How Could It Be? – Reviewed by: Allison Walker, Pacific Book Review

SFPD Lieutenant Jane Sparks is ready for nearly anything except what she finds in the hospital bed of a recent gunshot victim: her own face. Sent to investigate the shooting of an FBI officer in the precinct’s parking garage, Jane uncovers more than one unsolved crime. Jane and Fran could be identical twin sisters. The only problem is, they’re complete strangers to each other. Of course, this also poses the question: Who was the shooter’s real target? Is Fran’s life in jeopardy? Or, was she simply mistaken for Jane? The two women must work together to solve both of these mysteries.

How Could It Be? written by Xiomara Rodriguez, is a fast, fun, girl-power mystery. Made to meet by chance, Jane and Fran quickly become a crime-fighting power team. Their first mystery, discovering how they were separated at birth, is solved quickly and lends

an interesting dynamic to the rest of the story. The two sisters, complete strangers to each other, must work together to find out why their lives are being threatened. They don’t know who the hitman’s target is because they look identical. Their first task is to discover a motive and with the bodies piling up, they are running out of time.

Author Xiomara Rodriguez paces her mystery well by feeding the reader just enough clues to tease about a solution without giving away the mystery. How Could It Be? isn’t a complex mystery but it’s still surprising. There’s a lot of opportunity to flesh out the story and dig deeper into the characters; for example, how Jane learns to forgive her adoptive mother for never telling her the truth. Yet, Rodriguez chooses to keep this a quick and easy read, and honestly, that’s perfect for this story. Rodriguez hits briefly, but just enough for each to be plausible, the new family relationships and friendships. She spends greater time developing the clues and leads, making How Could It Be? a great pick for readers who prefer a no-fluff mystery novel. She ends her novel with a cliffhanger, hinting at a possible sequel.

The women spend many late nights discussing the cases over a dinner of take-out food. Rodriguez hits that perfect tone between crime fighters and girls’ night. Readers tired of stories about male detectives and inept female side characters will love the real and casual relationship between the sisters. Order a pizza, grab a beer, and solve the mystery with How Could It Be?