What Meets the Eye

Private investigator Kate Myles, the protagonist of Kenna’s impressive debut, is still dealing with the mental and physical consequences of an injury she suffered in the line of duty two years earlier when she was an LAPD police detective. Her car was part of a freeway barricade constructed to thwart a robber, whose own speeding vehicle drove Myles’s into a wall. The collision damaged her back, and led to a painkiller addiction; her then five-year-old daughter, Amelia, nearly died after she passed out and crashed while she was driving while impaired by the medications. Myles’s husband divorced her and gained custody of Amelia, and she now struggles to support herself as a PI. She lands an unexpectedly complex case when she’s retained by Milt Starling, whose artist daughter Margot’s death was deemed a suicide. Starling is adamant that foul play was involved, and Myles finds reasons to share his view after learning an unscrupulous art dealer sold some forgeries of Margot’s paintings. Through judicious use of flashbacks, Kenna fleshes out the backstories of both Myles and Margot. The thoughtful plot resolves itself satisfactorily. Sara Paretsky fans will be pleased. (Dec.)