Books like It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal

Nora Watts grows up with only her father, and after his suicide she suppresses grief and continues her life. A chance meeting with a veteran who knew his father sparks unsettling questions that Nora cannot ignore. Determined to make peace with the past, she travels from Vancouver to Detroit, where her father (Sam) grew up. During her investigation she learns of a tragic government policy beginning in the 1950s that led to Canadian native children being adopted by American families, and she discovers that the circumstances surrounding Sam’s death are far more unsettling than she imagined. Meanwhile, former police detective turned private investigator Jon Brazuca is researching an overdose death that leads him to a ruthless opiate ring. He uncovers a startling connection to Nora—an estranged woman who has slipped off the grid—and has no way to warn her. Nora’s quest to untangle her father’s secrets and her own fractured identity brings her face‑to‑face with dangers that may come from her past, her present, and her own choices. The novel weaves themes of grief, identity, and hidden trauma across two cities, presenting a tense thriller that asks whether the past can truly be reconciled or merely buried beneath the weight of unseen forces.

First publish date: 2018