Frances Pratt is in town to attend her cousin's wedding. Returning to her aunt and uncle's home in exclusive Manchester-by-the-Sea brings back fond childhood memories. The pleasantries of the past are shadowed by certain scandals in her family. Franny is still recovering over the shock of her evil stepmother's murder. It turns out there are difficulties in this branch of the family tree as well.
Tragedy strikes amidst the wedding and Franny again finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. There are plenty of suspects and just as many motives. This time, however, the family members have put up a wall of defense. Can Franny find a crack in the facade of the rich and famous? Could the murderer be a member of her own family? The answers are found in Redemption by Nancy Geary.
Franny Pratt was originally introduced in Misfortune. Geary provides some background information on her sleuth, but doesn't really go into depth in this second novel. Franny Pratt the person isn't as defined in this second installment, so you may want to start with Misfortune.
The rich have plenty of secrets and it's fun to watch Geary's wealthier characters squirm under pressure in Redemption. The story moves along at a decent pace. There are plenty of suspects to be investigated and secrets to be revealed. Most readers will be kept guessing until the very end.
The ending of Redemption suggests more is to come from Nancy Geary. Let's just hope there's not another murder in Franny's family. She's quickly running out of relatives.
