I like Kristen Lepionka’s mysteries featuring PI Roxane Weary for several reasons. The Columbus, Ohio setting always draws me in. But, Roxane herself is the biggest draw. She’s a complex character with flaws and personal issues. But, she tries. She really tries to overcome her family and personal troubles. Sometimes, she’s the biggest block to her own success.

Roxane was supposed to meet her brother Andrew early one morning for a nature hike. He doesn’t show, but she runs into Rebecca Newsome, an experienced hiker. When Rebecca falls to her death on the trail, Roxane is the last person who spoke with the woman. Everyone blames Rebecca’s dog for getting under her feet, but Weary is a little doubtful.

Then, Rebecca’s daughter, Maggie, shows up at Roxane’s office, wanting to hire her. Maggie thinks her mother was pushed, and she suspects Rebecca’s ex-husband had something to do with the death. Weary tracks him down. He’s a former cop, and he might be a jerk, but Roxane finds no evidence he’s linked to his ex-wife’s death. She just can’t convince Maggie, her client, that he isn’t responsible.

In the course of the investigation, Roxane follows a confusing trail from Toledo to Detroit to Windsor, Canada. How do a casino, a private club, and an evangelical home church connect to the victim? Why is the stepson of the church’s pastor hiding in Rebecca’s house? While Roxane immerses herself in the investigation, she can ignore her personal problems. She doesn’t have to think about the woman she used to love, or the man who wants more than she’s prepared to give. She doesn’t have to think of her father, a dead cop, or a female cop, new to the local force, who resembles Roxane. Roxane Weary might find a solution to her case. She might learn if Rebecca Newsome was killed or not. It’s going to be harder for her to deal with her own issues.

Once You Go This Far is an intriguing story. But, as I said earlier, once you’re this far in the series, you’re going to stay for the character of Roxane Weary.

Kristen Lepionka’s website is http://www.kristenlepionka.com/

Once You Go This Far by Kristen Lepionka. St. Martin’s, 2020. ISBN 9781250309372 (hardcover), 320p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a copy to review for a journal.