Indelicate Deception

In the propulsive latest from Kemanis (Thursday’s List), a young woman tries to find out what happened to her long-lost mother. Feisty firefighter Delicate Soul “Caty” Robertson, 19, was raised by her Black father, Paul Leroy “Roy” Robertson, in early 1990s Berkeley, Calif., after her white mother, Leonore “Len” Witaker, took off when she was an infant. In search of clues, Caty visits her estranged maternal grandmother, who tells Caty a private investigator tracked Len to Los Angeles shortly after her disappearance, but the trail went cold. Caty travels to L.A., where she manages to track down a woman who might be Len. In a parallel narrative set in the 1970s, flower child Len falls in love with Vietnam War veteran Roy, who dreams of opening his own restaurant. Len’s well-off parents disapprove of the relationship and threaten to cut Len off from the trust fund established by her grandmother. Shortly before Caty is born, Len makes a startling choice that forever alters her and Roy’s lives. A further twist near the end of the novel strains credulity, but for the most part, Kemanis adroitly portrays the longing that drives Caty’s search. Readers who enjoy family dramas will find much to admire in this buoyant tale. (Self-published)