Scan barcode
thatgirlinblack's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty cool story. It did seem like some plot points fell into place rather too easily.
eve_ward's review
3.0
See, I have mixed feelings about this one. As much as I enjoyed it, I thought that a lot of things didn’t add up, that it could have been done better.
First of all I’d like to mention that I thought the book had a great premise. All of the characters’ backgrounds were really intriguing.
I did, however, have a lot of problems with this book. The first of which being the way Tessa’s character didn’t really seem to match her actions. He was supposedly a genius and yet, a lot of the things she did contradicted that. Though it can be understood to some extent due to her trauma, it just didn’t seem realistic to me. For example, I think that she could have easily prevented the deaths of her friends. She claimed to be really protective of them and yet, they still ended up dead. I understand it from when she was threatened as a child, however, she was shown to be really paranoid as an adult and I think because of that, she would have been able to protect all her friends. Especially considering how she knew about Dylan’s real identity the whole time.
I also thought that the woman W didn’t really work. It was even mentioned in the book that Parker knew that they had only known each other for a few days and he was already in love. This idea was once again, really unbelievable. I can understand to some extent that they were able to find some similarities in their trauma and used that to bond, however, I didn’t really see any bonding apart from that small amount in the police station. They didn’t really know each other as people, they only saw the damage that each of them had. I’m okay with there being a romance, but I think it would have been better if they had time to get to know each other and had space to recover at the end before they actually got together.
There were a few other things but those were the most important. It was an interesting premise and as much as I did enjoy the book, I had a hard time looking past those discrepancies. I really doubt that I’ll read any of the other books in the series but, I don’t regret reading this one.
First of all I’d like to mention that I thought the book had a great premise. All of the characters’ backgrounds were really intriguing.
I did, however, have a lot of problems with this book. The first of which being the way Tessa’s character didn’t really seem to match her actions. He was supposedly a genius and yet, a lot of the things she did contradicted that. Though it can be understood to some extent due to her trauma, it just didn’t seem realistic to me. For example, I think that she could have easily prevented the deaths of her friends. She claimed to be really protective of them and yet, they still ended up dead. I understand it from when she was threatened as a child, however, she was shown to be really paranoid as an adult and I think because of that, she would have been able to protect all her friends. Especially considering how she knew about Dylan’s real identity the whole time.
I also thought that the woman W didn’t really work. It was even mentioned in the book that Parker knew that they had only known each other for a few days and he was already in love. This idea was once again, really unbelievable. I can understand to some extent that they were able to find some similarities in their trauma and used that to bond, however, I didn’t really see any bonding apart from that small amount in the police station. They didn’t really know each other as people, they only saw the damage that each of them had. I’m okay with there being a romance, but I think it would have been better if they had time to get to know each other and had space to recover at the end before they actually got together.
There were a few other things but those were the most important. It was an interesting premise and as much as I did enjoy the book, I had a hard time looking past those discrepancies. I really doubt that I’ll read any of the other books in the series but, I don’t regret reading this one.
amanda_siegrist's review
5.0
This is a great start to what I'm sure will be a great series. I've read several of Jane Blythe's novels and she always manages to pull me in the story right away and keep me there until the last page. Each character is always well developed and full of such emotion. I did find myself getting very frustrated with Tessa and her friends throughout the book. I wanted to shout at them just to trust Detective Bell, tell him everything!! And Tessa was stubborn (as were her friends). The title of this book was perfect for this storyline. I can't wait to start reading book 2!
kcfromaustcrime's review
2.0
Sometimes you just can't shake the idea that an author really doesn't like their characters much. Flaws and troubles aplenty are one thing - but weighing everybody down in a story with just about every possible problem known is another kettle of fish altogether.
We know from the blurb that Detective Parker Bell has just returned to work after shooting dead a killer - which turns out to be somewhat less straightforward than it seems. As does the abduction case he and his partner are handed on his return. A young woman being held, a list of clues pointing to others who will also die, with the added knowledge that the abduction victim supposedly will be released if they allow the other nine to die. Needless to say the clues are sort of obscure until women actually do start dying, and a connection can be found.
Along the way a potential victim is identified, and whilst she serves as the unrequited love interest for Bell, she's also one of the people who could help identify the killer, but she, and the other nominated victims / friends, steadfastly refuse to do so. Because we're now into spoiler territory this is going to get difficult, but suffice to say there are a group of women with a shared secret, and a killer that they are protecting for reasons that needed a very big glass of water to swallow. There just didn't seem to be any good reason for the whole scenario that was developing before the readers eyes. Although, to be fair, you can get mightly distracted from that by the whole crush / romance thing going on between the lead investigator and the "lead potential victim" which was just ... well uncomfortable and pretty well unbelievable.
That's not to say this isn't well-written or isn't likely to have some appeal to some readers, but for any that are plot and motivation driven, it could be that whilst the idea behind A SECRET TO THE GRAVE is an intriguing one, the character motivations are unconvincing and the amount of baggage everyone was carrying unfathomable.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-secret-grave-jane-blythe
We know from the blurb that Detective Parker Bell has just returned to work after shooting dead a killer - which turns out to be somewhat less straightforward than it seems. As does the abduction case he and his partner are handed on his return. A young woman being held, a list of clues pointing to others who will also die, with the added knowledge that the abduction victim supposedly will be released if they allow the other nine to die. Needless to say the clues are sort of obscure until women actually do start dying, and a connection can be found.
Along the way a potential victim is identified, and whilst she serves as the unrequited love interest for Bell, she's also one of the people who could help identify the killer, but she, and the other nominated victims / friends, steadfastly refuse to do so. Because we're now into spoiler territory this is going to get difficult, but suffice to say there are a group of women with a shared secret, and a killer that they are protecting for reasons that needed a very big glass of water to swallow. There just didn't seem to be any good reason for the whole scenario that was developing before the readers eyes. Although, to be fair, you can get mightly distracted from that by the whole crush / romance thing going on between the lead investigator and the "lead potential victim" which was just ... well uncomfortable and pretty well unbelievable.
That's not to say this isn't well-written or isn't likely to have some appeal to some readers, but for any that are plot and motivation driven, it could be that whilst the idea behind A SECRET TO THE GRAVE is an intriguing one, the character motivations are unconvincing and the amount of baggage everyone was carrying unfathomable.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-secret-grave-jane-blythe
naughtybookaffair's review against another edition
5.0
Detective Parker Bell and Detective Skylar Wyatt are investigating the murder of Janice Peters. But this investigation is not going to be so easy to solve. It is going to be complicated with twists, turns suspense and emotions. Janice was a quiet girl who kept to herself but she held secrets. As the Detectives investigate and more murders occur they find that there are a group of girls that are friends that are hiding a whole heck of a lot of secrets. This storyline pulls you in, hooks you and has you gripped until the very end. You try to figure out who is doing what and what the secrets are but there is no way to figure them out. Jane writes an excellent book of mystery and suspense. I absolutely loved reading this one. Loved every single character and how the storyline plays out. I cant wait to read the rest of the books in this series. I highly recommend starting this series and reading about the wonderful mystery and suspense that you find in each page that you turn with this book.
leanner's review
4.0
This was my first read by this author and it won't be my last.
At nearly the half way point I had to put it down for a while, well I actually had to get back to work but I was a little freaked out at the method of murder.
This is a story of a group of friends with a huge secret, actually several connected secrets. They come back to haunt them a decade later as they die a gruesome death one by one. Detective Bell is determined to find out why and how they are connected. All the pieces start to come together as the author builds this jigsaw puzzle of pieces slowly.
I didn't really feel the connection between the cop and victim, they both have baggage so I'm not saying they don't deserve their HEA. I'm left with some gaps, though I see this is a series so I'm sure more of their back stories will be included in book 2.
Well put together tale of suspense I really enjoyed it.
At nearly the half way point I had to put it down for a while, well I actually had to get back to work but I was a little freaked out at the method of murder.
This is a story of a group of friends with a huge secret, actually several connected secrets. They come back to haunt them a decade later as they die a gruesome death one by one. Detective Bell is determined to find out why and how they are connected. All the pieces start to come together as the author builds this jigsaw puzzle of pieces slowly.
I didn't really feel the connection between the cop and victim, they both have baggage so I'm not saying they don't deserve their HEA. I'm left with some gaps, though I see this is a series so I'm sure more of their back stories will be included in book 2.
Well put together tale of suspense I really enjoyed it.
jennadb's review
5.0
Jane write stories that you just can not put down until you know everything that is going on. Her stories will have you guessing all the way through the mystery, the thrills and every twist and turn. Jane has fast become one of my favourite authors as she does what she does so well, which is dark serial killers, detective murder mysteries. The characters have a depth and emotions that draws you to them, good or bad. There is a lot of violence, but the story would not be so good without them. Detective's Parker and Wade make one hell of a team. If you like a read on the darker side then Jane is your girl!!
booksuperpower's review
2.0
A Secret to the Grave by Jane Blythe is a 2014 by Bear Spots Publications release.
This book has been languishing in my KU library for a long time. I’m trying to get more use from my subscription, starting with the books I already have checked out.
The novel’s plot was promising, and was a unique twist on the usual romantic suspense/ serial killer type story. However, I had some big issues with the book- the characterizations, plot, pacing, plausibility and with the flow of the novel.
The pacing was too brisk, which left threads hanging and the characters underdeveloped.
Unfortunately, the suspense and urgency faltered, and the romance fell flat.
Having said that, this is a valiant effort for this author, and it is obvious she has raw talent.
This looks like, based on publication dates, this book is a debut novel, and I see Ms. Blythe now has four subsequent installments in this series, as well as one or two other series under her belt, all of them very well received.
I’m sure this first book, which I’m guessing is self or independently published, is just a bit rocky and experience has most likely paved the way for more quality publications in the future. Although this one didn’t work so well for me, I’m a willing to see how well this author has developed and am willing to read other books in the series in the future.
2 stars
This book has been languishing in my KU library for a long time. I’m trying to get more use from my subscription, starting with the books I already have checked out.
The novel’s plot was promising, and was a unique twist on the usual romantic suspense/ serial killer type story. However, I had some big issues with the book- the characterizations, plot, pacing, plausibility and with the flow of the novel.
The pacing was too brisk, which left threads hanging and the characters underdeveloped.
Unfortunately, the suspense and urgency faltered, and the romance fell flat.
Having said that, this is a valiant effort for this author, and it is obvious she has raw talent.
This looks like, based on publication dates, this book is a debut novel, and I see Ms. Blythe now has four subsequent installments in this series, as well as one or two other series under her belt, all of them very well received.
I’m sure this first book, which I’m guessing is self or independently published, is just a bit rocky and experience has most likely paved the way for more quality publications in the future. Although this one didn’t work so well for me, I’m a willing to see how well this author has developed and am willing to read other books in the series in the future.
2 stars
vesper1931's review
3.0
A suicide pact. What is the secret that a group of girls have vowed to keep even when faced with death, One man knows, the man who has started to kill them.
Would have thought that now they were adults that other solutions were open to them.
I believe this is the first in series and so a couple of the unanswered questions maybe be explained.
A NetGalley book
Would have thought that now they were adults that other solutions were open to them.
I believe this is the first in series and so a couple of the unanswered questions maybe be explained.
A NetGalley book
gretel7's review
2.0
I received a free ebook copy from netgalley.com in exchange for a review. I considered ditching the book about half through but decided I had too much time invested and kept reading. There were several typos and editing problems, sentences that didn't make any sense.
This is a story about several young women who were abused by the same man and vowed to tell no one. As adults, he started to methodically kill them yet they kept their vow of silence. Stupid is the word that ran through my mind throughout the whole book. Stupid. Why would they protect this man? Stupid.
I give the book 2 stars out of 5.
This is a story about several young women who were abused by the same man and vowed to tell no one. As adults, he started to methodically kill them yet they kept their vow of silence. Stupid is the word that ran through my mind throughout the whole book. Stupid. Why would they protect this man? Stupid.
I give the book 2 stars out of 5.
More...