Hush Hush by Laura Lippman

One hot summer day a decade ago, mother Melisandre Harris Dawes, went out to run errands.  Her two toddler daughters were at nursery school, taken by their nanny.  She took the baby with her on her errands.  And on that hot summer day, she got out, sat under a shade tree while her baby sat in the car in the sun and baked to death.

The publicity was instant and derogatory.  How could a mother forget her baby?  Did Melisandre kill her baby on purpose?  Did she have postpartum depression?  How should she be punished?  In the end, Melisandre was hospitalized for a while, then upon release, went overseas to live with relatives.  She hasn't seen the surviving girls or had any kind of contact for over ten years.

But suddenly, she is back in Baltimore.  She is starring in a documentary about the case, done by a woman filmmaker who needs the film to be a success to get her career back on track.  Melisandre wants contact with her daughters, but her ex-husband refuses.  He is remarried with another baby and doesn't want her rocking the boat.

Tess Monaghan, former journalist and now private investigator, remembers the story vividly.  Now that Tess is a mother, she views Melisandre's actions through a different filter.  She is hired by her uncle who is also Melisandre's attorney, to determine her security needs and serve as a bodyguard of sorts.  At first Tess doesn't think it is necessary but when those around Melisandre start to have accidents she knows something big is going on.  Soon the ex husband is killed and Melisandre is the prime suspect.  Can Tess find the truth?

Laura Lippman is a successful mystery author, usually setting her books in her home locale of Baltimore and surrounding areas.  Tess Monaghan is a recurring figure and this is Lippman's twelfth book in the series about Tess.  The reader is drawn into the family conflict and is also interested to read about Tess's own domestic life.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.