The San Diego Case Files Series: Book 4
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
The fourth nerve-shattering installment of the San Diego Case Files from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose sees Kit McKittrick’s sister caught in a maelstrom of deadly family secrets.
As an infant, Kit McKittrick’s foster sister Akiko was abandoned at a firehouse. Now 32, Akiko has received an unsettling phone call from a woman who says that she knew her birth mother but refuses to divulge any details except in person. Akiko is nervous but also thrilled at the prospect of finally learning about her blood relations.
Kit has a bad feeling about this and insists on accompanying Akiko to meet the woman. Sure enough, as they stand on Mary Sherman’s doorstep, shots are fired and Kit is hit…and inside the house is a corpse: Mary Sherman herself.
Although she’s on medical leave and forbidden to work the case, Kit cannot rest. With police psychologist Sam Reeves, she undertakes a covert investigation into the mysterious Mary Sherman. Was she Akiko’s birth mother? Why did she reach out after all these years? And who had a motive to kill her?
As more bodies pile up, Kit starts to put together the pieces of the frightening puzzle that is Akiko’s birth family, and she’ll come to wonder whether some secrets should stay buried after all.
Homicide detective Kit McKittrick manages to find trouble even when she is off duty. This time, it hits close to home.
Author Karen Rose continues The San Diego Case Files series with another multi-faceted thriller full of unexpected twists. Family Lies involves Kit’s adopted sister, Akiko, who is searching for her birth parents.
From the early scenes where Kit is shot, it becomes clear that someone wants to keep the past hidden. As the attacks continue, Kit puts her career on the line by ignoring orders to stay on the sidelines.
The author continues to add depth to the McKittrick family characters by fostering a strong sense of belonging. Found family provides a solid foundation as Kit and the team uncover deadly secrets tied to organized crime.
On a personal note, prickly Kit continues to allow Sam to get closer. Their relationship evolves throughout the series, with Sam managing to get boyfriend status.
Family Lies reveals a legacy that threatens to destroy everything in its path.
Karen Rose is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the bestselling New Orleans, Sacramento, Baltimore, and Cincinnati series. She has been translated into twenty-three languages, and her books have placed on the New York Times, the Sunday Times (UK), and Germany’s der Spiegel bestseller lists.
