An amateur sleuth, a vision of her own murder, and a family that makes everything messier

Goodreads |It Runs in the Family

Release date: September 29, 2026

Genre: Mystery

Narrator: Piper Goodeve

Synopsis:

Seeing the future is a questionable gift. Seeing your own murder? That’s a problem.

Iris Gardner has been dealing with psychic visions her whole life—a “gift” from the father she never met and a burden her chaotic Texas family loves to exploit. Working the graveyard shift at a Stop-n-Go in Chaffney, Texas, helps keep her away from most of the drama.

Until she sees herself dead.

When a dangerous stranger walks into her store, he triggers a vision of her own murder while her cousin Selena pleads for Iris’ life. But when the Iris tries to warn Selena, she discovers the 

Selena is missing.

Iris has changed the future before, but she’s never had to prevent her own murder. With a family who treats her visions like a party trick, rumors of a cartel moving into town, and a man who’s a little too interested in her, Iris must figure out who wants her dead—and why—before her vision becomes reality.

Because in her family, trouble doesn’t just run in their blood. It runs them down.

Review:

Iris Gardner is used to inconvenient visions, but seeing her own murder is a whole new level of trouble. When her cousin Selena goes missing, Iris has to figure out what happened to her—and whether she can change the future before the stranger from her vision pulls the trigger. I loved Iris’s unusual ability, and that ticking clock made the stakes feel high from the start.

This is such a fun, quirky mystery. Iris is an amateur sleuth, and the small town setting and chaotic family gave me some cozy adjacent feelings, but there’s more grit and mess here than I’d expect from a traditional cozy. Between the missing cousin, family secrets, and people who may know more than they’re saying, the mystery kept me on my toes. The family drama was a big part of the appeal for me, too.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Piper Goodeve, who was new to me and absolutely wonderful. Her performance was engaging, she handled the emotional moments beautifully, and she made it easy to get swept up in Iris’s increasingly wild situation. If you like mysteries with an unconventional heroine, family chaos, and a little extra edge, this one is worth picking up.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Amateur sleuths with unusual abilities
• A mystery with a ticking clock
• Chaotic families and small-town secrets
• Quirky mysteries with a grittier edge
• High stakes and plenty of bad decisions
• Visions, premonitions, and uncertain futures
• Engaging audiobook narration
• Finlay Donovan, Riley Thorn, or Stephanie Plum style energy

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks Hambright PR for the review copy.

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