"Follow Her Home" Book Review

“Follow Her Home” by Steph Cha

Cha is a debut author and she kept me reading until the very end. Using literary giant Raymond Chandler’s character Philip Marlowe as her guide, Juniper Song becomes entangled in a mystery that is sordid, harrowing, and very deadly. Song is not an investigator in any way, but having read enough—at least she thinks—of Marlowe’s escapades, she attempts to draw on those situations to finagle staying alive.

Her best friend Luke needs help in finding out if his father is cheating on his mother and elicits Song to do some simple questioning. She agrees, but wishes she hadn’t. That simple task leads her to be knocked unconscious, to find a dead body in the trunk of her car, and to be threatened. And that’s just the beginning of her weekend.

While trying to uncover the truth of what is really going on, she realizes the case has similarities to her personal past. She tries to resolve her issues while dodging bullets and dealing with death in both the covert and well-known parts of Los Angeles. She ends up losing more than could have imagined.

Cha keeps you wanting to turn the pages with a need to know what is going on and cheering Song on to help work through the pain from her past. A well-written and very intriguing book.