More Than You’ll Ever Know

In Gutierrez’s engrossing debut, Cassie Bowman, a true crime aficionado living in Austin, comes across a decades-old story about an international banker, Dolores “Lore” Rivera, who was married to two husbands, Fabian Rivera and Andres Russo, the former in Texas and the latter in Mexico. In 1985, Andres was found dead and Fabian was arrested for the murder. Cassie becomes obsessed with the case and shows up on Lore’s doorstep unannounced, wanting to turn her story into a book. After some hesitation, Lore agrees and, in extensive flashbacks, her story emerges. In the present, Cassie’s investigation agitates members of both of Lore’s families, who want the past to stay buried. Cassie, as well, has her own secrets to hide and relives her tragic past as she comes closer to uncovering the truth behind the murder. Gutierrez successfully taps into the current fascination with true crime and considers its potential pitfalls, as Cassie becomes willing to risk everything to get at the truth. While the crime itself isn’t so fascinating in the end, the author has a sure hand in creating atmosphere, such as a passage involving the Mexico City earthquake of 1985, when the love between Lore and Andres comes to fruition. There’s no shortage of books that travel similar terrain, and while this doesn’t stand out from the pack, it’ll do the trick for fans of the genre. (June)