False as the Day Is Long — Sandra J. Robson

At the request of an old lover, Keegan Shaw keeps an appointment on a south Florida beach with Sunni Russell, a locally famous businesswoman. Sunni wants to know who her birth father is and has been told Keegan can be trusted and has a talent for sorting out secrets. She hires Keegan to follow her mother to London, to keep her eyes open and her mouth shut, and to report back. Mrs. Russell, an ex-hippie who lives her life according to psychics, has kept Sunni's father a secret for almost 50 years. And despite the old saying, “If you can remember London in the Sixties, you weren't there,” Abby Russell remembers it all: miniskirts, pot, free love, LSD, Carnaby Street, the Stones. But instead of the warm, fuzzy buzz of nostalgia, she is haunted by the unsolved 1966 murder of her flatmate, Susan Miachi. Against Sunni's instructions, Keegan befriends Mrs. Russell on the flight over. Together they explore London's post-recession art world and everyone who has an interest in a particular posh West End gallery, including the single-minded gallery owner, his aging ex-boyfriend, his bitter ex-wife, his hot young girlfriend, his even hotter son, and an old writer friend. Keegan realizes that some aren't who they pretend to be and one is not quite finished with murder. ----------- "Almost on a lark, Floridian freelance photojournalist Keegan takes on a sleuthing assignment and finds her subject more complicated than expected. Abby's daughter, Sunni, has asked Keegan to follow Abby to London. Secretive about her past, Abby has been acting suspiciously and Sunni thinks London might be where her birth father lives. Believing she's on a paternity hunt, Keegan soon learns that Abby was party to an unsolved murder that claimed her roommate's life back in 1966. Abby might be seeking closure for a terrible chapter in her life, but now someone else wants to eliminate her entirely. Keegan is caught up in a swirling scene of jealousy, long-simmering hatred, and folks on the run. VERDICT: One woman's search for her past threatens those who were left behind. Robson's effective use of twists and turns is nicely paced and introduces an engaging protagonist with plenty of her own skeletons in the closet to explore. More Keegan, please." -- Teresa L. Jacobsen, a STARRED review in “Mystery Reviews,” Library Journal (1May13) “False As The Day Is Long will take you across the Atlantic, toss you into the London art world, and drag you into the mind of a killer. Sandra Robson has created an appealing protagonist in Keegan Shaw, whose baptism into the world of private investigation pits her against an elegant former hippie who was keeping deadly secrets before Keegan was born. Robson's sleek and evocative prose invites you into an exciting tale you don't want to miss.” -- Mary Anna Evans, Benjamin Franklin Award winning author of the Faye Longchamp archaeological mysteries “Sandra Robson's False as the Day is Long is less about crime than it is about sin. A classic family tragedy disguised as detective fiction, it lures the reader with rich characters and an intricate plot deep into Ross MacDonald territory -- where long dead secrets rise from the grave to haunt the living.” - -- David Housewright, Edgar Award winning author of Curse of the Jade Lily “False as the Day is Long has it all! Keegan is a smart, engaging sleuth with a quick mind and a delightful wit. But beware -- there are enough twists and surprises in this fast-moving story to cause sleep deprivation to anyone who starts reading this at night.” -- Gillian Roberts, author of the Amanda Pepper mysteries “Sandra captures the beauty and reality of London better than a photographer. The city pops out at the reader with every turn of the page.” -- Robert Downs, author of "Falling Immortality" “This novel has an excellent sense of atmosphere and place. It is well-plotted and just a touch sardonic.” -- Kerry Greenwood, author of the Phryne Fisher series