Heather

 

Heather by Caitlin Mullen
6/9/26; 352 pages
Celadon Books 

Heather by Caitlin Mullen is a highly recommended mystery set in the woods of the New Jersey Pine Barrens which follows several timelines as a new police chief investigates a drug ring, opens up a cold case, and tries to overcome officers predisposed to dislike her.

Opening back in time in the 1990's the prologue follows two sixteen-year-old twins, Sabrina and Annabelle Riley, who are in a dysfunctional household in Pine Lakes where their mother is gone and their father is rarely there. Sabrina is having an affair with an older man she calls the coyote. Annabelle is curious and makes the mistake of meeting up with him. We learn in subsequent chapters that she became pregnant and the sisters disappeared.

In the present New police Chief Callie Hauser left her job as a narcotics detective and returns to her home town of Pine Lakes to help her best friend, Jane, recover after getting hurt in a hit-and-run accident. Callie's first arrest is her estranged mother, Jenna, for drunk driving. As Jenna's paperwork is being done, Callie overhears a discussion about an unsolved case. Apparently when Jenna was sixteen she found a dead infant and the case went cold. Although her focus is on shutting down a local drug ring, Callie immediately requests the paperwork on the cold case. Jenna then disappears after she is released.

The even-paced narration focuses more on the atmosphere while slowly building up some suspense and tension. The novel continues alternating between the two time lines up to about the 44% mark when a third narrator is introduced. These chapters begin in September 2023 and follow a teenager named Blair. The plot resumes, now following the three timelines. 

Seemingly no one is telling the truth in this novel of intrigue and there are so many pieces that are may be interconnected, or not. Additionally, trust no one and set some disbelief aside for some twists. The slow-moving plot seems to follow the formula for a small town mystery, or rather in this case several mysteries including ones that were never resolved. The story could also have been tightened up a bit to keep the pace up while holding the reader's interest. The pace does pick up toward the end. 

It might have helped the pace to drop the romance and increase the time spent on actual investigations. The other officers under Callie's command, are apparently incompetent and defiant, something which should have been addressed immediately. There is also one glaring error which I'm sure editors will catch. FYI: Jimmy Stewart starred in Rear Window, not Gregory Peck. 3.5 rounded up.

Heather is a good selection for anyone who enjoys an even paced, atmospheric small town mystery told through multiple timelines. Thanks to Celadon Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.