Member Reviews
Reviewer 266180
First published as 'Blood and Stone', this is book six in the D.I. Tom Mariner series of mysteries. No peace and quiet for Mariner as he travels to Wales and immediately becomes embroiled in a murder case. An entertaining whodunit with a mostly likeable protagonist, rather heavy on the description and the ending rather abrupt. |
Book number 6 in the Tom Mariner series This has a sad start with a funeral after which Tom takes his leave and goes to wales to indulge in a walking holiday It doesn’t take long before the mystery starts with several dead bodies turning up A rapid page turner a lovely flowing page turner of a book The author leaves this one a little bit up in the air but I now can’t wait until book 7 |
Sally A, Reviewer
My first introduction to Tom Mariner, although it's technically the sixth book in the series. It's action packed and a great thriller, Definitely going to go back to the others when I get chance to get to know Mariner more as a character and will of course look out for in the series! |
rita h, Reviewer
Another excellent book by Chris Collett, the sixth in the D.I Tom. Mariner series, set in countryside of Wales. He goes there after the death of his ex Anna on a walking holiday and finds himself caught up in a murder, and subsequently further murders. Finding himself a suspect, he investigates to clear himself. An excellent thriller, that keeps you enthralled from the first pages. Have thoroughly enjoyed all six books and can't wait for the next one. |
Thankyou to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author, Chris Collett, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Buried Lies in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. The storyline was well written and thoroughly intriguing. The characters were engaging and realistic. I was hooked from the opening chapter. Well worth a read. |
Marcia S, Reviewer
Buried Secrets is a great murder mystery. I enjoyed the plot, setting and the author’s writing. I didn’t realize it was a series now I must read the previous books. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital arc this is my unbiased review. |
Geraldine G, Media
Totally enjoyed reading this new author drawing you in and blowing your mind with the storyline definitely recommend this book |
After the death of his ex-girlfriend Anna Barham which leaves Mariner devastated as he still held out hope and feelings, he takes two weeks off to go walking in Wales. As you would expect, all does not go to plan when the body of a local farm hand is discovered in the woods by a runner who literally ran into Mariner but who is responsible and why? As more bodies turn up, Mariner turns from witness to potential suspect in one of the murders. Can Mariner clear his name and help track down the real killer? What is the motive, can they find one? A few red herrings thrown in with sub-plots to put you off the scent of the main plot but cleverly weaved back together. So much going on in this book, I was absolutely hooked as I usually am, I have read this series from the beginning so was over the moon to get this, its exactly up my street, a good mystery with enough twists and turns to give you the element of surprise when the picture becomes clear! I certainly didn’t see the twist coming which I love, keeps the interest piqued, I couldn’t put the book down. Many thanks to Netgalley & Joffe Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. |
Michelle D, Reviewer
Not as good as earlier novels, found this very hard to get into as the story did not flow, seemed to jump from one setting to another with no indication as to why |
Simon L, Reviewer
This is the 5th book in the series I have read and the series keeps getting better with each book. This time we find DI Mariner looking for a break after everything he has gone through, and he has decided to travel on holiday to Wales. The book would be very boring if that was all that happened, so we are soon stuck in the middle of an investigation when a body is found who Tom had befriended whilst there. Tom then becomes the prime suspect in his murder so has not investigate it, whilst also avoid being arrested for his death. I really liked the change of scenery in this book as it brings a fresh look to the series, and also the fact that Mariner is a suspect adds lots of tension to the story. The book did start a bit slower than usual and concentrated more on Mariner, but once the action picked up it didn't slow down until the end. This story was brilliant and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. |
Samantha p, Reviewer
Detective Tom Mariner takes some leave from his job in Birmingham to go on holiday to Wales. His ex girlfriend has been murdered and he goes on a walking holiday to clear his head. When walking he finds a body and gets embroiled in several murders as a witness then a potential suspect. Once cleared by the local police he helps with their investigation with the help of his own team in Birmingham. The book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone novel. Its a good book and an enjoyable read, I'll be reading the other books in the series. |
I love a good book from Joffe Books. In fact, over the weekend I finished the new release from Chris Collett, Buried Lies. It’s a revised edition, previously published as ‘Blood and Stone’. About Buried Lies Detective Inspector Tom Mariner is back. and in emotional turmoil. After the funeral of his ex, Anna, he heads to the Welsh countryside to walk out his feelings and recover. His holiday is disrupted by the discovery of a dead body in the woods. Murder appears to be the order of the day, but who is responsible? As the bodies continue to be discovered, the secrets of the remote Welsh village begin to come out. How enjoyed is Mariner wrapped up in the murder? Is everyone as shocked by the murders as they seem? Who is responsible for the murders? Buried Lies is a fantastic crime fiction novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. My Review The first book I read by Chris Collett was Baby Lies way back in March. She had me hooked even then. Buried Lies is no different, the suspense starts to build up from the first page and the mystery just continues to build . I enjoyed the quieter periods of the story with Mariner’s walking when he was working through his inner turmoil. But the action soon picked up again. Chris’ winning is brilliant and she keeps the suspense going all the way through. If you love a quick action packed fast paced crime fiction novel, this is for you. |
janet n, Reviewer
Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc. Another good book in the Tom Mariner procedural series. This one had several story lines going at the same time.... kind of like trying to keep up with a juggler. Tom finds a mess of a situation while on bereavement leave and out of town. Knox finds another couple of messes close to home. Kat - Tom's previous housemate finds herself in another mess. Somehow most of these got cleaned up in the book, and the ones that didn't, well there's hope for further books! I really enjoyed the juggling and the on-going relationships between all the various characters. |
This is the next book in the DI Mariner series, entitled as 'lies,' in this case, Buried Lies. I had no trouble reading and finishing this book, and it is a good book as crime and mystery titles go. There are murders, more that one, and DI Mariner is right in the middle of them. Although this is a good book, it's not one of my favorite. DI Mariner leaves on a walking holiday in Wales, and soon ends up in the middle of a murder investigation. There is a long and involved set-up where we learn about the people and places of Caranwy, Wales; I thought the novel was a little slow in getting to the point. Once the murders start, the search for suspects provides for interesting reading; eventually the answer came from a direction I least suspected, and I was taken by surprise, which is always good in a mystery/thriller. 'Buried Lies' is the sixth in the DI Mariner series by Chris Collett, and these novels usually rate four-and-a-half stars on amazon. Since this is the first one I read, I was not privy to what was going on in previous novels. There are number of scenes in the book that address issues brought up in previous books. I felt a little annoyed at not being given enough information to understand these scenes, but this is a small gripe. Overall, this is a worthy novel and well worth reading. 4/5 stars. Read this and other reviews on upcoming books at bookgeist.blogspot.com. Publication date: September 6. 2018 |
Karen C, Reviewer
Unfortunately although it was quite well written this book just wasn’t for me and I did not enjoy the content or the storyline.I think this book would be enjoyed by people who enjoy this style of book.It wasn’t what I expected from the title. |
Lucy F, Educator
Another fantastic book by Chris. This is the 3rd DI mariner book that I’ve had the pleasure to read and really enjoy the way that the characterisation develops. |
This is the sixth book in the series featuring DI Tom Mariner. It can be read as a standalone but is much more enjoyable when you are familiar with the characters and their past cases. Tom is on a walking holiday in Wales, recovering from the brutal murder of his ex girlfriend. But of course, he soon gets involved in a spate of murders and becomes a prime suspect in the death of a fellow walker. As usual there are sub plots to this book with Tony Knox, a member of Tom’s team in Birmingham, dealing with a case of a missing woman and the drug overdose of a young girl. Buried Lies leaves you eagerly anticipating book number seven in the series as there are quite a few unanswered questions at the end. I think it is the best book of the series and a series that is not to be missed. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. |
(Rounded up from 3.5) DI Tom Mariner wants a break from it all, after the death of his former lover Anna, so he journeys to the Welsh countryside, a place he visited in his youth. Far from finding peace and quiet, he finds the body of a young farm hand leads him to getting involved in the case. Another body turns up this time, a fellow walker Tom befriended on his trip and he soon becomes a prime suspect. Can Tom clear his name and find a killer? This is another series I’ve been dipping in and out of for a while. I will say this can be read as a standalone but I would probably recommend that you read a few of the previous books just so you don’t feel like you’re playing catch up with the different storylines and characters. Buried Lies did start out as quite a slow burn but soon ratchets up the tension until I got so caught up in the story that time just flew by. Poor Tom has to deal with the deal of Anna, the woman who he was still in love with and to make matters worse, her killer is still out there. He journeys to the rugged wilderness of Wales but as usual trouble is not far behind. The setting is slightly different in this book, instead of focusing on Birmingham, there guest appearance from Kirby (a suburb of Knowsley near Liverpool) and even Cheshire. But the main one is the rugged Welsh countryside was almost felt like another character in itself, giving the whole book a sort of moody and tense atmosphere. There is a few subplots too, which are a little distracting, with Tony Knox (a member of Mariner's team), dealing with the overdose of a teen and a missing woman but I still very much enjoyed them. Tom has also now been appointed guardian for Anna’s autistic brother Jaime and I’m looking forward to the next book to see how he deals with that complication. Buried Lies is an atmospheric and complex police procedural that draws you in and won’t let you go. |
Hazel M, Reviewer
This was my first foray into discovering DI Mariner and, having not read books 1-5, the author very successfully introduced him to me. The storyline for Mariner himself started off quite sedately, his taking leave following the funeral of his former girlfriend, and looking for quiet-time walking in Wales. Poor chap - he reminded me of the hapless Richard Hannay (John Buchanan, Author) with his bad luck getting drawn into things unintentionally. However, starting off 'with a bang' - an ex-con and several cold-blooded shootings, the story took us with Mariner on his scenic Welsh walks, each with some significance to ensuing murders, gradually weaving-in the characters, occupations and settings surrounding him. Meanwhile there are sub-plots making tentative connections to the situations he finds himself in but in truth, by mid-book, I was beginning to get a little bored; then the story picks up a bit more of a pace as actions gradually replace the speculation and the ends are all tied-up, leaving the reader with the possibility of a new love-interest for him, as well as the resolution to the mystery of his former girlfriend's death. (- Except, I still don't know how he explained to the original hotel-owner why his car was still in his car park 2 weeks after he had said he'd be away for a couple of days.) There's lots of descriptive passages taking you around the Welsh countryside but they were completely necessary as they created the atmosphere in which this story is steeped. This book is not an action-packed, fast-paced thriller, but is thoughtful, creative and well-written. I certainly will start to read this series from the beginning. |
Sandra G, Reviewer
This is a continuation of the previous book where DI Tom Mariner had news of Anna's death. To get away from everyone who tried to help and be left alone he took some leave and went on a walking holiday to mid Wales. This break brought many new questions and some answers as well as being involved in a new murder case. On completion of this book I felt that I needed to read the next chapter in this series as there were a number of unanswered questions. Very enjoyable but kept you wanting to read more. |








