Author Kerry Anne King

Publisher: Lake Union

ISBN: 9781542026239

A woman who takes items from people and places them elsewhere finds herself at the heart of a mystery. As she gets involved, her marriage teeters on the edge of divorce and her family pushes her away. Author Kerry Anne King brings to readers a book that perfectly balances the sweetness of a romance with the twists and turns of a tight mystery in her newest novel Other People’s Things.

Nicole Wood has a new mantra in life: help her sister and stay out of jail. After all, Roberta is the only one willing to take a chance on her. Nicole has been fired for stealing from every other place she’s worked, even though she doesn’t steal things. 

Yes, she takes objects that don’t belong to her, but she never keeps them. Instead, she lets the objects tell her where they want to go. Definitely not stealing; more like an object relocation program. Things tell her they want to be moved. She moves them.

The world doesn’t see it that way, and her family definitely doesn’t understand. Roberta feels sorry for her, though, and hires her. Scrubbing floors isn’t glamorous, but at least she’s supporting herself. 

Nicole’s fancy-pants lawyer husband Kent Brandenburg maintains a high profile in their town of Spokane, and he’s furious at Nicole for moving $20,000. But Nicole couldn’t help it; the cash told her it needed to go elsewhere. She didn’t expect Kent to throw her out of their house over it.

Kent hires a private investigator named Hawk to figure out where the money went. Hawk isn’t going to turn down a paying job, but from the time he starts looking into Nicole he has a hard time believing Kent’s version of things. Before he knows it, Hawk befriends Nicole and discovers there’s more to her than someone with supposedly sticky fingers. 

Those sticky fingers strike again when, during a cleaning day, Nicole moves a book to the home of Andrea Lester. Andrea fires Roberta’s cleaning service, and Roberta fires Nicole. But Andrea can’t let go of the feeling that the book is targeting her. She hires Nicole with the excuse of making her “pay” for her indiscretion. In truth, though, Andrea wants to know whether someone from her past sent Nicole to track her down.

As Nicole, Andrea, and Hawk cross paths time and again, their insecurities and deepest secrets also crisscross leaving them to wonder whether they can trust one another and how to help Nicole out of the mess with Kent. 

Author Kerry Anne King writes characters who are three-dimensional and well rounded. She gives Nicole, Hawk, and Andrea first-person point of view chapters, so readers jump right into the action with them. The result is a story that plays all sides of the plot with ease and vivid details.

Nicole shines as the protagonist; her frustration with her life and circumstances are believable and relatable. Instead of defending her unusual talent, Nicole struggles with the consequences of her “object relocation program.” Her inner conflict, especially as it relates to her family and her place in it, will endear her to readers.

While Hawk’s initial attraction to Nicole could come off as slightly cheesy, he’s also a solid character in his own right when he’s investigating cases and tracking down information. King offers a multi-faceted man who wants to help but also understands boundaries. His self-awareness of his shortcomings and his habits is refreshing, and readers will appreciate his integrity.

Andrea’s challenges unfold at a pace found more in thrillers, giving just enough information to keep readers flipping or swiping pages without compromising the bigger story at hand. Also, King’s biggest strength in writing comes in the fact that she doesn’t allow the characters to hide behind deception. They’re honest and upfront with one another with key information, which might seem like the “easy” way out when it comes to plotting but in fact provides the bigger challenge and innovative ways to introduce conflict.

The book does an excellent job of hitting its main key elements without letting any one of them overpower one another. Those who enjoy a good mystery with a little romance thrown in will love this one. I recommend readers Binge Other People’s Things.