“Maybe the wisdom is finding a way to hold both sorrow and joy, tragic and blissful memories, in your heart without breaking it.”
The Kinship Series by Jess Montgomery has three books. I read the first book, The Widows, in 2019. Montgomery is an Ohio author and the books are set in Ohio. I live in Ohio, too, so the series appealed to me.
In The Hollows, Sheriff Lily Ross is up for re-election after taking on her husband’s job after his death. However, right before the election, a woman is found dead by the “haunted” train tunnel in her jurisdiction. Following the trail leads her deep into a mystery involving the Women’s KKK, the history of the Underground Railroad and conditions at the local mental facility. Along the way, Lily is reminded of how she can’t do her job without the support of her family and friends.
In The Stills, Montgomery focuses on how Prohibition affected those in Lily’s life. An acquaintance of hers, Fiona, is now married to the biggest good and bootlegger around, George Vogel. Fiona finds herself pregnant and realized she needs a plan to get out of the control of her husband. Lily finds herself trying to track down a lost Prohibition Agent, trying to find her husband’s wayward half-brother and stopping methanol from sneaking into the local speakeasy’s liquor. Lily and Fiona become unexpected allies in their fight against George.
I enjoyed reading The Kinship Series. Read my review of The Widows here. While at some times reading the characters think through what’s going on in their lives got redundant, the plot was always moving forward with some suspense and mystery. The characters remain vivid through all three books and they learn great life lessons while living life in Kinship, Ohio.
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