Review: Brimstone Hollow (Annie Gore #2) by Archer Sullivan

Following her powerful debut in The Witch’s Orchard, private investigator Annie Gore returns in Brimstone Hollow, bringing readers back to the mountains that author Archer Sullivan, a ninth-generation Appalachian, knows so well.

There isn’t much that happens in the Appalachian Mountains that Private Investigator Annie Gore hasn’t seen. Before she was an Air Force Special Investigator, she was born and raised in those rolling hills, and lately Annie's cases have called her away from her Louisville office and closer to the small towns of her youth than she ever anticipated. But when her newest client asks if she’s ever been to a snake-handling church, Annie knows she’s about to enter unknown territory.

Katie May has been estranged from her father—one of Appalachia’s last infamous snake handling preachers—for twenty years. But when Katie finds out he’s been fatally bitten, and a funeral was held within twenty-four hours, she questions whether someone deliberately rushed the process. Despite Annie’s doubts, she takes the case. After all, when she looks at Katie, she sees a version of herself: a girl who needs to understand her father in order to understand herself.

As she navigates the hidden hollers and dangerous secrets of this insular Eastern Kentucky town, Annie works fast, hoping to find the truth in record time for her client—and before too many memories from her own childhood surface. But it soon becomes apparent that someone wants Annie’s investigation to stop—by any means necessary.

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 What I thought of Brimstone Hollow

Annie Gore investigates the snake-handling preacher of The Church of the Healing Redeemer at the request of his daughter, Katie, after she receives a supernatural message that makes her think there's something amiss in Brimstone Hollow.  

Annie works with the local Chief of Police to investigate the death of the snake handling preacher who was discovered deceased from snake bites. But what seems obvious starts to unravel as Annie asked questions. I really liked how Annie and the Chief work together to get to the truth.  I appreciated that Annie was respected and treated well during her time in Brimstone Hollow, except for that little car problem designed to scare her away.  But Annie does not give up, and she really sorts out a nest of human vipers in this Appalachian town. 

The center of this story is Annie as the narrator and it's her skills as an investigator that crack the case. I also liked her relationship with the people of Brimstone Hollow. The criminals were also multi-dimensional, and some were as much victims as they were bad guys.  I liked that about the story. The snake material was also well done, giving me the chills at times. I finished reading this quickly because it was easy to read and the story moved along at a good pace.The connections between Annie's younger life and this case made the story very interesting. 

If you are looking for a small town mystery with a nice level of complexity and a likable private investigator, you might like Brimstone Hollow.

4 stars 

Review: The Secrets We Hide (North Falls Series #2) by Karin Slaughter

 

The next thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent Series.

Welcome to North Falls. A small town with big secrets…

1601 Iris Drive looks like any other house on the quiet, residential street. But rumors are rampant about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors.

When gunshots ring out, Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, discover a devastating crime scene. Allison Vickery has been murdered in her own kitchen, and her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs, left for dead.

Everyone thinks they know what happened. But secrets are buried everywhere in this small town.

And it’s up to Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth…

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What I thought about The Secrets We Hide

 In this second North Falls Series story, Emmy Clifton accepts her legacy as sheriff of North Falls and gets involved immediately in a case involving a murdered former cop and her daughter.  With her sister Jude along side her, Emmy isn't sure that she likes the well-known FBI agent always lecturing her. There is a lot of tension between Jude and Emmy, and there are secrets to be revealed that could really rock Emmy's world. 

Emmy works through her exhaustion to uncover the killer. She's really pushed to the limit in this one, as the small town corruption is unveiled piece by piece.  It really turned out to be a complicated situation that took some time to unravel. I really like Emmy -- she has a good sense of North Falls and the people who live there. 

The story is told mostly from Emmy's point of view, although there are a few chapters that reveal Jude's emotions and thinking.  There is a definite Will She/ Won't she situation going on here that I don't want to spoil, but it's gotten me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the big moment between Emmy and Jude. 

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It kept me turning the pages until the end, and even though I had a little bit of trouble remembering the first book in this series, there was enough in this installment to remind me of the major points.  You will definitely enjoy this more if you read the first book in the series, but it's not absolutely required. 

4 stars

  

Review:Long Buried (Doctors of Darkness #6) by Ellery Kane

The past always rises.

In 1997, the seniors of Sweetbriar High School buried a time capsule at their graduation ceremony. That same night, one of their own—Homecoming Queen Blair Lennox—disappeared without a trace.

Twenty years later, Juniper Pickett returns to Sweetbriar on a mission, driving all night from San Francisco with a world of trouble in her rearview. There’s no going back. Not after what she’s done. Tomorrow, they’ll exhume the time capsule and expose her darkest secret.

When Juniper accidentally unearths the body of her missing classmate, she finds herself with a target on her back in a race to clear her name. Because it’s not true what they say about small towns…

There are strangers.

There are secrets.

And you can go home again. But they’ll never let you leave.

About the Series...Straight from the mind of a forensic psychologist comes an addictive new series of betrayal, lust, revenge, and murder. These doctors earned their degrees from the dark side. And once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. Other books in the Doctors of Darkness series include Daddy Darkest, The Hanging Tree, The First Cut, Shadows Among Us, and Lucky Girl. 

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What I thought about Long Buried 

Juniper Pickett is in a heap of trouble both at her current home in San Francisco and where she grew up in Sweetbriar. Her actions are suspicious and as a reader I was hooked somewhere around the start.  I wanted to know what would make her come back home and dig up the time capsule? Why was she running from San Francisco?  All of the pertinent questions get answered in the story, but it takes a while before all the pieces are in place and all of the perpetrators can be identified.

There is a very strong theme of bullying and the impact it has on both the bully and the victim. The story is told in two timelines, what is happening now, and what happened back in Juniper's high school days. There is some intense emotional material here and it's worth paying attention to any  content warnings. 

The mystery of the cheerleader who disappeared years ago is just waiting to be solved after Juniper cracks open the ground and finds the body. This story is like peeling an onion, with each new layer revealing more information about who the killer might be. What was interesting about this story for me is that Juniper is a equal suspect throughout the story, which had me guessing until the end.

What happened in San Francisco becomes an important part of the story when the young girl that Juniper had been counseling shows up in Sweetbriar. Talk about bad decisions! Juniper makes plenty here and its a good thing she has friend and neighbor Wyatt to help her. 

The romantic elements between Wyatt and Juniper  were nicely done, and the romance reader in me wanted a little more at the end! 

Overall, I liked this story. It kept me interested in continuing, it was easy to read, and the pace was okay, with slower spots.  I found myself liking Juniper, and that kept me reading.  

 

Review: Falling Into You (Colburn Brothers #3) by Jill Shalvis

 

 Some love stories don’t stay buried, no matter how far you run.

Hazel Pierce has three goals for coming back to Star Falls:
1. Help her estranged dad.
2. Keep things strictly temporary.
3. Absolutely, under no circumstances, fall for Tucker Colburn again.

That plan dies a dramatic, soggy death when a rogue wasp sting sends Hazel swerving off the road and into the river—only to be hauled out, half-drowned and furious, by the Star Falls Fire Department’s finest. Unfortunately, “finest” is ex–best friend, ex–one-night mistake, and the man she’s been avoiding for a decade.

Tucker’s always had a way of getting into her head. And now between a family that thrives on gossip and a town that’s way too small for all this chemistry, Hazel’s running out of ways to avoid the truth. As sparks turn into late-night confessions and slow, toe-curling kisses, Hazel has to decide if she’s done running—from her past, from this town, and from the only man who’s ever made her feel like home. And Tucker has to prove that this time, he’s not just her safe place to crash—he’s her always.

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What I thought about Falling Into You

Tucker Colburn and Hazel Pierce have history and a lot of chemistry in Falling Into You. Tucker has stayed home all these years, helping with the family business and pursuing his own career in fire fighting. Hazel, his neighbor and long time friend left town, but returns years later to find all the feelings between them are still sizzling.

I really liked that they started out as friends who helped each other during those rough teenage years. I had a friend like that and the relationship between Tucker and Hazel was very realistic to me. They do have a lot of the past to deal with as there are many hurt feelings and misconceptions that must be addressed.

While there were slow spots, I really did like this story. It was easy to keep engaged with wanting Tucker and Hazel to find their way back to each other, which is so important in a romance. And yeah, I wanted to shake Hazel a few times, but I understand why she did the things she did which is also important to me.

Overall, this is a terrific story and a terrific series from this author.