A dark and secret filled thriller full of twists and turns. Loved the history entwined with the mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really loved this book. I generally love books set in Louisiana and this was no exception. When you add in an old plantation, a bayou and family secrets I'm hooked. The book starts in the Civil War era and flashes forward to present time and the author achieves this effortlessly. Voodoo, madness, pirating and a serial killer wrap up this intense suspenseful book.

This is such a thrilling story. The beginning tells the story of two plantation owners in Louisiana during the Civil War Era and how combining their plantations, a little piracy, a secret club of wealthy land owners, and some backstabbing can build an empire. Throw in some voodoo, madness, and a curse and we have the Sinclair family legacy. Fast forward to present day when Catherine "Tink" Mabry discovers she has inherited the Sinclair estate from her estranged grandfather. Her paths cross with Ben who has gotten sucked into a brutal killing spree that has ties to the Sinclair fortune. This is one of those stories that keep you guessing the entire time. It's an exciting, action filled, thriller with a little romance. I highly recommend this one for an exciting weekend read.

I was initially dawn to this one because of the cover and I’m so happy I picked it up. I was hooked from the get go. It starts out on a plantation in the Louisiana bayou in the Civil War era and includes an intriguing family history filled with pirating, treachery, voodoo, and madness, and of course a secret treasure and a curse. Then it jumps to present day where Tink inherits the plantation from her estranged grandfather and gets sucked into the plans of a serial killer on the hunt for the treasure. This is an action packed book that will keep you on the edge of your seat with a splash of romance. The ending was slightly disappointing but very sweet and fitting.

A first read for me by Kim Carter, I was intrigued by the description and jumped at the chance to read this book. I love a good mystery/thriller story and this delivered. Tink goes home to investigate the family history and secrets her father tried to hid but quickly find herself in over her head with new murders that land her under investigation. This book had it all family secrets, murder, mystery and kept me turning pages waiting to find out what happens.

Dark Secrets of the Bayou by Kim Carter – 5 Stars
Publisher: Raven South Publishing
ISBN: 9781947140127

Louisiana is a unique state with a complex history and eerie bayous. It provides the perfect setting for this story and the characters whose sins and secrets carry through generations.

The plot intertwines the past and present. It begins in 1859 when Emmanuel Sinclair inherits land and goes about becoming very wealthy. His greed and actions affect his family and the town of Kane for many years. When Tink, the current Sinclair descendent, inherits the family estate and comes to Kane, she finds a mansion that in falling to ruin, a town filed with secrets, a gristly murder, and a family curse.

The story is interesting throughout. There is history spanning over 150 years. Characters portray the changes in life and attitudes during that period in time. The bayou is described. And, of course, the murders are solved. I absolutely enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley for the opportunity to discover this author and her amazing novel.

Reviewer: Nancy

Kim Carter created a interesting story that with the first half of the book during the 1800's with the beginning of the plantation. The author gives readers the family history of not just the home but also of Catherine. Kim Cater was able to create the setting of dark and gloomy as part of the character in the story. The cast of characters even the home itself is part of the characters within the story.

The chapter left cliffhangers daring readers to keeping going long into the night.

Dark Secrets of the Bayou is a creative dark mystery that reader will not be able to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of Kim Carter Dark Secrets of the Bayou

Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!

The first half of this book is set in the 1800’s and tells the history of the family’s involved in this story line. The second half of this book is set in the present where the family secrets must be revealed. The synopsis grabbed me from the beginning. The bayou, family secrets, and an old plantation house. The first half of the book was rather slow as there was so much family history. The last half of the book was much better but the ending felt rushed to me and me confused

Nobody was more surprised than Tink Mabry when she inherits a plantation in Louisiana. Her mother had died in childbirth and her father took her to Georgia when she was only a few weeks old. Her father wants her to sell it sight unseen. But Tink is nothing if not an independent thinker.

Not ever knowing her mother and having had no contact from her grandparents, she's eager to explore her family's history.

Along with her best friend who makes the trip with her, they discover that this may involve much more than she thought. Immediately falling in love with the plantation, she is told about the recent murders in her area .... and unfortunately, she is the prime suspect.

The first part of this book takes the reader back to the 1800s when the plantation was first built and owned by the wealthy Sinclair family. All was not on the up and up back them. There were secret mergers, smuggling, secret rooms and tunnels, voodoo, murder.

So how do murders in present time relate to the crimes of the 1800s?

This is well written with a complex plot filled with intriguing characters, surrounded by suspense. The atmosphere, at times, is dark and gloomy, which propels the reader deeper into the story. It's a real page turner leading to an unexpected ending.

Many thanks to the author / Raven South Publishing /Netgalley for this Historical Mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.