The Sea Sisters by Louise Douglas

I’ve read several standalone novels by Louise Douglas and enjoyed them all, but haven’t tried any of the books in her detective series set in France until now. This is the fourth in the series so I hoped it wouldn’t matter that I hadn’t read the other three – and it didn’t, although there’s one ongoing storyline that would probably have meant more if I’d read the previous books. Mila Shepherd works at Touissants Detective Agency in the Britanny coastal town of Morannez with her stepmother Ceci and their colleague, Carter Jackson. Mila came to France after the tragic deaths of her stepsister Sophie and her husband in a sailing accident and is looking after her orphaned niece, Ani, as well as taking Sophie’s place at the agency. Mila has discovered that Sophie was trying to contact her on the day of the accident and when she comes across a note left in Sophie’s kitchen – Call Mila. Tell her the truth. Ask her to help – she is filled with guilt, convinced that if she’d answered her phone…