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kbranfield's review
4.0
Bury the Past is a fast paced mystery with a complex storyline about police corruption and revenge. This second installment in James L'Etoile's Detective Penley Mystery series can easily be read as a standalone.
Penley is one of the few cops who do no not have a problem with the fact that his current partner, Detective Paula Newberry, worked in Internal Affairs before her current assignment in homicide. One of her most prominent cases involved exposing major police corruption on a narcotics task force. Several cops from this case begin turning up dead just as former Sheriff department officer Charles Sherman is released from prison after his conviction is overturned. This puts Newberry in the crosshairs of District Attorney Linda Clarke who makes it clear that she is convinced Paula is responsible for the murders. With only a short span of time, Penley and Newberry are desperately attempting to show that Sherman is framing Paula for the murders. Will they find the evidence they need to bolster their case despite the fact that Sherman was behind bars when murders started?
Despite the ever increasing amount of evidence to the contrary, Penley has absolutely no doubt that Newberry is not a killer. Together, they frantically try to find the evidence they need to not only clear her name, but prove that Sherman masterminded the plot. An equally daunting task is showing the evidence recovered at the crime scenes has been planted in an effort to frame Paula. With Sherman quickly evading their attempts to keep him under surveillance, Paula and John immediately run up against the white supremacists that Sherman befriended behind bars. With Paula under investigation by Internal Affairs and increasing pressure from DA Cooke, the crime fighting duo turn up the heat on Sherman's former associates in an attempt to uncover the truth but a shocking revelation turns the entire case upside down.
Bury the Past is an outstanding police procedural that has an clever but slightly unrealistic storyline. Penley and Newberry are well-developed characters who are very easy like despite their flaws and quirks. With plenty of cunning twists and turns, James L'Etoile keeps this readers on the edge of their seats as the novel wends its way to an action-packed, exciting conclusion. A wonderful addition to the Detective Penley Mystery series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy.
Penley is one of the few cops who do no not have a problem with the fact that his current partner, Detective Paula Newberry, worked in Internal Affairs before her current assignment in homicide. One of her most prominent cases involved exposing major police corruption on a narcotics task force. Several cops from this case begin turning up dead just as former Sheriff department officer Charles Sherman is released from prison after his conviction is overturned. This puts Newberry in the crosshairs of District Attorney Linda Clarke who makes it clear that she is convinced Paula is responsible for the murders. With only a short span of time, Penley and Newberry are desperately attempting to show that Sherman is framing Paula for the murders. Will they find the evidence they need to bolster their case despite the fact that Sherman was behind bars when murders started?
Despite the ever increasing amount of evidence to the contrary, Penley has absolutely no doubt that Newberry is not a killer. Together, they frantically try to find the evidence they need to not only clear her name, but prove that Sherman masterminded the plot. An equally daunting task is showing the evidence recovered at the crime scenes has been planted in an effort to frame Paula. With Sherman quickly evading their attempts to keep him under surveillance, Paula and John immediately run up against the white supremacists that Sherman befriended behind bars. With Paula under investigation by Internal Affairs and increasing pressure from DA Cooke, the crime fighting duo turn up the heat on Sherman's former associates in an attempt to uncover the truth but a shocking revelation turns the entire case upside down.
Bury the Past is an outstanding police procedural that has an clever but slightly unrealistic storyline. Penley and Newberry are well-developed characters who are very easy like despite their flaws and quirks. With plenty of cunning twists and turns, James L'Etoile keeps this readers on the edge of their seats as the novel wends its way to an action-packed, exciting conclusion. A wonderful addition to the Detective Penley Mystery series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy.
vkemp's review
4.0
I read the first book of this series, At What Cost, and reviewed it for Library Journal. It was my pick of the month and I continue to recommend it. The actions in this book are not contingent on reading the previous book, but some of the motivations of the characters draw upon what happened in this book. Detective James Penley and his partner in the Sacramento PD, Detective Paula Newberry, are investigating the trafficking of street drugs. The case reaches back to a case Newberry worked on years before, when she was in Internal Affairs and brought down an entire task force, headed by Charles Sherman. Sherman went to jail. Now, bodies are turning up, bodies of other task force members and Sherman is agitating to get out of jail because he accuses Newberry of falsifying evidence and being corrupt. It appears Newberry is the killer, but Penley knows his partner better than that. While coping with his own tragedy at home, Penley works with Newberry to uncover the real killers and bring down a criminal enterprise. Excellent pacing and well-drawn characterizations make this series a good read. Recommended.
bract4813mypacksnet's review
5.0
Bury the Past is the second book in the Detective Penley Mystery series by James L’Etoile. I enjoyed the chemistry between Sacramento detective Penley and his female partner, Newberry. He is calm at work, but his home life is chaotic with a son with a kidney transplant, a teenage daughter acting out at school, and a wife who feels guilty for nearly killing their son and for being unable to control their daughter. In contrast, Newberry has the messiest desk at work, is hyped up on energy drinks, yet has a charming, neat rehabbed home.
Suspense is high from the get-go. The two detectives catch a case in which Newberry is the prime suspect, and her career and life at risk. As Penley and Newberry investigate, they uncover a cadre of cops on the take and a district attorney who plans to frame the innocent Newberry in a political coup to aid the DA’s rise to the top. Double-crosses abound--too many to describe here, but they lead to a climax in the rotunda of the capitol building in Sacramento.
I haven't read the first book in the Detective Penley series, but this book whetted my appetite for the it and any future installments. I received this as a free ARC from Crooked Lane Books on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this book to fans of noir, thrillers, police procedurals, and suspense. This book is scheduled for release December 12, 2017.
Suspense is high from the get-go. The two detectives catch a case in which Newberry is the prime suspect, and her career and life at risk. As Penley and Newberry investigate, they uncover a cadre of cops on the take and a district attorney who plans to frame the innocent Newberry in a political coup to aid the DA’s rise to the top. Double-crosses abound--too many to describe here, but they lead to a climax in the rotunda of the capitol building in Sacramento.
I haven't read the first book in the Detective Penley series, but this book whetted my appetite for the it and any future installments. I received this as a free ARC from Crooked Lane Books on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this book to fans of noir, thrillers, police procedurals, and suspense. This book is scheduled for release December 12, 2017.
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