During a youth center outing to a Washington State park, popular 17-year-old Anna Shaw falls from a cliff while trying to take a selfie. The only witness, who immediately runs for help, is nine-year-old Katie Harmon, for whom Anna regularly babysat. Such is the gripping opening to Everything She Feared, Rick Mofina's 31st novel.
Although the scenario appears to be an unfortunate tragedy, rookie detective Kim Pierce disagrees with her older, all-male colleagues who want to quickly rule the death an accident. Kim wonders if Katie's evasiveness is because she's a scared little girl who saw her baby-sitter fall--or if she pushed Anna. Part of Kim's doggedness is spurred by the desire to show she has the skills to lead the investigation and to prove to her colleagues that her youth, gender, and Guatemalan and Native American heritage have nothing to do with her being a good detective. Katie's mother, Sara, worries that Kim might uncover a dark family secret, affecting her relationship with her daughter and skewing the investigation. Intersecting subplots focusing on true-crime podcasters and a man searching for his long-lost sister add to the tension.
Mofina (Her Last Goodbye; Search for Her; Their Last Secret) delivers an intriguing story about whether nature or nurture determines behavior. Although Everything She Feared occasionally becomes repetitive, the author smoothly alternates timelines and points of view to place each present action in the context of the past. Mofina's skill at presenting complete character studies compels readers to feel invested in each person on the page.--Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer