Delafield by Katherine V. Forrest is the tenth and I believe the final book in the “Kate Delafield Mystery” series. It’s kind of sad that this is the end of such a wonderful set of stories, but if the series has to end, this is a great novel to end it with.
In this book we find Kate in her fourth year of retirement, but even now, her past never lets her rest. Twenty years ago Kate was the lead detective in a homophobic murder. She was struggling with a breakdown at the time and let her inexperienced partner take the lead in the investigation. As a result, the wrong person was convicted and sent to death row. About nineteen years later, they were found innocent through DNA and set free. The problem now is Ellie Shuster (the wrongfully convicted woman) wants someone to pay for the botched investigation and Kate is in her crosshairs…literally. Now Kate needs to solve this murder, not only for the victim and the person wrongfully convicted, but also to possibly save her own life.
This is a brilliantly written conclusion to a fantastic mystery series, but I would expect nothing less from an author like Katherine V. Forrest. Just her name on the cover is enough to let the reader know they are about to read something special and this book lives up to that expectation. We get to see Kate solve another murder mystery, and at the same time watch as she copes with what she has been through, both professionally and personally. This is one of the best character driven novels I’ve read lately.
If you are a Kate Delafield fan, this is the book for you. If you are a character driven mystery buff, then this entire series is definitely for you. That should keep you reading for a while.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
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