For many adoptees, the circumstances of their birth and their birth parents are foundational mysteries at the heart of their identities. In Denise Mina’s latest novel, THE LESS DEAD, a combination of factors has led Margo Dunlop to investigate her birth mother. Her adoptive mother has recently passed away, and Margo herself is pregnant, though she has yet to tell the baby’s father, her ex-boyfriend.

Through the adoption agency, Margo learns that her birth mother, Susan, has passed away, but they offer to connect her with her mother’s sister, her aunt Nikki. At their first meeting, Margo is taken aback by Nikki’s intensity, as well as the new information that Susan was murdered shortly after Margo’s birth. Susan was a prostitute and a drug addict, though Margo has been told that Susan stopped using during her pregnancy. Nikki also informs Margo that Susan’s killer is still at large and has continued not only to harm other sex workers but also to terrorize Nikki with disturbing letters. A journalist has claimed that Susan’s killer was a corrupt cop, but Nikki is convinced otherwise --- and she tries to enlist Margo, a doctor with access to medical records, to help prove her suspicions.

"Denise Mina has written both compelling series and well-constructed stand-alone mysteries. THE LESS DEAD is a terrific example of the latter."

Margo is both moved by Nikki’s personal story --- she also is a sex worker and recovering addict like her late sister --- and troubled by the intensity of their interaction. When asked for her contact information, Margo lies to Nikki so she can’t easily follow her --- but even after they depart, Margo can’t stop thinking about Nikki’s suspicions, especially when she starts to suspect that she herself is being followed.

Margo’s investigation into her mother’s life and death lead her to contact that journalist and delve into parts of Glasgow that she previously had ignored. The city has changed considerably since Susan’s murder, but Margo still finds herself drawn into imagining the lives of the women who worked alongside her mother and those who still work there today. Meanwhile, increasingly threatening notes and even break-ins, combined with tumultuous events in her personal life, put Margo on edge and in fear for her and her loved ones’ safety. But as these various threads converge, Margo is compelled to interrogate her own identity --- and her path forward --- in new and surprising ways.

Denise Mina has written both compelling series and well-constructed stand-alone mysteries. THE LESS DEAD is a terrific example of the latter. Although some readers may come away surprised by its lack of tidy conclusions and resolutions, the ambiguity --- as well as the complexity of the characters and the setting --- results in a novel that feels more authentic as a result.