Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
💦 Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
Murder, Mommy Issues & a Whole Lotta Water Damage
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5 out of 5 stars)
🚨 TL;DR:
One woman’s inheritance comes with a side of drowned secrets, family grudges, and suspiciously buoyant corpses. Also, the local lake has eaten more cars than a sketchy used car lot. Welcome to Mirror Lake, folks.
🪞 Welcome to Mirror Lake, Where the Funerals Come With Plot Twists
We open on a solemn funeral for Detective Perry Holt, beloved small-town cop and father of the year (or so we think). Cue the bagpipes... and also the drama. Mid-service, a car pops up from the dried-out lake like it’s auditioning for a ghost story, sending the town into a gossip frenzy and the reader straight into the action.
Our main girl Hazel Holt, Perry’s daughter, is just trying to mourn her dad in peace—until the lake turns into a crime scene.
👨👩👧 Family Tension? More Like a Full-On Soap Opera
Hazel’s family situation makes Succession look tame. Here’s the rundown:
-
Hazel is Perry’s daughter with his second wife, Libby.
-
Gage and Caden are Perry’s sons from his first marriage to Audrey, and they do not send Hazel Christmas cards.
-
Hazel used to be besties with Jamie… who is now married to Caden. Yikes.
-
To top it off, Hazel just inherited her father’s house AND all his stuff, and her brothers are NOT thrilled.
Meanwhile, her mom Libby vanished 14 years ago, leaving behind a mysterious note labeled “Daughter of Mine” and one seriously confused teenager.
Hazel assumed her mom pulled a Gone Girl to Mexico. But… guess who might be coming back up for air—literally?
🚗 Lake Secrets, Plural
When Hazel’s young niece Skyler claims she saw a “shipwreck” under the lake (aka kid-speak for yet another car), Hazel dives in like Nancy Drew with scuba gear and finds… car #2.
Two wives. Two sunken cars. One lake with zero chill.
One vehicle belonged to Audrey, Perry’s first wife, who “died in a bicycle accident.” (Sure, Jan.)
The other belonged to Libby, Hazel’s long-lost mom. Hazel goes full amateur sleuth and starts unraveling secrets faster than a Southern grandmother with a ball of yarn.
🧠 Hazel, Amateur Sleuth Extraordinaire
Hazel begins connecting the dots:
-
Audrey’s bike accident? A cover-up. Perry hit her with his car.
-
Libby’s embezzlement? Also fake. She was onto something—something dangerous.
-
And let’s not forget that Uncle Roy, Perry’s seemingly boring lawyer brother, is suddenly very twitchy.
Spoiler alert: Roy is the actual villain, with a rap sheet that includes blackmail, murder, and general chaos. Turns out, he was having an affair with Audrey, wanted to run away with her, and has been sabotaging literally everyone ever since her death.
Libby figured out Roy was embezzling money from his law firm and—whoops!—he killed her too. Same for anyone else who sniffed too close to the truth.
💥 The Final Showdown: Hazel vs. Roy
Hazel uncovers everything, but Roy finds out. Of course he does. These dudes always do.
He shoots Caden, because why not start the family reunion with some light maiming? Hazel manages to escape, runs to the lake (again), and jumps in.
Roy follows. Plot twist: Roy can’t swim.
Plot twist #2: Hazel can.
Roy drowns.
Justice: served. Irony: delicious.
🧡 Final Thoughts (No Life Jacket Required)
This was such a twisty, satisfying read! Sure, I guessed Uncle Roy was the shady one a bit early (he just had that "TV movie villain" vibe), but honestly? The plot was layered, the pacing was tight, and Hazel was a heroine I rooted for the whole way through. 10/10 would dive into another Megan Miranda book.
📚 If You Loved This Book, You’ll Also Enjoy:
| 📖 Book Title | ✍️ Author | 🔍 Why You'll Like It |
|---|---|---|
| The Last House Guest | Megan Miranda | Same author, same small-town secrets, more beachy vibes. |
| The Family Upstairs | Lisa Jewell | Messy families + twisted inheritance drama = yes please. |
| The Cousins | Karen M. McManus | Family secrets unraveling on an island. Sound familiar? |
| The Good Sister | Sally Hepworth | Sibling drama, unreliable narrators, and unexpected reveals. |
Comments
Post a Comment