The shocking murder of her boss — and the sudden disappearance of her sister — sends Portland paralegal Beth Ralston on a dangerous, dizzying quest to find answers that she may not be able to manage in Mary Keliikoa’s smart thriller, "Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow."

At a holiday office party for her father’s prestigious law firm, Ralston, Higgins, & Schroeder, Beth itches to get back to her office and finish billing hours for her boss, Craig Bartell, an associate aiming to become a senior partner. Adding to her frustration is the fact her older sister, Lindsay, who promised to be her “plus one” at the party, is a no-show.

When Beth heads back into the darkened office corridors, she catches a glimpse of a woman with long, red hair exiting Craig’s office fast — her sister, Lindsay. Before she can catch up to her, she discovers Craig’s lifeless, bloody body in his office chair. She also finds Lindsay’s phone, which is open to an unsent text to Beth that simply reads: Don’t ask! Don’t follow!

With this humdinger of an opener, Keliikoa crafts a tense thriller that puts family — and its secrets — at the heart of Beth’s quest to find the murderer and her sister.

Lindsay remembers how often as kids she would admonish Beth with don’t ask, but the second half of the text meant something more sinister — don’t follow“was reserved for when she was up to something questionable.” Despite being warned off investigating on her own by Detective Troy Matson, Beth is all in on finding her sister, no matter the personal costs.

What Beth’s amateur sleuthing begins to unravel is that Lindsay, a cause-driven investigative reporter, may have been on to a scandal. Chasing a paper and digital trail of DNA tests and a local adoption agency, Beth’s search begins to yield results… and an unwelcome stalker. What becomes clear is that someone will kill, and kill again, to keep Lindsay’s exposé from seeing daylight. How this ties into the Ralston family is the grease that keeps Keliikoa’s story moving at a cracking pace.

While Beth and Lindsay are sympathetic characters, readers will find the parents — Frederick and Shelby — trope-like as affluent and class-conscious white Americans. Frederick is focused on his mayoral campaign and Shelby her board meetings and boozy day-drinking, even amidst their daughter being missing. For comfort, Beth relies on the nurturing care of her longtime nanny and housekeeper, Nova, who adds an emotional element missing from her interactions with her parents.

Keliikoa includes a sizable number of characters, not all of whom are central to the mystery… the more to throw the reader off? The ambivalent cooperation of Matson with Beth’s ill-advised and extracurricular snooping is a lighthearted twist that plays well and delivers some funny moments. As Keliikoa accelerates through to a clever climax that may promise more for these characters, the dogged determination of Beth to find Lindsay is the beating heart of this tale of two sisters.

"Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow" is a solidly plotted labyrinth-like mystery that addresses a real-life, troubling social issue in a sensitive and compelling way. If readers need a summer beach read, this is the perfect candidate.