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5/5 stars!

Scar Tissue is not just an intriguing police procedural but a good look at family dynamics…dysfunctional family dynamics, because there are some totally messed up folks in this read dealing with several timely themes.

The death of a wealthy young coed, Ashley Lambert, is ruled a suicide but the family has trouble accepting it and PIs Griff Cole and Britt Callahan are called in to go deeper than the preceding police investigation.

As they dig into the background of Ashley and her family, skeletons fall out all over the place.

Meanwhile, Griff and Britt have bought a home together and while Britt is trying to wrap her head around it, she finds out all is not well with their new neighbors, a young couple whose toddler went missing and was never found.

While it looks as though there is no connection between their case and their new neighbors, the plot twists arrive and everyone’s a suspect.

In the end, you can’t help but feel sorry for Ashley… and her roommate. I can’t imagine living the life either young woman had, but oh my god, Ashley’s parents—Greg and Gwen—are proof some people should not be allowed to have children. They were both horrid people but deserved each other since they didn’t marry… or stay married for the right reasons. Their avarice and narcissism screwed up their kid, no doubt about it.

Neighbor, Rhea McKenzie, is also a sympathetic character who endured much. The resolution to her story was a bit surprising, but I understood and agreed with Britt… justice doesn’t always work the way it should.

Griff and Britt are a great couple and it was nice reading about a couple with equal footing. Their personalities compliment each other and the mutual respect is as strong as the love between them.

Scar Tissue was my first Cole and Callahan Thriller Series read but it won’t be my last. Solid writing and well-developed plot and characters make me want to read more of this investigative team’s stories. Fans of thriller, suspense and women’s fiction will enjoy Scar Tissue.

Enjoy!