4.5/5! Rouding up!

After an intense case that left her with a bullet wound, Agent Sayer Altair has been spending the past six months on desk duty. During her time away from the field she has focused on her research into the minds of psychopaths. Interrupting this research is a new case that has just been assigned to Sayer. An off-duty FBI agent, Max Cho, and his cadaver dog have fallen into a sinkhole filled with human bones. This seems like a cold case that will be a great way for Sayer to ease herself back into the field, but the agent quickly finds there are many more secrets buried here.

The remains we found deep in the woods of Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park in an isolated area with little foot traffic. It seems the bones date back several decades, which supports the initial cold case assumptions. When two fresh corpses are found, Sayer and her team are unsure what they have on their hands. Is this all coincidence? Two killers leaving bodies in the same spot? Or has a killer returned after a hiatus?

Earlier this month I read the first book in the Agent Sayer Altair series, CAGED, and not only fell in love with Ellison Cooper’s writing, but also with our main character, Sayer. Being a long time fan of FBI procedural shows like Criminal Minds, this series has truly become the perfect fit. The cases are out of the box and the cast of characters are all ones you want to bond with even if it’s your first time meeting them.

This book picks up a few months after the first and drops the reader right back into Sayer’s life. You can instantly feel the apprehension Sayer has about returning to the field, as well as the doubts she has over her injuries. Cooper makes sure that Sayer is not a one-dimensional character by allowing the reader into her mind and her thought processes. Sayer’s ultimate likeability also helps to solidify that bond between reader and main character.

The case being worked in BURIED is no less gruesome from what was featured in CAGED and I think that this continuity really set the stage for expectations going forward for this series. Readers are here and committed to not only read about Sayer, but to also experience and attempt to solve wildly intricate cases. I love how Cooper drops in mythology and science to the cases and killer’s actions in both of these books. Small details like that really make this book and the series as a whole more well-rounded.

I only docked off a half star because some parts did feel a bit over the top or a little too predictable to me, but at the end of the day those instances never stopped me from loving this book. I cannot recommend enough to hit the bookstore and get started with this series! It is certainly going to be one that readers look forward to picking up the latest new release, so why not get in on it while the series is only just starting out?

Disclosure: A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

"Abusers never do conveniently have fangs and horns. They’re usually really good at hiding what they do behind closed doors."

Sayer Altair is a neuroscientist and a Senior Special Agent with the FBI. INn the first book of this series CAGED, she was shot and is recovering with six months of desk duty.

She gets called to a case early at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia when an off-duty FBI K-9 handler and his dog find a cave containing human bones and eventually more.

Sayer ends up having to work this case with a motley crew of FBI agents, Park personnel and local law enforcement and it quickly becomes apparent this case is still active.

I like this protagonist and the different characters in the book. Some of the story was pretty far-fetched but it is fiction and I was mostly able to overlook that.

I am claustrophobic and a lot of the action in the story takes place in caves so extra scary for me.

I recommend this to readers who like psychological thrillers or murder mysteries. Parts of it are pretty graphic violence, so be forewarned.

I received this book from Minotaur Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Wow! This follow up to the first Sayer novel was fast paced and a great story. I loved it more than the first, will definitely continue with this series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read Buried by Ellison Cooper yet? You are in for a treat! This is an exciting suspense novel that is dark and chilling, just how I like my books!

Synopsis:

Senior Special Agent Sayer Altair studies the minds of psychopaths. But even she didn’t expect to uncover a killer within the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Rooting him out and exposing internal corruption got her a bullet wound and six months of desk duty. Now, she’s finally back in the field, called in when an off-duty FBI agent and his cadaver dog fall into a sinkhole filled with human bones.

Found deep in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, the skeletal remains date back almost two decades, the same time a beloved local teen disappeared. The cold case quickly heats up when Sayer’s team finds two fresh corpses among the bones. When a gruesome clue ties these new bodies to a woman recently kidnapped along with her young daughter, Sayer has to uncover the connection between the old bones and the new bodies before the mother and child become the next victims.

But the killer is one step ahead, attacking her team and sabotaging their efforts. With Sayer’s investigation compromised and unsure of who to trust, she receives unwanted help from Subject 037, one of the anonymous psychopaths she is currently studying. She has the chilling realization that he’s someone powerful in Washington D.C.—and he is not about to let a mundane serial killer jeopardize his own ominous agenda for Sayer…

If you enjoy crime stories, if you are a Murderino (fans of My Favorite Murder will get this), if you seek stories that keep you on the edge of your seat or staying up late into the night, then you must get this book.

Buried was just published so its brand spanking new! Get yourself a copy and enjoy it!

Buried is author Ellison Cooper’s second novel featuring Senior Special Agent Sayer Altair. I read the first novel Caged last year and it was an excellent debut novel. While you can read this second novel without reading the first one – If you think your interested in Caged go ahead and read it first or the backstory from Buried will spoil some things for you. This book picks up where Caged left off. Agent Sayer Altair is an FBI neuroscientist who studies serial killers. She’s been on desk duty for the last six months while she is recovering from a gunshot wound and is called back to work after an off duty FBI agent’s cadaver dog discovers multiple bodies and bones in the Shenandoah National Forest. What ensues is Sayer’s investigation into a psychotic serial killer. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Sayer is a sharp, intelligent, strong and complex character that I love reading about and actually rooting for her! If your a fan of serial killer crime fiction/police procedurals then I’d urge you to read this book. This is an excellent follow up to Ellison’s first book. I give it 4 1/2 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy for my honest review!

I love a good thriller, and this month I certainly found Ellison Cooper’s Buried to be bone-chilling. No seriously! I slept with the lights on one night when I was a few chapters in the book.

Buried is the second book in the series featuring FBI agent Sayer Altair, who is also a neuroscientist and she studies psychopaths. Altair is coming off a six-month desk duty assignment when she’s called in to investigate a cold case – which doesn’t excite her but she’s glad to be back in the field.
At the murder site, buried among the skeletal remains, her team and her discover two more bodies, recent kills. Clues tie the corpses to a mother and her young daughter who’ve recently vanished without a trace.

In the midst of her murder investigation, Sayer receives help from a psychopath she’s studying but quickly realizes that he’s a man with major political power in D.C. who’s after his own agenda.

After reading Buried I was impressed by Cooper’s imagination and her writing talent. Cooper has a Ph.D. from UCLA in anthropology, having lived in a tent for nine years in the jungles of Belize researching the Mayans. She has worked as a murder investigator in Washington D.C. Buries comes out on July 16, 2019.

Get out your big mugs, this one is going to keep you up all night!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for a copy of Buried by Ellison Cooper to review. I loved Caged and the second book in the Agent Sayer series definitely lived up to the first!
Opening with a cadaver dog and his partner finding a sinkhole full of bones while on a hike, this book never once lets up. The serial killers in these books are extremely dark but I find that it is always balanced by Sayer’s team and the dedication they put into solving these crimes. She puts everything she has into them and that is a very hopeful thing to read.

Available today, Buried is definitely a 5 star read for me.

FBI Agent Sayer Altair is leading a headline-grabbing serial killer case in Buried.

Max Cho is hiking with his FBI human remains detection dog, Kona, when she frantically signals a dead body is nearby. While investigating, Max falls into a cave littered with old bones.

The FBI is facing a Congressional hearing after a serial killer is found among their staff. FBI Assistant Director Janice Holt is testifying as are many of her staff. She calls on Agent, and neuroscientist, Altair from medical leave to head the cave of bones’ investigation with Max, Dana the forensic scientist, Ezra the computer specialist, and Piper a park ranger as her entire team.

When two recently dead bodies are found, with a link to another missing woman, the case goes from cold to red-hot. What is the connection between the old bones and the new bodies? Can Altair and her team find the missing woman in time?

I enjoyed the complexity of the plot. There are multiple threads entangled here—some from Caged, the previous book in the series, and some new. Only some get completely resolved by the conclusion foreshadowing another book in this series.

I didn’t read the other book in this series and had no problem following the character’s histories and the plot. Buried is an outstanding mix of Scarpetta and Hannibal Lector. I also learned a bunch about psychopaths. You can take the test online that Altair gives her research subjects, if you wish. Overall, a great read for thriller and especially serial killer fans. 4 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Buried by Ellison Cooper is a highly recommended investigative thriller and a sequel to 2018’s Caged.

Max Cho, an off-duty FBI agent and his K9 Kona find a sinkhole filled with human bones in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. FBI Senior Special Agent Sayer Altair is called back into the field to investigate. Sayer has been off-duty recovering from a gunshot wound when she exposed a killer within the FBI, resulting in personal attacks and a huge investigation. As a neuroscientist Sayer has been studying psychopaths. She never expected to find one in the FBI and now she is on the trail of another one.

The bones in the sinkhole vary widely in their age, but there are two bodies in there are recent, so Sayer knows she has an active dump sight of a serial killer. The recent victims were women who were kidnapped, and there are clues that point to more victims to follow. The killer, though, must be watching them because their team has been attacked. While trying to solve the current case, the congressional investigation of the FBI is ongoing and the media is swarming.

This is obviously a sequel and I do wish I had read Caged first before jumping into Buried. While I stilled enjoyed this second book, I felt I was missing some key elements. Even so, the story is compelling and I was engrossed in reading it as fast as possible. There is plenty of action and investigative threads to follow. The descriptive writing kept me glued to the pages as the crime is investigated and solved. The plot is complex and Cooper excels at keeping the anticipation high.

Sayer is a great character and I liked her quite a bit (even though I feel like I would have reacted even more if I had read the first book). All the characters are well developed and interesting. This seems like a great series to continue following. Yes, some of the plot elements are predictable, but the presentation is still engaging and made for some great escapism while following an intense plot.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/07/buried.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2897067387
https://www.librarything.com/work/22598915/book/170917387
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1150829348880027653

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellison Cooper and St. Martins Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Special Agent Sayer Altair studies the minds of psychopaths, but even she didn’t uncover a killer within the FBI who she worked with. She got a bullet and six months of desk duty for figuring it out, and now she’s excited to be heading back out into the field. She’s call into a case of an FBI agent and his cadaver dog who fell into a cavern filled with bones. These backs date back twenty years, but this cold case quickly heats up when they find two fresh bodies among the bones. When clues lead back to a missing woman and her young daughter, Sayer needs to tie together the old bones to the new bodies to save the killers newest victims.

I think now, hands down, I can say that this is my favorite new series! I’m addicted to the group of people that continue to be in these novels and how they are quickly becoming a family because of all that they go through together. I love Sayer and how different she is from your usual FBI agent and how we dive more into her life in this novel. The characters become like your own family and you start to root for them to survive and find the killer. I’m obsessed by the quick pace of this novel and how you were never quite sure what was going to happen next! This novel was a slam-dunk for me! This novel is action packed and hard to put down! You won’t see the many little twists coming and you will be scratching your head right up until the end! You NEED to put this on your TBR right away!

Out this Tuesday, July 16th!

I read Caged by Ellison Cooper last year and it was one of my favourites of the year. This book is a fantastic follow up. Buried follows FBI Agent Sayer Altair (who specializes in studying psychopaths) after she's been demoted to desk duty following a gunshot wound in the field. The author wastes no time getting into the story because soon enough Sayer's colleague's dog sniffs out a pit of old and new skeletal remains. Sayer jumps at the chance to take on this case with her motley crew, quickly figuring out that the new bones relate to recent mother and daughter disappearances...

This series is just so good!! I highly recommend reading Caged first so you get to know the characters a bit more, but you can jump into Buried and still get really into the story. It's one of those books that is really well written and isn't overly flowery: everything is written with a purpose.

Thanks NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love that this is a series because I am hooked on the characters. I didn't read the first book in this series so it perfect as a standalone book. Sayer is a strong female lead who is passionate about psychopaths. She is doing research to try and understand why some psychopaths don't commit crimes while others do.

This case finds her back in the field after some time off due to an injury. Another agent stumbles in a cave with a number of bodies in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park. Two bodies are new, seven bodies are older. The UNSUB seems to be toying with them too, trying to destroy evidence. They gather a team with a limited budget, but they are closing in. Lots of twists and turn, with heart pounding action.

3.5 rounded up. I had not read the prior book but this books gives you enough of the backstory to be okay. It is a bit of a roller coaster. Pretty gruesome and unrealistic stuff happens. The family dialogue can get a bit cheesy at times. The ending leaves a wide opening for a next book.

Buried by Ellison Cooper is the second book in a series about FBI agent Sayer Altair. I loved the first book in the series and the second is even better! It advances the stories of the main characters. The cases that Sayer works on are so scary and thrilling. The author really comes up with frightening scenarios! I hope there will be many more books about Sayer. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Buried is the second book in the Agent Sayer Altair series, a gritty, dark, intelligent crime procedural. I had high expectations going into this story since I was absolutely captivated by Caged, it’s precursor. In fact, Buried was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and being a crime book junkie, I’m selective in offering high praise to mysteries. I’m happy to report that Buried did not disappoint and fully lived up to my expectations.

These stories feature Special Agent Sayer Altair, a single mother and neuroscientist who works for the FBI alongside a unique crew of fellow agents specializing in various fields. Not only does Agent Altair solve crimes, she also studies the minds of psychopaths, differentiating the variances between those who become killers, and those who don’t. In this story, her personal research intertwines with her current case, older skeletal remains that have been found in a cave in the Shenandoah National Park and some newly missing locals. Alongside investigating these unique and well-crafted crimes, an overarching narrative is transpiring involving corruption within the FBI and it hits far too close to home for Sayer.

This series is clever, gripping, and easily-readable. The author does a stellar job of breaking down a complex crime solving process in an articulate and intriguing manner, with chapters that leave you needing to read more. Cooper writes compelling, interesting and consumable crime fiction and has fast become one of my favorite authors.

Buried, by Ellison Cooper

Short Take: This author is a sadist and I kind of love her.

(*Note: I received an advance copy of this book for review.*)

You guys. You. Guys. Something seriously major has happened here, possibly for the first time ever. Y’all might want to sit down, and if you’re one of my more faint-hearted nerdlings, you may want to put your head between your knees, or just stop reading right here, because I know you will find this shocking and upsetting.

*Deep Breath*

Ok, here goes…..

I was WRONG about a book.

I know, I know, it’s impossible to believe, right? I will be the first to admit that I’m wrong about a lot of things in life but books are the One Thing that I can usually pontificate about with great certainty, at length.

So when I first grabbed a copy of Buried, I braced myself for that most heinous of author maladies: the sophomore slump. There is no way, NO POSSIBLE WAY, I thought, that Ms. Cooper could match the brilliance that was Caged. And by that, I mean that Caged was fantastic, not that Ms. Cooper isn’t. But all of my preconceived notions went right on out the proverbial window, and I am happy to admit it one more time: I was SO WRONG.

(*Warning!! If you haven’t read Caged, ((and just why haven’t you??)), there may be spoilers here!!!*)

It’s been a few months since the events of Caged, and Special Agent Sayer Altair is mostly recovered from both the physical and mental wounds she suffered. Her shoulder and heart still ache at times, but her new ward Adi, goofy-puppy-turned-goofy-dog Vesper, and Zen Master/downstairs neighbor Tino have done her a world of good. Although she still has questions about the death of her fiance Jake from years before, she’s ready to get back to Real Work. I mean, studying psychopaths and dodging political punches from a desk is fun and all, but it can’t compare to chasing down an active serial killer.

So she’s in luck (sort of?) when Agent Max Cho, taking a hike on his day off, stumbles into a whole pile of dumped bodies, ranging from the skeletal to the relatively fresh and gooey.

Cue a Getting The Band Back Together montage, in which some of my favorite characters from Caged (YAY EZRA!!!) and a couple of equally charismatic newbies join the hunt,. And oh my darling nerdlings, what a hunt it is!

Ms. Cooper has a definite flair for contrasts: combining real-life cutting edge science with the myths of the ancients, or pitting the very personal struggles of Sayer and her group against the backdrop of a Congressional investigation that has implications for the safety of the entire nation, or flashes of humor brightening a story that isn’t afraid to go very, very dark. But most of all, I especially loved (read: hated) seeing the struggles of one particular character who suffered a devastating injury in Caged - their fight for recovery and some kind of normalcy had me simultaneously cheering and tearing up.

And even with that little part of me that missed that fun, getting-to-know-you buzz of first meeting Sayer, being able to skip the niceties and just zoom off on her Silver Hawk to kick some [censored] was great too. For all the personal and emotional elements of Buried, there are still plenty of twists, turns, fights, chases, and a bombshell or two. We even get a new dog friend, who’s Vesper’s opposite in every way, and is it weird that I’m looking forward to the two of them meeting? (Confession: I may have watched way too much Lady and the Tramp as a kid.)

Guys, I even liked the cliffhanger ending, and you all know how I feel about those. For real, just read it. After you read Caged, of course, because did I mention how much I love that one?


The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS! (and something sweet that isn’t lava cake. Because gooey is NOT good right now. Also, I need a hug. And maybe a puppy.)

Thank you to Minotaur Books/Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest review!

I read the first book in this series last year. I gave it the same rating, but for some reason I want to continue. It's a guilty pleasure.

You don't necessarily HAVE to read the first book to read this one, but I recommend it. You would be missing out on personal details about Agent Altair's life, as well as all of the side characters that work with her.

This book was very entertaining, and the writing is very straightforward. The climax didn't surprise me all that much, but there were some odd details that I would have never guessed. I will say that I prefer the first book to this one. Unfortunately, I wasn't as hooked with this one. That's not to say that this one isn't fun in it's own way.

I love how humble Agent Altair is. She is always looking out for others, but it does get her in some sticky situations. I think I enjoy this series so much because they get me out of a slump. They are action-packed and well written. There isn't a ton of personal life mixed in with the juicy murder cases. It's a good balance, and that is why I gave it three stars. It won't blow you away, but you'll definitely have a good time. I will be reading the next one.

Ellison Cooper Agent Sayer Altair series started off chunky and lack a rythem and I question if it would be worth reader book two.

Having read book one I still was lost on the characters but the details are filled in slowly as the story moves forward. The story takes place after book one with lots of different characters who are called misfits but are able to solve a missing person case, serial killers and start of a darker friend who is helping Agent Sayer Altair .

The story moves a little more smoothly and while it is dark the secondary story I found pulled me and I wanted to know more about Agent Sayer Altair study. I found many times her logic in the test a little flawed but the author create an interesting dialog that will have readers wonder what creates a Psychopaths. Why do some kill and why do some live a "normal life"

The secondary story will keep readers wanting more from the author and her series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Minotaur Books for the advance copy of Ellison Cooper Buried.

I am now an Ellison Cooper fan! I love these characters, they are diverse, quirky and down to earth. The second book in the series does not disappoint. It also makes you wonder what you would do for your child. I highly recommend this series to fans of Catherine Coulter's FBI series!

Special agent Sayer Altair is called in to head an investigation into a newly discovered pit of bones. She's been on medical leave and is happy to be back in the action. Working with a team mixed with old friends and new acquaintances she's ready to catch a psychopath.
The love I had for Sayer, her family and friends in the first book in this series Caged carried over and multiplied in this book. Every book gives another clue into the murder of her fiancee and I'm looking forward to further clues in future books.