Charlie and Simm run an Irish pub with their friend Frank, but that is not all the couple do. They are private detectives who solve mysteries too, and word gets out to a woman, Shanna Mc Guire, who has a acquired a stalker.

A stalker who claims to be a long-lost brother. Naturally. Shanna wants to be sure this isn't a scam.

Technology can now verify such things either way, but that is not the issue that involves for Charlie and Simm. For they start receiving threats to back off, and when their bartender Frank gets beaten up, it becomes apparent that there is more to the case than meets the eye.

The long-lost brother is part of a scandal that is a real stain on Canada's recent history. His orphanage had been turned into a hospital for the mentally ill, the latter being the former orphans. It is also possible there is a cover-up some individuals don't want brought to the public eye - rich and veszed interests. A treasure in possession of the long-lost brother may or may not possess serious value. But can Charlie and Simm get to the bottom of the mystery before things get really dangerous?

It's an interesting premise, but the ending and reveal seemed a little rushed. The acid test of a good whodunnit is that the reveal should be a surprise, but not a surprise, as the clues are usually planted by the author in plain sight. Here, the reveal came across as somewhat unexpected because some clues to the identity of the bad guys really were a surprise. The book can read as a standalone, but there are quite a few references to earlier adventures, which eben in This novel, remain u resolved.

All the same, there may be enough references in this novel to generate interest in both Canadian and Irish readers.

A Stranger in the Family is the story of the McGuire family, which consists of different members with different points of view when presented with information that the family patriarch could possibly have an older brother, born and put in an orphanage well before his birth.

This story describes this family, the use of a private investigator to get answers, finding people who could help resolve the question at hand and greed. It is also the story of a family coming together and embracing a possibility and what it is willing to do to find the truth.

I enjoyed this book with its ups and downs, it's thrill and the overall story of family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down from start to finish. It is the first one in this series that I have read and I loved the characters although it did take me a while to really feel that I knew the connections, reders from the prvious book will have known the character involvement though. having siad that it did not spoil my enjoyment as I gradually placed everyone repectfully. It is a mystery full of twists and turns and lots of intrigue that kept me deteriined to resolve the issues. I found that the Canadian history about the orphans being used for medical experiments and being classed as having severe medical problems was so sad and highligted a terrible time in the country's history. It led me to follow up to read mre about thiis situation and so enhanced my knowledge as well as reading a great book.

I really enjoyed this entry in this series, it had that mystery element that I was looking for from the description. A.J. McCarthy created a great story and enjoyed how good everything worked overall. It was suspenseful and was engaging for the reader.

This was an enjoyable read with an interesting plot,

When Shanna senses she is being followed, a man approaches her, claiming to be her uncle. Shanna approaches a couple, Simm and Charlie, and asks them to investigate. What they discover is a horrifying history of orphans being labelled mentally ill and a family who may be sitting on unknown treasure.

I felt there was a real lack of character development which may not be a problem for anyone who has read the first two books in the series, but as a standalone, the shallowness of the characters let the story down.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, A. J. McCarthy and Black Rose for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Black Rose Publishing for the eARC.
This is a good mystery set in Montreal and headed by 2 very likeable characters and their cute pug. It covers a nasty part in Canada's history, when the babies of unwed mothers were taken from them and put in a home for the mentally ill because the government paid more for doctor care than the care for orphaned babies. Horrifying...
But it has an uplifting ending!