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 ( )

Beware! Once I started, I couldn’t stop and I recommend locking your doors and turning off your phone before beginning.

Just looking at the cover for A Secret to the Grave has chills running up and down my spine, as I rub by hands together with glee, eager to dive into another series by Jane Blythe.

Detective Parker Bell and his friend and partner, Detective Skylar Wyatt are on the case and it will not be easy to unravel the who, what and why. The kidnapper has taken his first victim and left rules to the game he wants to play. Follow the clues and save some faceless women and Jane will die. Do nothing, let the women die, and Jane will live. What do you think?

The first brutal, savage, grotesque murder creates a sense of urgency for all of them…and me.

Parker struggles with his past, nightmares making sleep something to be avoided, but nine women’s lives are at stake and they are counting on him and his cohorts to save them. So, buck up. The clock is ticking…

I can hardly wait to see where Jane Blythe will take me to next. I want dark, gritty, truly terrifying suspense and death and there is no short supply of it here.

Jane Blythe kept me guessing the why of it. I love that. The women are geniuses that have their own nightmares and I keep wondering why they don’t fight back. No matter what the maniac does to them, the women keep the secret he so desperately wants to know. Why are they willing to go peacefully (?) into that good night? They are damaged goods and I wonder, how far will they let this go before someone decides enough is enough. I love the twists and turns Jane has created. I am curious…so very curious about the secret, the real mystery.

I sure do hope curiosity doesn’t get this cat. LOL

Romance? Oh yeah…and she fights it every step of the way. Both Parker and Tessa had a hard life and remain aloof in the love department, though they have cherished friends.

The fire alarm went off at the police station, my heart began to beat faster.

A shot rings out…Oh, please, please, please, don’t let it be her.

The slow, agonizing suspense in this riveting, action packed thriller made ME want to go after HIM myself. I wanted to scream at Parker, HURRY, HURRY!!!!!

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Secret to the Grave by Jane Blythe.

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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.

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I really liked this book. At first I wasn't sure how much I would like it but I am so glad that I gave it a chance because it was amazing. I can see so much of in the main character Tessa. I was always on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen and if the killer was going to kill all of them. This is definitely a great read if you like mysteries with a touch of love story thrown into the mix.
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