Among the dead by J.R. Backlund.
Rachel Carver mystery book 1.
Former North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent Rachel Carver blames herself for the collateral death of an innocent woman in her last case. Unable to accept her superior’s attempts to cover up the incident, she turned in her badge. But when a former partner asks her to consult on a new murder case, she reluctantly agrees, traveling to a small, remote mountain community, where she’s tasked with leading a group of inexperienced detectives on a hunt for the killer. The trek has hardly begun when what seems to be the act of a loner proves to be much more as Rachel's team comes under attack—and a detective is killed in the fallout.
A good mystery book. Good story and characters. 4*.

A well written detective novel, unfolds at a normal pace. Satisfies the craving for a "good, well-written book. Sets up the character, Rachel, to become a series, as it leaves you wanting more. She is a great character. Good story!!

Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Among the Dead. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Former North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent Rachel Carver is called in by an old partner to consult on a murder case. With some misgivings, Rachel arrives in the mountain community and immediately knows that she has her work cut out for her. Between the ill prepared police and her former colleagues breathing down her neck, will Rachel Carver be able to put the pieces together in time?

Among the Dead is a good debut novel for author J.R. Backlund, but too much of the story was handed to the readers. Both the characters and the setting were largely neglected, leaving readers without a way to feel connected to the book. A fair amount of time was spent on Carver's past, but the author did not go into too much depth and did not give Rachel any resolution. The plot was good overall, but there was too much going on to make it cohesive. That being said, I do like Rachel Carver and feel that there is promise for a good series of books going forward.

This year has definitely been the year of mysteries an thrillers as far as my reading goes! I've read quite a few this year, and I'm pleased to say (despite the somewhat confusing cover) that this is by far one of the best I've read.
The author has written an exciting and action packed plot, and it was written well. It kept me reading the whole time, with many twists and turns to keep me guessing!
My favourite part was definitely the character of Rachel (not just because we share a great name!!). She was very well written, she was a female character that was successful at her job, but still realistic and nuanced. The author took the time to develop her into more than just a successful agent. She was the main reason for my enjoyment, and I would definitely be interested in other novels about her.
In relation to the female main character, the author managed to not bombard the reader with forced romances which is often the case in these types of stories. There was a slight hint of romance but it never really developed into anything major which was a welcome relief to me.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel, it is a well written and exciting police murder mystery, and I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more of Backlund's work.

Before I review this book I just want to say two things, yes the cover is gorgeous and it was one of the reasons I wanted to read this book and secondly, here we have once again a blurb that gives away too much of the story. I will get to it later on, but first I want to write about the positive things about the book.

Among the Dead by J.R. Backlund is a good start on a new series. I quite liked Rachel Carver, she has been through a traumatic event prior to this book and still waiting to learn if there will be legal repercussions for it. The case in this book is also interesting, especially since there doesn't seem to be a motive for the killings. I have a fondness for crime books set in small towns where everyone knows everyone and people have secrets so this one right from the start felt right up my alley. Now, back to the blurb problem, it gives away too much. I hate it, when I know certain events will happen and I sit and wait for them. And, I did it with this book and that took away some enjoyment of reading the book. Sorry, but I want to know as little as possible and I love it when the book takes surprising turns. This book didn't surprise me especially much and hence I felt it was just an OK book.

Despite my blurb problem with Among the Dead do I think the book was perfectly OK to read. I would probably have enjoyed it more if I wasn't prepared already to certain things, like the death of a police officer. However, despite that was the book OK, the ending, the disclosure was perhaps not the most spectacular nor surprising, but I do want to read the next book in the series!

Dylan had hit his cousin Clayton when they were teens for calling his mom a floozie. He had hit layton and ruptured his eardrum. Half of Dylan’s family disowned him and Dylan had never seen Clayton again since it had permanently damaged Clayton’s hearing. Dylon thought of this as Gifford was dying. Rachel had been an agent but she had quit a month ago. Rachel had another sleepless night. Then Rachel went to Blackstone Estate mobile home park. After dozing off a couple of times while sitting in the guests parking lot. Then the old woman appeared pushing the stroller with the toddler boy in it. Then Santi pulled up, she was a social worker with Wake County Division Of Social Services. Then Rachel gave Santi an envelope with two hundred dollars to give to the old woman- Mrs. Bailey. Then rachel asked if Santi had any luck in finding a home for the little boy. Santi said no but she was sure she would find the child a home it just took some time. But the problem was they couldn’t find the boy’s father even though they knew the father didn’t want the boy.Rachel checked her phone and she had a message from her old partner Danny when she had been a detective with the Raleigh Police Department and he wanted Rachel to help for something. Danny and Rachel had worked together in the homicide unit until rachel took a job as a special agent in the State Bureau Of Investigation. But Danny and Rachel had remained close friends until Danny had moved away to try to save his marriage. Danny’s wife wanted to live closer to her family and have Danny around more. But danny and his wife divorced a year later after the move. Danny told Rachel he had some work for her consulting on a murder case. Rachel felt herself being compelled but Rachel had buried herself in her cases before, allowing the cases to consume every part of her existence. Her apartment was a perfect example crime scene photos on the coffee table, medical examiners reports on her couches, autopsy photos on the kitchen counter by the coffeemaker. Depending on coffee and alcohol sometimes together. Rachel had been living among her victims, making them a part of her daily routine so she never lost sight of her obligation to them. Her commitment- a promise that had driven her to the point of obsession. Then Rachel asked Danny to tell her about the case. Danny said they had discovered a body this morning. The victim had been killed in his own home. The man lived alone, There was n signs of forced entry, no witnesses, no suspects….her speciality Danny said. The money sounded good as it had been six weeks since Rachel had a paycheck. Sheriff Ted Pritchard was talking to his cousin Sheriff Lee Harelson then Ted noticed Danny who was his chief deputy.Ted agreed and told Danny to bring in Rachel. Rachel had shot and killed an innocent woman who was a single mother during an investigation. Rachel had been watching the woman’s child at the mobile home park. But after Rachel got to Danny things began to change. Victims became two and then two became three victims. Then the SBI gets involved and ties the murders to meth labs but Rachel doesn’t believe that is the reason for the murders.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the plot and pace a lot. I liked the mystery. I felt like Rachel was a real person with real problems and weaknesses as well as strengths. She was intelligent and had no problem taking the lead attitude. But Rachel was very human in every way and the book showed this. I loved that the story had twists. This book definitely kept my attention and I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the characters and the twists and turns in this story and I recommend. I wish I could rate this 4.5

I really liked this book an interesting storyline that will have you hooked can't wait to read more from this author..I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

very well done introduction to what will hopefully be a new series. Backlund effectively uses the Great Smokey Mountains as the backdrop to Rachel Carver's efforts to solve a murder. I liked her persistence and her attitude. Although Carver has issues, they don't overwhelm the story. There are some interesting twists here (no spoilers!) and the plot is not contrived. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Recommend this to those who like mystery/procedurals with strong outsider protagonists who have a lot of common sense.

This would make an exciting movie. High body count. Lots of intriguing back stories. Could do without the foul language, but that is a personal preference. Interesting to develop the story from the different perspectives. We "see" the killer in action, but don't really know who he is or why he is eliminating the victims. Great ending!

Rachel Carver left the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation after a particularly rough case ended in the shooting of an innocent woman. Rachel just couldn't stomach her superiors' efforts at covering up the incident, so she quit. A former colleague contacts her asking for help solving a murder case in western North Carolina. The small mountain town just isn't equipped to investigate the case, and it's going to be too long before the state can send investigators. The case turns out to be much more than just a killing. As the case becomes more complex and officers are killed, the state steps in and takes over. Rachel stays at the request of local law enforcement to continue investigating on her own. What she discovers is a shocking and sinister plot, perpetrated by someone they never would have suspected.

I live in western North Carolina, so the setting for this book is what got me interested at first. It didn't take long for me to become completely engrossed in the story. Rachel Carver is an intelligent, strong and skilled main character, although she has flaws. But that just makes her more believable and human. She makes some mistakes along the way -- like rekindling an old relationship with a local officer. I definitely enjoy a great suspense novel featuring a fiercely independent and intelligent woman as the main character. The action is fast paced with a lot of suspense. The plot is believable and engrossing. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop!

The cover art is gorgeous!

This is a promising start to a new series. I look forward to the next book!! I will definitely keep reading!

Among the Dead is J.R. Backlund's first book. He is currently at work on the second book in the series. Check out his website: https://www.jrbacklund.com/

**I voluntarily read this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

J.R. Backund's debut novel, Among the Dead, has all the ingredients of a good mystery/thriller: a protagonist with a few "issues," realistic secondary characters, good dialogue, a little romance and an interesting murder case, without a lot of clues. The author does does a good job of creating a charming southern setting, with a seemingly unsolvable initial crime. Rachel Carver, the main character, has quit her job as an investigator with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations over a case that haunts her, but needs a distraction. She agrees to help out a former colleague when the small town where he lives experiences its first murder in many years. The Sheriff's department is woefully unequipped to handle the crime, and the state is slow in sending resources. Rachel relies on her excellent training to organize the staff in order to proceed with the investigation. Before long, they realize they have a serial killer on their hands. The novel has a slower pace, but it's intriguing enough to keep the reader engaged. The resolution of the mystery is satisfying and readers won't necessarily figure out the motivation of the killer(s) until close to the end. I enjoyed this debut and would recommend it to my mystery customers. Hopefully, there will be more books forthcoming in this series!

Rachel Carver, a former homicide detective and former agent with the SBI,
is asked by her former partner, Danny Braddock, to help with a murder investigation.
She finds a link in the past that connects the victims but leads to more questions.
The plot flows at a good pace and has action lasts to the end. Well defined
characters create suspense that keep the reader interested. The ending was nicely done
with no threads left hanging. I enjoyed the read and recommend it to others.

3.5 stars
This is the first book in a new series involving Rachel Carver, an ex-SBI investigator in North Carolina. She takes on an assignment as a consultant for a sheriff’s department in Western NC to help with a murder investigation. I like the author’s straight forward approach. As Rachel instructs the various detectives and officers, she is also instructing the reader.

This is a solid police procedural. Nothing flashy, but well thought out. It's not a fast paced book, more methodical in nature. You can see some of what's coming, including the who's behind it, if not the why.

Rachel is smart but not infallible. She feels guilt for her prior case, as well as for how this turns out. She was well developed and will make a good character to build a series around. And I would definitely read the next in the series.

My thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy of this book.

I liked this book; it was an easy, quick read that will satisfy your mystery/thriller craving. The setting was great – a small town in the mountains of Western North Carolina – and the mystery was intriguing.

But I did have some issues with it, which took it from a 5-star to a 4-star read.

Rachel Carver quit her job at the NC State Bureau of Investigations after a tragic incident on her last case. She gets a call from her former partner to consult on a case in the sleepy mountain time where he works. A man was killed and the department wants to make sure they solve the case without errors – and fast. But soon things spiral out of control as it becomes clear they’re dealing with more than just a random kill.

This book has a great mystery at its core. The story doesn’t give too much away until it wants to, which gives the reveals a nice punch. And I liked that the author really ties everything together. Nothing is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, which is really cool.

Plus, I really liked Rachel as a character: she was smart, but not cocky, and she had an interesting personality. You could tell there was a good backstory there.

I just wish we had gotten to see more of that backstory. We were just kind of thrown into the middle of her life with no context, despite really wanting some more information. There were also some other things that I had questions about that didn’t really get addressed. It would have been nice for some more explanation.

But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It looks like the author is planning a series starring Rachel, and I would definitely read more.

Rachel Carver has quit the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation after she shot and killed a woman in the course of an investigation. Her superiors quickly closed the case by stating that the woman was guilty of killing her boyfriend. Rachel had her doubts and quit. She's been watching the woman's small child and stoking her own guilt.

When Rachel gets a call from an old friend to help in an investigation in rural North Carolina, she agrees. There her job is to make sure that the police force crosses its t's and dots its i's so that the case isn't thrown out of court. The Chief of Police is under pressure from the town council who wants to fire him.

The case quickly gets complicated when one victim becomes two and then three and the SBI gets involved. Their focus turns to meth labs which Rachel doesn't think actually has anything to do with the murders. Soon Rachel is working around the SBI and even the department that hired her to find out the truth about the murders

Rachel is an interesting character. She is an excellent investigator who tends to get too involved in her cases to the detriment of all the other parts of her life. I liked her and her obsession with energy drinks.

I thought the mystery was nicely twisty. I recommend this book to people looking for a woman sleuth and an interesting mystery.

Rachel Carver is a former investigator for a NC state bureau. Although still young, she left the job because she was dissatisfied with how her last traumatic case was handled. – both by her and her superiors. While others may doubt Rachel’s skills, a former colleague knows he can depend on her. Her old partner is now in a small town with small town assets to assist him in solving crimes. He asks Rachel to step up and help on a case that becomes more complex as the body count climbs.

What makes this book stand out is the small town ambience, the cast of supporting characters and a unique murderer. Good start for a new series. Recommended.

This was the first book by this author that I've read. I really enjoyed it. The story flowed quickly. The action was pretty constant. The writing was good (not beautiful and amazing, but good---which is only really noticeable to me really because I'm reading James Lee Burke and Dennis Lehane right before and after this. Not many can compare to them anyway). I am from Western North Carolina, so I was interested in the setting. Some of it felt real and some felt exaggerated and stereotyped. But overall, a good story, and I plan to read the next in the series.

Loved it! Great storyline with an interesting heroine, Rachael. I also loved the small town setting. I felt like I stepped I to the book. Lots of suspense, good read.

A very entertaining read that pulls the reader in and doesn't disappoint! I never felt bored or that the author was just rambling on. The book has a great pace and gives the reader that incentive to keep turning the pages. I enjoyed the Rachel Carver character and would like to see where the author takes her next!