Reviews

Grave Secrets: by Kathy Reichs

kathydavie's review against another edition

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5.0

Tension swirls through Grave Secrets as Tempe copes with international politics and romance in Guatemala while uncovering the truth behind several mysteries.

lizzycatslibrary's review against another edition

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2.0

I was a little disappointed in this one but I don’t think it was entirely the books fault. I felt completely unfocused every time I read it and kept getting people and places confused. For that reason I didn’t really get immersed into it until the very end which was too little too late. I feel 2 is a little harsh but 3 is too high. I will still continue reading the series because I like it.

eizelman's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

julia135's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

scotia_mullin's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

char931's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

blueshadow80's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

book_concierge's review against another edition

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3.0

Audio book narrated by Katherine Borowitz

Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is in Guatemala working to excavate a decades-old mass grave and identify the bodies buried there, when she is asked to help local police with their investigation into the disappearance of four young women. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Why is the DA hampering the investigation? What is the Canadian ambassador’s wife hiding? Is the local detective truly interested in her – in a personal way – or is she imagining this because she misses Ryan?

Reichs crafts a fast-moving, intricate plot. The pace is unrelenting, with just enough scientific information to make Tempe an interesting professional, but not so much that the non-scientist reader loses interest. There are enough red herrings here to distract the most dedicated sleuth. I know that I was still thinking, “what about …?” when the final reveal came, and I like being surprised. But let’s talk about our heroine. Tempe is – for the most part – an independent and intelligent woman. She doesn’t take s**t from anyone and she’s pretty capable when it comes to taking care of herself. So why does she – yet again – go off chasing the bad guy without backup or even her cell phone? ARRGH. I typically give up on a series after about three or four installments; it’s not necessarily the fault of the author, but I get bored reading about the same character in similar settings over and over again. Grave Secrets is the 5th in this series, and I may have reached my limit.

Borowitz does a great job narrating this thriller. Her pacing is quick, and she does a reasonable job of the various accents required in this story. I’d listen to her again.

alidottie's review against another edition

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2.0

2 and a half stars

The relatively recent history of Guatemala mentioned in this book should have made it more appealing to me, but I felt like this book just fell flat.