Review: Who She Was by Braylee Parkinson

I discovered a new author by grabbing a free book she'd offered. Yes, free books really do introduce readers to new authors.

Meet Braylee Parkinson, author of the Sylvia Wilcox Mystery Series

Ms. Parkinson's mystery series is a PI Mystery. I think I'll call it a non-police procedural.

Perhaps call it a private investigator procedural. Whatever you want to call it, trust me. You'll want to read her series.


Former Detroit police officer Sylvia Wilcox now works as a private investigator with her brother-in-law. Sylvia is no stranger to the heartbreak of losing a spouse. When she's approached by a prominent physician to solve the cold case murder of his wife, she takes on the case despite her misgivings.

What she discovers along the way is that Liza, the victim, was not what she seemed. Neither her family nor her husband really knew her. 

The investigation uncovers old secrets, old enemies, and past mistakes along with red herrings, misdirections, and present-day threats.

I'll admit there are some continuity errors, but the characterization of Sylvia is so good that I ignored them. 

You'll like Sylvia as she navigates the many communities in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area. She's the kind of woman you'd want as a friend.

She's smart, compassionate, knowledgeable—she's like Bosch (if you read the Michael Connelly series)—a grinder. She sticks with something day after day following up on details that seem insignificant.

Get Who She Was: Book 1. You'll like it. (Sylvia Wilcox would make a great Amazon Prime or Netflix series! Just saying.)

Takeaway Truth

I really liked Sylvia and look forward to reading the second book, Displacement, even though it sounds as if it should be listed as the first book because Sylvia takes a leave of absence from the DPD to investigate her husband's death. That was backstory in Who She Was.

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