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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's been a few years since I've had the opportunity to read a Debra Webb book and I forgot how much I enjoyed her writing. In "Deeper than the Dead" we're introduced to a new leading lady, Vera Boyett, in the midst of a career upheaval and facing secrets from her past being unearthed. I found many relatable characters and intertwining stories that keep you guessing as the bigger picture is slowly unveiled. A mix of small-town triller and a budding (or rather a reigniting) romance balanced to keep me wanting to finish "just one more chapter"... to the tune of finishing this book within just 36 hours.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sometimes people need a reason to stay.
For Vera Boyett, the small town of Fayetteville, Tennessee, was instead always the place from which she wanted to run away. Too small, not enough to challenge her….and that was before her mother died when Vera was 15, setting into motion a series of catastrophic events. First, her grieving father got entangled with the much younger Sheree Corbin, a young woman with a bad reputation, and married her within months of his wife’s death. When she gave birth to Luna six months later, the reason for the hasty marriage became obvious (as was the fact that their affair started while his cancer-ridden wife was still alive). Next, as Vera and her younger sister Eve grieved the loss of their mother they had to deal with a nasty stepmother who left the household work (including ultimately caring for their baby half-sister) to them. Their father was too infatuated with Sheree and busy dealing with his own grief to apparently notice. Finally Sheree disappeared, apparently abandoning her marriage and baby for a more exciting life elsewhere, never to be heard from again. Vera escaped to college and eventually a storied career in law enforcement as soon as she could, leaving Eve behind. Eve quickly slipped into a pattern of abuse of alcohol and other substances, barely graduating from high school and heading in and out of rehab. She still lives in Fayetteville and ultimately has found a career as a mortician, which seems oddly fitting as she often claims that the dead speak to her. With their father suffering from dementia and living in a care facility, Vera and Eve stay in touch through occasional phone calls. All that changes in a single day. First Vera has to leave her job as head of a law enforcement team within the Memphis PD that utilizes predictive analytics to prevent crimes before they happen after a scandal which left two team members dead and for which Vera, as head of the unit, is being held accountable. As if the implosion of her 15 year career isn’t bad enough, she then gets a call from Luna….a dead body has been found in a cave on the Boyett family land and it looks like it is Sheree. Vera heads back to Fayetteville to get a handle on what is going on, and to protect her family from the accusations that are sure to come their way. Things get exponentially worse when additional bodies are found in the cave. Vera and Eve know more than they are willing to share, and may have good reason to fear being named suspects. Sheriff Gray Benton is both the person who broke Vera’s teenaged heart years ago and also a solid investigator.. As Vera inserts herself into the investigation, Bent can sense that she is holding back information from him. Has a serial killer been at work in their town, or is there more than one killer behind the dead bodies? Who but a member of the Boyett family would know the location of the cave and use it as a place to stash their victims? Can Bent get through the secrets and lies that have compounded over the years to identify the killer(s), and if he does what will happen to what remains of Vera’s family?
After a slowish start that works to set up both the current scandal which is possibly ending Vera’s career as well as the backstory to the events in the Boyett family before and after the disappearance of Sheree, the story kicks into gear as Vera and Bent delve into identifying the other victims found in the cave as well as possible killers. Vera tries to keep Luna calm and get Eve to level with her about what is going on as someone seems to be threatening the three of them, and also struggles with her still-present attraction to Bent while she works to lead his investigation away from some painful truths with which she doesn't trust him enough to share. Small southern towns have more than their fair share of secrets, and although everyone thinks they know one another’s misdeeds and skeletons some are buried deep enough to avoid detection, at least for a while. Vera is a strong, smart woman whose traumatic adolescence left scars with which she still struggles, including her relationship with her sisters. Bent’s childhood was brutal and no one thought he would amount to much, although Vera’s mother tried to set him on a better path. Twenty years in the military made him a better man, and retuning to his roots provides him with the opportunity to repay some debts to those who had helped him. Deeper Than the Dead is the first in what looks to be a series featuring Vera as she begins a new phase in her professional life. With much of the background established in this installment, hopefully the next book will be able to launch right into the mystery at hand. Readers who enjoy a good small town police procedural or those with a strong female lead should check this one out, as should readers of authors like Allison Brennan, Melinda Leigh and Tracy Clark. Many thanks to NetGally and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me early access to this intriguing start to a new series.
For Vera Boyett, the small town of Fayetteville, Tennessee, was instead always the place from which she wanted to run away. Too small, not enough to challenge her….and that was before her mother died when Vera was 15, setting into motion a series of catastrophic events. First, her grieving father got entangled with the much younger Sheree Corbin, a young woman with a bad reputation, and married her within months of his wife’s death. When she gave birth to Luna six months later, the reason for the hasty marriage became obvious (as was the fact that their affair started while his cancer-ridden wife was still alive). Next, as Vera and her younger sister Eve grieved the loss of their mother they had to deal with a nasty stepmother who left the household work (including ultimately caring for their baby half-sister) to them. Their father was too infatuated with Sheree and busy dealing with his own grief to apparently notice. Finally Sheree disappeared, apparently abandoning her marriage and baby for a more exciting life elsewhere, never to be heard from again. Vera escaped to college and eventually a storied career in law enforcement as soon as she could, leaving Eve behind. Eve quickly slipped into a pattern of abuse of alcohol and other substances, barely graduating from high school and heading in and out of rehab. She still lives in Fayetteville and ultimately has found a career as a mortician, which seems oddly fitting as she often claims that the dead speak to her. With their father suffering from dementia and living in a care facility, Vera and Eve stay in touch through occasional phone calls. All that changes in a single day. First Vera has to leave her job as head of a law enforcement team within the Memphis PD that utilizes predictive analytics to prevent crimes before they happen after a scandal which left two team members dead and for which Vera, as head of the unit, is being held accountable. As if the implosion of her 15 year career isn’t bad enough, she then gets a call from Luna….a dead body has been found in a cave on the Boyett family land and it looks like it is Sheree. Vera heads back to Fayetteville to get a handle on what is going on, and to protect her family from the accusations that are sure to come their way. Things get exponentially worse when additional bodies are found in the cave. Vera and Eve know more than they are willing to share, and may have good reason to fear being named suspects. Sheriff Gray Benton is both the person who broke Vera’s teenaged heart years ago and also a solid investigator.. As Vera inserts herself into the investigation, Bent can sense that she is holding back information from him. Has a serial killer been at work in their town, or is there more than one killer behind the dead bodies? Who but a member of the Boyett family would know the location of the cave and use it as a place to stash their victims? Can Bent get through the secrets and lies that have compounded over the years to identify the killer(s), and if he does what will happen to what remains of Vera’s family?
After a slowish start that works to set up both the current scandal which is possibly ending Vera’s career as well as the backstory to the events in the Boyett family before and after the disappearance of Sheree, the story kicks into gear as Vera and Bent delve into identifying the other victims found in the cave as well as possible killers. Vera tries to keep Luna calm and get Eve to level with her about what is going on as someone seems to be threatening the three of them, and also struggles with her still-present attraction to Bent while she works to lead his investigation away from some painful truths with which she doesn't trust him enough to share. Small southern towns have more than their fair share of secrets, and although everyone thinks they know one another’s misdeeds and skeletons some are buried deep enough to avoid detection, at least for a while. Vera is a strong, smart woman whose traumatic adolescence left scars with which she still struggles, including her relationship with her sisters. Bent’s childhood was brutal and no one thought he would amount to much, although Vera’s mother tried to set him on a better path. Twenty years in the military made him a better man, and retuning to his roots provides him with the opportunity to repay some debts to those who had helped him. Deeper Than the Dead is the first in what looks to be a series featuring Vera as she begins a new phase in her professional life. With much of the background established in this installment, hopefully the next book will be able to launch right into the mystery at hand. Readers who enjoy a good small town police procedural or those with a strong female lead should check this one out, as should readers of authors like Allison Brennan, Melinda Leigh and Tracy Clark. Many thanks to NetGally and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me early access to this intriguing start to a new series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It felt to me as if the main character, Vera, was inconsistent. That she seemed to change to enhance the drama or suspense. She just didn’t seem real. Some of the dialogue seemed forced. But the story was interesting. And I finished.
mysterious
slow-paced
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three sisters - one is completely helpless, one is a train wreck and one has to handle everything. The plot was okay but the story itself took forever to get through and was so repetitive.
The author teases at the lost love aspect between the sheriff and MC but there’s not really much closure in this book, which I guess means you need to read the second but I have no desire to do that.
This is a no for me and I almost put it in my DNF pile.
The author teases at the lost love aspect between the sheriff and MC but there’s not really much closure in this book, which I guess means you need to read the second but I have no desire to do that.
This is a no for me and I almost put it in my DNF pile.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Every month my mom and I choose our Amazon first reads book together and read it together. This month we went with a murder mystery and it was fantastic, I read this book in two days and that’s only because I had to stop and go to work.
Vera, a police detective is having career issues when her younger sister calls and says that the body of her stepmother is found on their property.
Things get absolutely bonkers, more bodies are discovered, threats are lobbed. It is intense! And so much fun, it keeps you guessing and suspecting everyone
Vera, a police detective is having career issues when her younger sister calls and says that the body of her stepmother is found on their property.
Things get absolutely bonkers, more bodies are discovered, threats are lobbed. It is intense! And so much fun, it keeps you guessing and suspecting everyone