Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands is an intriguing suspense novel that follows two adult children who discover their mother has passed away, leaving her entire fortune to her new husband. Feeling betrayed and suspicious, the siblings embark on a quest to uncover the truth behind their mother’s sudden will and the disappearance of their stepfather with all of the money. Along the way, they discover they have a stepsister who may hold the key to understanding who their stepfather really is and where he’s gone.

The plot is engaging, and the mystery surrounding their mother’s death and the inheritance keeps the story moving at a fast pace. The search for answers leads to twists and turns, and while the ending is somewhat predictable, it still holds a few surprises that make it worthwhile.

However, while the plot is interesting, the two main characters can be hard to sympathize with. They come across as somewhat spoiled and greedy, particularly given the circumstances of their mother’s passing. This made it difficult at times to connect with them emotionally, though their motivations are clear enough within the context of the story.

Overall, Trust Issues is a good, quick read that will appeal to fans of family drama and suspense. While the characters may not be easy to love, the plot is engaging enough to keep readers hooked. I would definitely be open to reading more from these authors in the future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Two of the most dislikable siblings in a book, Hazel and Kagan Bailey, are stunned when their mother dies and they learn they were cut out of her will. They suspect their stepfather had something to do with their mother's death, and they want to prove he's a liar and killer. They enlist the help of his hacker daughter to bring down the man.

Hazel and Kagan, both in their thirties, are too immature for their age, and they're both in it only for the money. In the end, everyone gets what they deserve, and I was happy to see that happen.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of Trust Issues, by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands. The title to this book is perfect! There isn’t one person you can trust in this story. Hazel and Kagan are devastated by their mom’s death, and enlist the help of their stepfather’s daughter to get their inheritance back. Is it all about the money? Do they really care who killed their mom? I look forward to reading books by these authors.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Hazel and Kagan are considered suspects in their mothers death. When they learn an individual has stolen from them, they team up to capture thus individual. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning.

This book is such a fun story. Part murder mystery part heist and part thriller. It’s a real page turner that will keep you guessing till the very end. Highly recommend to mystery/thriller lovers.

A fascinating novel about trust. How well do we every really know someone? A woman is found at the bottom of the cliff. Her husband was not there and had just come back from a business trip. The woman was wealthy and he will meet her siblings for the first time.

The woman was afraid of heights, so the siblings do not believe she would have gone that close to the cliffs.

A riveting novel and the events that lead up to the death. What secrets will come out? Who is telling the truth? Was money the motive or something else?

Thank you Dutton for the gifted e-ARC.

This would be a good plane or vacation novel, but it doesn’t enter any new territory.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214709014

Estranged siblings, Hazel and Kagan, discover that the police think their mother’s death was not an accident but murder. They find that their mother has cut them off because they are very entitled and greedy and have not been in contact with their mother for years. Their stepfather meets with them but informs them they were only left a month’s stay at a luxurious rehab facility. They find someone who has been released from prison to help them get their money. Turns out she is the daughter of their stepfather who is a con artist. So the scheming begins. The ending was clever and not what I expected. A good read! I recommend it to mystery and suspense lovers.

This ended up being such a pleasant surprise! I couldn’t even out this book down (especially when I got to 70% mark!)

Hazel and Kagen are spoiled and entitled - they take their mother and her money for granted so much so that they become estranged from her when she cuts them off. They go no contact and struggle without her money, but when an accidents occurs the siblings are recommitted the non existent relationship.. but before they have any opportunity to get their inheritance they’re met with a crippling realization that their mothers new husband may have everything in the end. Determined to get what they feel is owed to them they embark of a revenge mission that doesn’t always have the desired effect.

I ended up really enjoying this book and I was so happy to see the twist at the end! I had a feeling it would happen, but even before then I was hoping for the twist! And the end really got to me.. this was more than just a story of revenge it was also a story about a mother who wanted better for her kids even if they’re adults. I’m a very pro no contact with abusive family members, but the dynamic you usually see isn’t how it works in this story! I thought that was a very cool twist,

I would HIGHLY recommend this book! I couldn’t put it down and had to stop myself from reading ahead!

Janice's second husband receives the police visit that no one ever wants. The officers come to their lavish New York apartment and informed him that his wife has died in a tragic fall from the top of the Cloisters where she worked as a docent. Even worse news-police think that it might be a homicide. Kagan and sister Hazel meet with their step-father at a nice restaurant to discuss their beneficiary status. Neither were particularly close to their mother but each was assured of a small fortune from her estate, even though they had already frittered away millions on fancy vacations, luxury purses, and in Kagan's case, up his nose. Their step-father said they had been left nothing but a month's stay at a luxurious rehab center.
After digging around and pulling in some favors, the siblings found someone who could help them get their money. Ava was a computer hacker who was just released from jail. She was very conversant in the grift, having been raised by her con artist father and participating in his schemes since childhood. And it just so happens that she knows their step-father very well because he's her long-lost dad. Can they pull off a sting together that rivals The Sting?
This was a very enjoyable romp through inheritance, greed, and the lengths one can go to get revenge. It was smart, it held my attention, and even though the mark was the only character that you could root for, it was fun to see how fast the manipulators became the manipulated. Want to read Sting 2.0...go no further.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. The cover of this book definitely didn’t do the book any justice. It was a good easy read, but also had a decent amount of thrill in it to keep you hanging!

I went into this expecting a thriller, but this is much more a suspenseful mystery. I found the first third of the book to be a bit slow. It picks up towards the middle, but this wasn't my favorite read.

I read so many thrillers and seem to gravitate towards psychological thrillers. This is not that. It's more of a mystery, suspense thriller, and I enjoyed the heck out of it. The brother and sister at the heart of this story are kind of unlikeable and entitled moneygrubbing jerks...but it is fascinating to watch their dynamics. The second third of the book brings in another character, who I really had an affinity for. She was a tough cookie, smart and conniving out of necessity. And, the ending of this book was perfection for me. It was exactly how I wanted it to end. If you are looking for a more thrillery type of thriller, grab this one up.

This story started off a bit slow but we get a little momentum at the 30% mark and it’s pretty consistent from there. This is more of a mystery of a conman than a thriller. The family dynamics and the relationship development with the stepsister kept me intrigued. It read a bit YA but I can see why some would love this one. It was simply average for me.

In Trust Issues, siblings Hazel and Kagan Bailey are forced into an uneasy partnership when their mother dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving her fortune vulnerable. Though they haven’t been close for years, they’re both determined to find the conman—once a trusted family member—whom they believe not only took their inheritance but may have had a hand in their mother’s death. As they work together to track him down, they’re drawn into a labyrinth of family secrets, betrayals, and unexpected allies, racing against time to uncover the truth before they lose everything.

The plot of Trust Issues is intriguing, but I found the siblings difficult to root for. Both Hazel and Kagan came across as spoiled, greedy adults who, despite their tragic circumstances, seemed more focused on the money than on any real sense of justice. While the husband’s sketchiness was obvious and provided a motive for their pursuit, I felt that none of the characters, siblings included, really deserved the inheritance. Although the story had its suspenseful moments, I was left wishing for more growth and maturity from the main characters.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Dysfunction at its finest. I am torn on the ending, but I love the eulogy.

Hazel and Kagan’s mother died and their step father disappears with their inheritance. What follows is a cat and mouse chase. Trust Issues is a quick read that holds your interest.

This was a first time read for me by these authors. I thought the premise of the book was interesting, and it did make me want to keep reading, but I also felt it was long. Each interaction of the characters had a lot of detail about each one and what they were thinking or what the other was thinking about them, and at times it just got repetitive. I would read another book by either of these authors, and I really thought this one had some clever twists and turns, but again it just seemed long.

Kagan and Hazel learn that their mother has died and the police believe she was murdered. They think that their step father (Perry) is behind it. The siblings set out to destroy their step father and get their money back. They learn that Perry doesn't exist and realize he is a con man.

Perry believes he can outsmart and outwit anyone. This was a fun cat and mouse of who is outsmarting who and who will end up with the money in the end. They find Eva his daughter and team up with her.

Kagan and Hazel were some lazy, unlikeable characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

When I first expressed interest in this book I thought it was going to be a physiological thriller but it’s more of a mystery/con artist story. That’s not really my thing but the book read quickly so I stuck with it. The story is good but there really wasn’t anything spectacular about it and the ending was just as I predicted.