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The Lost (Jonah Colley #1)
9.0
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A MISSING CHILD Ten years ago, the disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley's young...
North Woods
10.0
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FOUR CENTURIES. A SINGLE HOUSE DEEP IN THE WOODS OF NEW ENGLAND. A young Puritan couple on the...
Historical fiction
The Fly on the Wall
8.0
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Ace reporter John Cotton is a fly on the wall -- seeing all, hearing all, and keeping out of sight....
Midge (525 KP) rated Buried Secrets in Books
Jan 31, 2019
Plenty of action (3 more)
Genius characterisation
Plenty of twists
Brilliant conclusion
An Action-Packed Thriller!
I picked up a copy of "Buried Secrets" as it was chosen for our Book Club monthly read and I am so glad that I did because it transpired to be an amazing roller-coaster read and I didn’t want it to end.
First, we meet Brett Larson and his wife Emily who have recently moved into their first home, a beautiful, rural, yellow, farmhouse. When Brett finds human remains on their property and a mysterious note hidden in a box, he immediately starts his own investigation with no thought about what he might be getting himself into, that soon starts to land him in a great deal of trouble. We are then introduced to James Russo who is in prison awaiting trial and his cell-mate, Nate Reuter, who appears to be obsessed with the developments in the local tabloids of the discovery of the remains on the Larson property. Told in alternating chapters, I couldn’t read this exciting novel fast enough, so keen was I to know how the two stories would relate to each other.
T.J. Brearton has done a fantastic job in "Buried Secrets" with the characters. Emily and Brett are just like any other newly-weds, having just moved into their first home together and the excitement of Emily discovering that she is pregnant. I can only imagine their unease at the discovery of the bones and yet Brett couldn’t just leave matters for the police to investigate. For his part, Russo, who was an equally important character in the story, is a likeable bad guy, trying to keep out of trouble but kept finding himself in desperate situations. I found myself continually rooting for him as he kept trying to do what he thought was the right thing. I was left wondering exactly what choices I would make if I were to ever find myself in similar situations to Russo. "Buried Secrets" is a thought-provoking book because of that.
In the second half of the book, Brearton really picks up the pace, and I was kept guessing what was going to happen next the whole time I was reading this crime novel. The twists kept on coming at me right until the very end.
The way in which T.J. Brearton brings everything to a conclusion is just fabulous and I haven’t got anything negative thing to say about this book. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author. "Buried Secrets" is an exciting and action-packed thriller that I highly recommend.
First, we meet Brett Larson and his wife Emily who have recently moved into their first home, a beautiful, rural, yellow, farmhouse. When Brett finds human remains on their property and a mysterious note hidden in a box, he immediately starts his own investigation with no thought about what he might be getting himself into, that soon starts to land him in a great deal of trouble. We are then introduced to James Russo who is in prison awaiting trial and his cell-mate, Nate Reuter, who appears to be obsessed with the developments in the local tabloids of the discovery of the remains on the Larson property. Told in alternating chapters, I couldn’t read this exciting novel fast enough, so keen was I to know how the two stories would relate to each other.
T.J. Brearton has done a fantastic job in "Buried Secrets" with the characters. Emily and Brett are just like any other newly-weds, having just moved into their first home together and the excitement of Emily discovering that she is pregnant. I can only imagine their unease at the discovery of the bones and yet Brett couldn’t just leave matters for the police to investigate. For his part, Russo, who was an equally important character in the story, is a likeable bad guy, trying to keep out of trouble but kept finding himself in desperate situations. I found myself continually rooting for him as he kept trying to do what he thought was the right thing. I was left wondering exactly what choices I would make if I were to ever find myself in similar situations to Russo. "Buried Secrets" is a thought-provoking book because of that.
In the second half of the book, Brearton really picks up the pace, and I was kept guessing what was going to happen next the whole time I was reading this crime novel. The twists kept on coming at me right until the very end.
The way in which T.J. Brearton brings everything to a conclusion is just fabulous and I haven’t got anything negative thing to say about this book. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author. "Buried Secrets" is an exciting and action-packed thriller that I highly recommend.
ClareR (5879 KP) rated Beneath the Surface in Books
Jul 9, 2019
A family’s destructive secrets
All families have secrets, but it’s highly likely that not all families have secrets that are quite as huge as those that the Vermuydens are keeping from one another.
Grace had grown up in a very chaotic household and she doesn’t want that for her daughters. But when 17 year old Lilly collapses at school, it triggers a chain of events where the family members realise that there are consequences to keeping their secrets.
I actually liked the Vermuyden family. Grace is a mother trying her utmost to give her daughters all the things she never had. She can come across as a pushy ‘helicopter’ mother, but as the story progresses, we realise that there’s no wonder that she tries so hard. However, it can’t be easy for Lilly, who all of her efforts are directed at. She has a great responsibility: mainly to achieve all of the academic things that her mother didn’t have the chance to achieve.
Mia, who is 10/11, has a much easier time of it with regards to her mother. I don’t actually think that her parents expect much of her at all. She’s quirky, really not the same as her peers - something which we seem to value as an adult, but dread when we’re children.
Patrick, the father, is the hardest character for me to warm to. He’s having huge financial problems which are impacting on his family, yet he is keeping the extent of these difficulties from his wife. If it were me, I’d be livid!
This is a great book. I read it within two days because I just couldn’t put it down. I really enjoy these kinds of books - books about families and their issues. The style in which it was written really worked well for me too - I felt as though I was there in person, watching the story unfold (I suppose as a reader, I was!). They were all very human, relatable characters. The teenagers were well written as well. All too often teenagers are written as unpleasant, selfish and calculating, but here we could see their more sensitive, caring sides. They were all just trying to fit in, deal with growing up and their impending adulthood.
I’d recommend this book, there’s just so much to think about - and there’s such a good ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of this . It’s not a book that I would have immediately chosen to read, but I’m so glad that I did!
Grace had grown up in a very chaotic household and she doesn’t want that for her daughters. But when 17 year old Lilly collapses at school, it triggers a chain of events where the family members realise that there are consequences to keeping their secrets.
I actually liked the Vermuyden family. Grace is a mother trying her utmost to give her daughters all the things she never had. She can come across as a pushy ‘helicopter’ mother, but as the story progresses, we realise that there’s no wonder that she tries so hard. However, it can’t be easy for Lilly, who all of her efforts are directed at. She has a great responsibility: mainly to achieve all of the academic things that her mother didn’t have the chance to achieve.
Mia, who is 10/11, has a much easier time of it with regards to her mother. I don’t actually think that her parents expect much of her at all. She’s quirky, really not the same as her peers - something which we seem to value as an adult, but dread when we’re children.
Patrick, the father, is the hardest character for me to warm to. He’s having huge financial problems which are impacting on his family, yet he is keeping the extent of these difficulties from his wife. If it were me, I’d be livid!
This is a great book. I read it within two days because I just couldn’t put it down. I really enjoy these kinds of books - books about families and their issues. The style in which it was written really worked well for me too - I felt as though I was there in person, watching the story unfold (I suppose as a reader, I was!). They were all very human, relatable characters. The teenagers were well written as well. All too often teenagers are written as unpleasant, selfish and calculating, but here we could see their more sensitive, caring sides. They were all just trying to fit in, deal with growing up and their impending adulthood.
I’d recommend this book, there’s just so much to think about - and there’s such a good ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of this . It’s not a book that I would have immediately chosen to read, but I’m so glad that I did!
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated In the Shadow of Croft Towers in Books
Mar 5, 2019
From debut author Abigail Wilson comes a mysterious Regency tale of secrets and spies, love and treachery. Orphaned Sybil Delafield jumps at the opportunity for a position at the mysterious Croft Towers. She believes she was hired to act as companion to a dying woman, but a highway robbery and a hostile welcome from the Chalcroft family cause her to wonder if she was actually hired to help someone spy for France. An unsolved murder adds intrigue to this already secretive family, and Sybil recognizes Mrs. Chalcroft’s handsome grandson as one of the infamous highwaymen who robbed her. Sybil must determine if this man’s charming smile and earnest eyes speak the truth or if he is simply using her like others in the house. Everyone seems to have something to hide, and Sybil must decide who to trust while also coming to terms with the truth about her own past.
My Thoughts: Abigail Wilson has written a wondrous novel full of mystery and intrigue. This story-line keeps the reader entertained throughout the novel; there is no lagging in the action. The characters are very entertaining and believable.
This is a story full of mystery, secrets and murder! Readers will truly enjoy this debut novel. I look forward to reading more from Abigail Wilson.
My Thoughts: Abigail Wilson has written a wondrous novel full of mystery and intrigue. This story-line keeps the reader entertained throughout the novel; there is no lagging in the action. The characters are very entertaining and believable.
This is a story full of mystery, secrets and murder! Readers will truly enjoy this debut novel. I look forward to reading more from Abigail Wilson.
Merissa (12882 KP) rated Carnal Secrets Box Set in Books
Mar 18, 2019
Carnal Secrets Box Set by Vonna Harper
This box set comprises the first three stories in the Carnal Secrets series. All of the stories are very #DARK, with non-con sex, kidnap, abuse, to name just three. This is not a box set for the faint-hearted.
Out of the three, I thought Naked Nights was the strongest, with Taking Her Down as the weakest. All of the stories had mixed elements to them, some which I thought were well done, others, not so much. Taking Her Down though was too confusing from the start. There was no clear clarification about the whole story/role-play - with hints given about a possible supernatural element to the island and how it affects the characters, but nothing ever being said out loud or being made clear. Other characters definitely need more to them as they seem to play a big role, but then fade into the distance.
A box set to pass the time if you fancy something dark, but that won't make you think too deeply.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Out of the three, I thought Naked Nights was the strongest, with Taking Her Down as the weakest. All of the stories had mixed elements to them, some which I thought were well done, others, not so much. Taking Her Down though was too confusing from the start. There was no clear clarification about the whole story/role-play - with hints given about a possible supernatural element to the island and how it affects the characters, but nothing ever being said out loud or being made clear. Other characters definitely need more to them as they seem to play a big role, but then fade into the distance.
A box set to pass the time if you fancy something dark, but that won't make you think too deeply.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kissing in Action (Lexi Graves Mysteries, #7)
5.5
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When Lexi gets the gig to find the blackmailer extorting thousands of dollars from the country’s...
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