessness puts her at great risk.

Bara and Posey pressure Katharine into researching Winnie's war medals, so they can be framed and displayed, then passed down to Bara's grandson. Katharine knows nothing about war medals, has a huge party coming up in a week, and her house to restore before then, but she reluctantly agrees.

When Katharine's computer won't boot up, her son's friend Kenny comes to fix it. By a lucky coincidence, he knows a great deal about war medals, and helps her find the citation for Winnie's Medal of Honor. But the information reveals a family secret has been hidden since WWII. The quest for truth sets family members against one another, and leads to violence and death. Katharine traces the clues and is finally attacked herself.

In the process of solving the mystery for her friends, Katharine has gained in assertiveness. She insists on making her own decisions, startling Tom. She gains many new friends when she meets Kenny's family. I hope this series will continue.