Such a Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson

 

[Summary: The cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Washington, D.C., and the Calhouns are in the midst of hosting their annual party to celebrate the best of the spring season. With a house full of friends, neighbors, and their beloved three adult children, the Calhouns are expecting another picture-perfect event. But a brutal murder in the middle of the celebration transforms the yearly gathering into a homicide scene, and all the guests into suspects.

Behind their façade of perfection, the Calhoun family has been keeping some very dark secrets. Parents who use money and emotional manipulation to control their children. Two sons, one the black sheep who is desperate to outrun mistakes he’s made, and the other a new father, willing to risk everything to protect his child. And a daughter: an Instagram influencer who refuses to face the truth about the man she married.

As the investigation heats up, family tensions build, and alliances shift. Long-buried resentments surface, forcing the Calhouns to face their darkest secrets before it’s too late.]

Review: [This was a March read and was meant to be my main review for the month but I forgot to post it.] I've read and enjoyed Aggie Blum Thompson's previous books and was excited for this one. I found it a little hard to get into at first and was thrown by how many characters there are to keep track of and how they fit into the family's orbit and the murder. By halfway through the story though, I was hooked and would recommend this to anyone who likes complex domestic suspense. On a fun note: Cookie reminded me of Cam from Modern Family and that's who I pictured as I was reading. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this early review copy.