Addison Cameron was devastated when her husband, Eric, suddenly died after thirty years of marriage. She found a grief support group that helped her process her loss. She learned early on that when you lose a spouse, you also lose your friends. Now she had to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life.

Eventually Addison was able to go through Eric’s possessions. While working through a number of boxes and a trunk in their attic, she came across a shocking secret that caused her to wonder who her husband was in reality.

Later, in an attempt to move on with her life, Addison started taking weekly dance lessons. She met Miranda Jones while learning to line dance at a local senior center. When she found out her new friend was interested in becoming a private investigator, Addison knew fate had put them together. She enlisted Miranda to help her solve the deep secret her husband kept from Addison all those years.

During the process of healing and searching for truth, she met an attractive private investigator by the name of Todd Baker, and realized she may be able to move on with her life after all.

Heir to a Secret by Melinda Richarz Lyons is a powerful story of love and loss; and how someone can rebuild their life along the way. The author’s extensive experience in the field of grief shows throughout the novel. She is also the author of the non-fiction grief book, Crossing the Minefield.

While the author walks readers through a mounting realization that something serious in Eric’s past must stay hidden for as long as possible, she does it in such a way that it comes across as a tantalizing mystery to be solved.

Lyons perfectly intertwines Eric’s present and past, building tension along the way, avoiding the oft times overused cliché regarding keeping pages turning. Heir to a Secret is difficult to put down. I read the book in just a few hours, drawn by the increasing tension and building emotions of the main character.

Her characters come across as real people, someone you might know in your neighborhood or at work. She has a deep understanding of what makes people tick, and what they need in order to help them through the inevitable trials of life.

I highly recommend this novel and hope we see further fiction stories from this author. You can find Heir to a Secret by Melinda Richarz Lyons at Amazon.com.

A special thank you goes to the author for providing us with a complimentary copy of this book for our review.