This book was a semi-confusing episode of Law & Order. There are a TON of characters that makes it somewhat complicated to follow. If you make it to the end there is a pretty shocking surprise (& I pride myself on figuring out the crime TV culprits way before their reveal… but didn’t see this coming at all). But, this twist only made up for some of my confusion throughout the first 95% of the story. Overall, I think the book was so-so. ( )

A seemingly hard boiled detective story without much boil. A John Doe, a murdered woman, a not so credible romance and throw in some Paganism. Detective Elliot is determined, engrossed in his case, an all round good guy. Less than thrilling. ( )

Review of eBook

Kenny Elliot’s search for answers in the death of a vagrant leads the Tulsa police detective into a labyrinthine investigation. Although warned away from his investigation, Detective Elliot continues to dig for answers, finding himself investigating several connected deaths and facing something that he is completely unprepared to handle. At the same time, his chance encounter with a young woman has him a considering significant change in his life.

Despite having impediments tossed into his investigation, will Kenny find the answers he seeks?

Second in the Kenny Elliot series, this tale of good versus evil ratchets up the suspense while plot twists keep readers guessing. Largely a police procedural, the swiftly-moving narrative keeps readers guessing as the body count mounts and surprising reveals add to the puzzle. There are elements of paganism, child abuse, and cults in the unfolding story, all of which add to the perplexity of Elliot’s case.

Reasonably well-developed characters keep the story moving along, bringing a few unforeseen elements into the case while keeping an undercurrent of tension flowing over the pages. Astute readers may identify the culprit before the denouement that ties up the main plot points; however, with some segments of the story left dangling, they may find themselves wishing that there was just a bit more to the telling of this tale.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program ( )

This wasn't really the book for me. I found it unnecessarily complicated and confusing, as well as a bit slow and hard to get into.

There were some loose ends that weren't quite tied up enough for me as well. ( )

Beneath a Buried House by Bob Avey
Deadly Niche Press, 2008
Crime Fiction (M); 226 pgs

Bob Avey’s mystery novel, Beneath a Buried House, was the perfect choice for a lazy Sunday--murder, blackmail, a touch of romance and enough twists and turns to keep this reader on her toes. This is the second book in the author’s series featuring Tulsa, Oklahoma Homicide Detective Kenny Elliot.

Detective Elliot lands a case after the body of an unidentified man is discovered in an apartment. If appearances are to be believed, the death is most likely a drug overdose; however, Detective Elliot believes otherwise. The scene is a little too perfect and the victim seems out of place with his surroundings. The carvings in the wooden table, an observant neighbor, and a mysterious man leaving the building when the police arrive offer promising leads.

The stakes are raised, however, when the body of a prostitute is discovered that looks like the woman last seen with the murder victim. A search of her home provides a possible motive for her murder, but how does it tie in to the other murder or is it completely unconnected? With only days left to solve the crimes before his captain puts him on another case, Detective Elliot must work quickly.

To complicate matters, Detective Elliot finds himself distracted during his investigation by a rather beautiful and mesmerizing woman. The intensity of their attraction to each other from the first moment is a bit too strong to be believable. Perhaps such a powerful reaction had more to do with the fact that it reminded him of a painful part of his past, involving lost love and regret.

Kenny Elliot is both intelligent and a gentleman, but he is not without his own vulnerabilities. He knows how to hold his ground when he or someone he loves is threatened. He is a man with good instincts when it comes to the job. He listens to his hunches, which at times almost seem to be like premonitions, and is often right on the mark. This earns him a bit of hazing from his superior and colleagues who repeatedly remind him that evidence and facts are needed to solve an investigation. That does not stop the detective from tracking down leads and collecting the evidence to back up his gut feelings.

Bob Avey takes on the subject of faith, touching on aspects of paganism as well as its relationship to Christianity in this novel. He does not fall into the trap of stigmatizing paganism, but rather makes a point of suggesting that it is the individual’s interpretation and twisting of the beliefs that can take faith, regardless of type, into a dark place.

I was immediately drawn into the story, finding it well written and compelling. The author takes the reader into some rather dark places without being overly graphic. Beneath a Buried House is one of those novels that keeps the reader turning the pages right up to the very end. If his first novel is as suspenseful and intriguing as this one, I definitely will be seeking it out. Originally published at Front Street Reviews. ( )