Series: The Apostles #2
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon*
| Book Depository* | ARe*/OmniLit | Barnes & Noble | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Secrets from the past.
Voices from the grave.
Because nothing stays buried forever...
Cypress Bend, Florida, is a small southern bayou town filled with long-buried secrets. It's also the home of successful, fiercely independent state prosecutor Grace Courtemanche, who's pulled into a world of terror and self-doubt when she receives a phone call from a young woman buried alive.
In a race to stop a revenge-seeking killer, Grace unearths skeletons from her past along with feelings for the one man she swore she'd never need again, Theodore "Hatch" Hatcher, a rootless, smooth-talking FBI crisis negotiator who's back in Cypress Bend to deal with a secret of his own.
**This review first appeared at Romance at Random**
Bea's Thoughts:
Well, I have a new author and a new series to love. I loved this book; I need the first book, and I’ll be reading the following books. Also, holy cow is this a good book for this time of year; spooky and creepy! There are not a lot of gory details, Coriell spares us that, but the events and the way that she describes them, well, read with the light on.
Grace Courtemanche is a competitive lawyer, working as a prosecutor in a small town in Florida. She hates to lose, and has big plans for herself but she also wants a husband and children. She was married about a decade ago but it didn’t last; it was a summer fling that led to marriage and shortly afterwards to divorce. She still has feelings for him though they’ve had no contact since the divorce was final. On her way home from winning a case she gets what she thinks is a crank call. It turns out to be e girl, buried alive, calling for help. Grace and the local police race to find her before she runs out of air.
Meanwhile, Grace runs into her ex in town. He’s now an agent with the FBI and part of a special unit colloquially known as the Apostles (I love the names that authors come up with for FBI teams). She asks for help and soon the whole team is involved as there are more victims. Hatch, Theodore Hatcher, Grace’s ex, was easy going, care-free and wanted to spend all his time sailing when she knew him. He’s changed since then, become more focused and more intense while still loving the water.
Coriell gives us a second chance romance but it’s not the focus though it’s important. The focus is on the case. More than halfway through the book, I still had not a clue who the killer was or what their motivation was. We the reader don’t know any more than Hatch and Grace do. We don’t get many scenes from the killer’s POV but I enjoyed the ones we got. I was completely blown away by the identity of the killer but when I looked back, there were subtle clues. Coriell plays things close, she’s stingy, but she plays fair. Still, it was one hell of a twist.
There’s also a secondary story about a dual murder in Kentucky that took its time to connect to the main story. I wasn’t sure for quite a while how it would tie but eventually does. I hope we see more of that detective; he was flawed but interesting. Additionally, there’s a subplot about Hatch’s son Alex, though he’s not Grace’s son, who ends up figuring prominently into the story. Yes, there’s a lot going on but all the threads come together. It’s a tightly woven story that kept me reading to see if the victims would be found in time, who was responsible, could Alex stay out of trouble, and would Grace and Hatch make a relationship work this time. There are some well-done themes involving bridges, stories, and connecting that tie the book together and show Coriell’s own talent for telling stories.
I’m typically not a fan of second chance romances and I had my doubts at first but this worked for me. The reasons they split in the first place made sense to me and they didn’t rush to get back together. The intensity of the situation they found themselves in may have sped up the process a bit even so, they didn’t rush. They also talked about what had gone wrong before and what they wanted now. There was no big miscommunication, just learning to trust themselves and each other.
“The Buried” is a frightening thriller that gave me the creeps but is also full of family drama, small town life, and a sweet romance. I found it to be the perfect blend of mystery and romance.
I never heard of this series, thanks for sharing, now I want to read it !
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it!
DeleteI am just reading this book now and it is a really great page turner, it had me hooked right from the beginning. I am looking forward to more books by this author.
ReplyDeleteI am too! I got the first one and read it, now I'm ready for book three.
DeleteOh wow that sounds like one that would totally have me staying up all night. I'm a bit of a wuss. lol It sounds great though. Yay for new authors that are awesome!
ReplyDeleteLOL Yeah, don't turn out the lights while reading. I love finding awesome new authors.
DeletePlease let the 3rd time be the charm...I've already commented twice from my work PC and my phone :( Sounds like one that I would love...added the first in the series to my wishlist!
ReplyDeleteIt worked!
DeleteI hope you like the series.
Haven't heard of this series but it's definitely going on the TBR! I definitely need some new thriller type authors as a few of my favorites haven't had a new book out in a few years. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI needed new ones too, that's how I found her. I hope you like her.
DeleteYou have sold me. I added book one the Broken to my wishlist. I love thrillers like this, and while I don't need the romance, I do like second chance romances.
ReplyDelete