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Great story. Wish I would have read the first story in series before this one. Although the story is independent from the first it would have given more back ground into the characters.
A three person band and a couple of friends head to a small town to play a set. Once they arrive they discover a very unfriendly reception. The town's people are almost hostile. Two of the band members have disappeared, along with quite a few towns people. What's going on in third-party little town.
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Susan and Eric are back for an another instalment. Not long after surviving a killer in their hometown, Susan and Erin embark on a road trip with Eric’s friends and band mates. Something is not right in Clancy and 2 band mates disappear. Eric’s abilities point to more misdemeanours.
Having recently read the first book which was excellent , this one started with a gripping plot but then flattened out.
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Extremely intense and a wee bit grisly, well written with great characters and an electrifying storyline. It seems like poor Eric is not only slow on picking up clues but he is also a reluctant medium, he sees and talks to dead people. Poor fella thinks he’s going nuts, what a hoot. He and his friends have landed smacked dab into a town from the twilight zone, where the drug kingpin rules with brutal and deadly force. Folks have been disappearing in this creepy hallow, but when Eric and Susan’s friends disappear, things started to get even scarier. What a gripping ride, the thrill factors will keep you on your toes and biting your nails, a great read.
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I picked up this book without realizing that it was the second in a series. The storyline frequently referenced events at Death Farm and I waited for an explanation which never came. Now I realize that the Death Farm events took place in a previous book but I think there could have been some recap for a reader new to the series.
The partnership between Susan and Eric seemed more professional than romantic to me, so I had a hard time finding that aspect believable.
On the positive side, I found the story interesting and the twists were unexpected. Things wrapped up cleanly, though there is still a possibility for future spinoffs, which I would try reading.
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I didn’t realize this is book 2 of a series, though it was easy to follow I would have preferred to have read in order. That said I was quite intrigued with the story, it’s fast paced and suspenseful. There’s a few twists some predictable. Overall a good read in one sitting. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.
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Susan and Eric follow their musician friend Jake and his band to Washington State. But once they reach the cheerless town of Clancy, Eric’s murderous visions start again. Something seems wrong about the town and its aloof citizens—and suspicions turn to dread when members of Jake’s band go missing.
Eric, Susan, and Jake search deep in the dark forest of the Olympic Peninsula, where many have disappeared. But the harder they search, the less cooperative the locals become. As the case begins looking more like a murder investigation, the trio must work together to locate the lost and uncover chilling town secrets buried in the darkest of places.
The book started off so good! The prologue had me hooked but it just went downhill from there. This is the second book in this series and is NOT a standalone. I was so lost on half of the stuff with Eric and Susan because there was literally no backstory to help from book one to two. I felt that the 'visions' and seeing the dead stuff either needed to be amplified or just taken away; I just didn't feel it enough.
The story line was pretty good and if it had been written differently or more fully it would have been an incredible read. However, the end just left me hanging with the story. Like how was Gus in this whole thing? Who was the Sheriff's son? Where did Darla go? Or What happened to Darla? So many questions left unanswered.
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Hidden Bones is my first book by this author and is the second book in a series but I did not have trouble catching up with the gist of the original story. On leave after a horrible past case, police officer Susan Marlan and college professor Eric Evans are looking for a good time by following their friend's band to a small town called Clancy for a concert. Eric is struggling to decide if he believes in his psychic like premonitions or to contribute the things he sees to his schizophrenia. The town of Clancy is steeped in secrets and its people are not welcoming. The forest seems to make people disappear. The suspense is good and the story flows quickly but I find the ending annoying as all get out. The whodunit is so obvious its like watching the Scooby gang unmask the bad guy for the protagonists to finally figure it all out, not real great for a hotshot cop and a psychic. Overall, I liked the characters but I wished the psychic bit was played up a bit more but I would read more in this series. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.
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I did like this book just not as much as book 1. You really need to read book 1 to be able to know about both Eric and Susan and what happened to them in book 1. I happy to know they are still together and working through everything. They decide to take a little vacation and watch Jake's band on the road. The vacation brings them to a strange small town. I think if Susan joins the FBI her stories will be a lot more interesting. I feel this is a book that is going to bridge book one to what is to come for Eric and Susan. Still and enjoyable and interesting book. I really look forward to the next book.
*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
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This is book 2 in the series (I read and reviewed book 1 previously on netgalley). Sad to say, this one didn’t do it for me. Whether I’ve read too much between book 1 and 2, or I forgot too much of book 1 ... I didn’t care for the characters at all this time. The paranormal aspect was too much - it seemed irrelevant - just something added that was unnecessary. It didn’t really add any dynamic to the characters or the storyline, if anything, it took away from the story.
That being said, I think the story itself has lots of potential. I figured out the villain early on so not much of a surprise there, Unfortunately, for me, this book was just ok. I probably will not continue to read this series.
Can’t like them all. Thank you #netgalley and #thomasandmercer for the eARC.
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This second book in the series sees Eric and Susan on a road trip with Jake and his band. They end up in a small town that gives new definition to the word creepy. When a couple members of the band go missing things ratchet up. The tension and suspense surrounding the mystery is fast paced and the locals all look guilty. There were a couple twists I didn't see coming.
There has been a lot of character growth since book one. I really enjoyed the fact that Jake was featured more in this story. Eric isn't bogged down by his past with his ex. Seeing Susan grapple with the reality of her last case and the fallout made her more relatable. I'm looking forward to seeing where things go next.
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This book series already has one of my favorite features for a thriller--a splash of the supernatural. And then with this book, Vivian Barz adds another favorite--the strange small town. Although the explanation for all the weirdness turns out to be pretty mundane, that just makes it more believable. What wasn't believable to me is that Eric and Susan repeated a mistake they made in the last book. It made the denouement a little painful, like, come ON guys. But that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to seeing them again.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for supplying this copy for review.
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*** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***
Chuck, Madison and Jake are all part of a music band.
Susan is a local cop and Eric is a professor at the community college. Eric is a clairvoyant/schizophrenic who aided in the investigation of the death farm and has received a lot of attention based on this. He is offered a respite by his music band friends to go on tour with them for the summer. Susan has received a lot of harrassment because of Eric's death farm/clairvoyant involvement so she is up for the road trip.
This story is filled with characters ranging from a cop to a clairvoyant to a music band all wrapped up in a small town with sketchy townspeople who are hiding a secret. When two of their friends go missing, the remaining three band together and use their skills to combat a crooked cop, shady mayor and sketchy ranger all wrapped around townspeople who are either 'with' them or too scared to go against them.
There’s action packed in every chapter of this book and it’s awesome; there’s never a dull moment. I would definitely read more of Barz’s stories and highly recommend this one.
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In her follow up to Forgotten Bones, cop Susan and professor Eric are still struggling to come to terms with the nightmare that was the Death Farm. Trying to put the ugliness behind them, Eric and Susan accompany their friend Jake and his band to Washington. But instead of finding a quiet spot for rest and relaxation in a small Pacific Northwest town, they find something more chilling. Eric’s visions start up again and then members of Jake’s band begin to disappear. They search the surrounding woods for the missing musicians, but instead of getting help from the locals, they are given the cold shoulder. Something is definitely wrong in this small town, but will Susan and Eric be able to find out what before it’s too late for all of them?
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Two months have passed, and the horrors of Death Farm still torment police officer Susan Marlan and college professor Eric Evans. Susan struggles to regain her zeal for fighting crime, while Eric is slowly coming to terms with his newfound “gift” of seeing the dead.
Seeking much-needed rest, Susan and Eric follow their musician friend Jake and his band to Washington State. But once they reach the cheerless town of Clancy, Eric’s murderous visions start again. Something seems wrong about the town and its aloof citizens, and suspicions turn to dread when members of Jake’s band go missing.
Eric, Susan, and Jake search deep in the dark forest of the Olympic Peninsula, where many have disappeared. But the harder they search, the less cooperative the locals become. As the case begins looking more like a murder investigation, the trio must work together to locate the lost and uncover chilling town secrets buried in the darkest of places.
This is the second book in the Dead Remaining series, I loved the premise of it when I read the first one and this one was on par with that one. It starts off a little slow like the first book but I really liked it. A few twists I didn't see coming and I like the growth the 2 main characters showed in this book. I also have a soft spot for Jake, hoping he continues throughout the series! You don't have to read the first one to enjoy this one but it will help with a few references, i.e. The Death Farm.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
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I really enjoyed this book.
The characters were all very likeable and I enjoyed their dynamics, but it wasn’t too much so it would distract the murder mystery.
Eric‘s visions are a refreshing element which made this book quite different and added to the suspense.
I really liked the build-up throughout the novel and particularly enjoyed the twist at the ending and the big reveal and the last couple of chapters I felt unable to put the book down.
The only issue I sometimes noticed were that some scenes were a little slow and seemed to drag out, although the overall pacing of the novel was still really good.