I look out through the rain-streaked windshield of my Subaru Forester and feel as glum as the flat gray skies over Lake Erie. On the seat next to me, a stack of postcards have shifted from the neat pile I’d placed there and now resemble a flattened staircase. Or a deck of playing cards spread by a masterful dealer’s hand. These cards are my own gamble, not bearing suits or kings or queens, but rather a photo on one side and my phone number printed on the other. I pick one up and study the photo, ripping a deeper hole in my heart. I haven’t seen the smiling face of my younger sister Nell in years. It’s been more than two years since I’ve seen Nell’s face at all.

Nell is somewhere here in Erie, Pennsylvania, hiding, lost in the world of drugs and alcohol. I’ve made it my mission to find her. Rescue her. The postcards are one of my tools. Now that I have a real job as a staff photographer for ErieLIVE, I’ve tried using the news outlet’s contacts to locate my sister. So far, no luck. My new friend, Detective Matthias Honeywell, promised to help me in my quest. No luck there either.

The rain eases enough that I decide to make a run for the bar across the street. It’s the kind of place I wouldn’t step foot in under normal circumstances, but I haven’t known “normal” for a very long time. I slip a postcard into my rain jacket’s pocket, check for traffic, and jump out of my car to jog toward the Mercury Tavern and Grill.

Inside, it’s as sketchy as I’d feared. To the left is a dining room that hasn’t seen a remodel since before I was born. You never know. The food might be good. But I’m not hungry. I head to the right, into the dark and depressing bar. I search the faces of the bartender and the waitress, hoping this is the place where Nell is currently working. The woman carrying a tray of beers to one of the tables is older. Not Nell. Behind the bar, a beefy man with thinning hair wipes a glass and places it on a shelf. I head toward him.

“What can I get you, miss?” he asks in a world-weary voice.

I place the postcard on the bar, Nell’s face up and aimed at him. “My name’s Emma Anderson. This is my younger sister Nell. I was wondering if she might work here.”

He took a quick glance. “Nope. Sorry.”

“Then maybe you’ve seen her? As a customer?”

He shakes his head without looking again.

I slide the card closer to him. “Please. Take a good look. I’m desperate to locate her.”

He glares at me as if I was a cockroach, but my pleading tone or maybe the tears I feel burning the rims of my eyes soften him. He puts down the towel, picks up the photo, and gives it a long look. I wait, holding my breath. But he again shakes his head as he replaces the card on the bar. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen her. Cute girl like that, I’d remember.” There’s nothing creepy in the way he says it. Simply a statement of fact.

He pushes the card toward me, but I hold up a hand, stopping him. “Could you do me a favor? Keep it here. Show it to your other employees. Keep an eye out for her. If any of you see her, give me a call. My number’s on the other side.” I know full well I’m opening myself up to a slew of crank calls from drunks and jerks. I’ve been leaving these things all over town and have already had to deal with perverts propositioning me over the phone. It’s a risk I’m willing to take to find my sister.

The bartender picks up the card, gives a slow nod, and places it next to the cash register.

“Thank you so much,” I say giving him my biggest smile.

As I turn and head toward the door, he calls after me. “Hey, you.”

I stop and pivot.

“Good luck. I mean that. I have a little sister too.”

I thank him and leave, stepping once more into the rain. Maybe this will be it. Maybe this will be the place where I finally track Nell down.

Keep Your Family Close, A Detective Honeywell Mystery Book #2
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: December 2023
Format: Digital, Print (2024)
Purchase Link

When a badly decomposed body is found in the basement of an abandoned warehouse, Erie police detective, Matthias Honeywell, is called in to investigate.

Meanwhile, freelance photographer Emma Anderson is desperately trying to find her drug-addicted sister, Nell. Then a devastating piece of evidence found at Detective Honeywell’s crime scene brings her world crashing down, a driver’s license belonging to her missing sister.

In need of her assistance, Matthias asks Emma to help with the case, hoping to solve the mysterious disappearance of Nell Anderson. But in doing so, will the investigation uncover more questions than answers?

A brand new atmospheric mystery thriller set on the shores of Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. Perfect for fans of Louise Penny, LJ Ross and Ann Cleeves.

About the author
Annette Dashofy is the USA Today bestselling author of fifteen mystery novels including six Agatha Award finalists and one Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award winner. Keep Your Family Close is the second in the Detective Honeywell series set on the shores of Lake Erie. Annette and her husband live in southwestern Pennsylvania with their very spoiled cat, Kensi.