Beth is a paralegal, grinding away at her father's law firm in Portland, OR, while her big sister Lindsay is an investigative reporter trying to expose corruption and save the world, in other words, exactly the opposite of her father and sister. As the company Christmas party is wrapping up and most people have left, Beth sees her sister fleeing the office of Craig Bartell, the cool, young law associate Beth works for, and when she goes to speak to him, she finds him dead, with his throat slashed. Although Beth desperately feels the need to protect her sister from whatever she is involved in, she soon finds herself falling under suspicion by Detective Troy Matson.
Determined to locate her sister and get answers to her burning questions, Beth soon realizes that Lindsay dropped her cell phone into Beth's bag while she was there, and the last unsent text was to Beth stating, "Don't ask, don't follow," which is something Lindsay would say to Beth when they were kids and she was sneaking out at night. While Beth wants to heed her sister's warning, she also knows that her sister just might need help, so she starts digging, first into Lindsay's cell and then into her email at her apartment.
Beth is stunned to discover that Lindsay recently had her DNA tested and although their parents are 100% Scandinavian, the DNA report in her email states she has Hispanic DNA. Could Lindsay have been adopted and her upstanding WASP parents have kept it a secret all of these years?!? As Beth continues to dig, she discovers that Craig, her attorney, has a similar DNA report, so that must be why they were colluding and kept her in the dark. She also discovers that he's been working pro bono at the St. Luke's Legal Clinic and it appears he and Lindsay have been researching at-risk and drug addicted women who have reported that their newborns were stolen from them and supposedly died at birth.
As the days pass with no word from Lindsay, Beth gets more worried, especially since Lindsay's neighbor, Kai has given her a key with instructions from Lindsey on what to do should Lindsey not report back to him. Something has definitely happened to her sister and Beth won't stop until she discovers the truth, about all of it, including Lindsay's whereabouts.
Beth wishes she could share the info she is gathering with Detective Matson, but she is too scared of implicating Lindsay or herself. Plus, he's told her in no uncertain terms to stay out of the investigation. However, lately she feels like she's being watched and she keeps spotting a dark sedan following her. It's even tried to run down someone she was trying to speak with from a shady adoption agency called Alliance Adoptions. What's worse, her father is campaigning to be the next mayor, so he isn't interested in talking about the past or this adoption nonsense, and their mother is almost always distant and checked out on "migraine medicine." The only solace Beth can seek is in the loving arms of Nova, the family maid and the woman she's relied on her whole life. When more bodies drop and the police seem convinced the worst has happened to Lindsay, Beth realizes she has to take matters into her own hands, but at what cost?
Don't Ask, Don't Follow is another exceptional and solid thriller from Mary Keliikoa. Her writing is like a warm hug - it's consistent, reliably excellent, and always a pleasure to read. This book is no exception. While it seems written as a one-off, I really wouldn't mind it if this became a series, with Lindsay getting into things that need exposing and Beth running legal interference for her. Highly recommended.
