Cover Image: Secrets to the Grave

Secrets to the Grave

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Member Reviews

gripping and atmospheric crime novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Detective Meredith Somerset is a compelling protagonist, driven by her own personal tragedy. The author skillfully weaves together multiple mysteries, both past and present, creating a web of suspense that is hard to resist. Frech's descriptive prose brings the quiet suburban street of Willow Lane to life, making it feel like a character in itself. With its clever twists and turns, this book is a must-read for fans of thrilling and emotionally charged detective stories

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Loved this book. It was very fast paced right from the beginning. The writers style of writing was fantastic.. it had me hooked. The plot played out well. Very well done

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Secrets To The Grave by Steve French

A great thriller mystery. Great plot. Good characters. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

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Secrets to the Grave by Steve Frech is the first in a new series about homicide detective Meredith Somerset. I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable and interesting. The plot was fun to read and the chapters are short. I definitely look forward to more books in this series! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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This book was a nail biter. The suspense was incredible. This is the first book in the series and it started off with a bang. The characters were well developed and you were immersed into the story.

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Gripping, edge of your seat thriller, well written, with great characters a d a great story line. I really enjoyed this one.

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Secrets to the Grave was my 2nd one by Frech. For fans of Mark Edwards word you definitely should read Frech’s work!
This was really great & keeps you gripped throughout with the short chapters!! I can’t wait to see where the relationships lead with the characters in the rest of the series!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

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This book had me hooked early on in the story. It contained a lot of suspense, intrigue and some surprises as well. It dealt not only with the murder of a young girl, but also delved into the lives of the leading characters . It left the reader asking what happens next for the main characters? I highly recommend this book to other police procedural readers.

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This is the first in a new mystery series, with Detective Meredith Somerset as the protagonist. A teenage girl is found dead in the road of a neighborhood, and the investigation centers around the families that live on the road. Meredith is also dealing with a new partner, who has just moved up from Vice.

I really liked this mystery. I thought the investigation was good and well-paced. Just when it seems like it was wrapping up there was also another development. It also set up some personal intrigue for Meredith that I am excited to see progress in future books. I will definitely continue on with this series!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This is an author I discovered last year with "Deadly Games" and knew I would him read again. This new series features Detective Meredith Somerset. It is adult fiction which includes some graphic subject matter. The murder mystery setting is a suburban subdivision, Willow Lane, in Atlanta. This street is upper middle class veneers and dark secrets beneath. It was enough to make you want to run background checks on all neighbors if you are planning to move soon.
An early morning jogger discovers a young teen girl dead on this foggy lane. There is no ID, only a medallion with cryptic symbols found hidden in her sock.
Sergeant Wheaton dispatches homicide Detective Somerset to the scene. Her tardy new partner, Tyler Foles, just transferred from the narcotics and vice department. He doesn't start off with a good first impression. As the investigation progresses his personal history and demons keep getting in the way of his obvious instincts and skills. Meredith's patience and ethical boundaries will be pushed to the edge. Her life literally depends on her partners reliability.
The residents, families and neighbors on Willow Lane all have secrets, lie and hide things, even the kids. Motives for murder abound and the suspect list grew and changed as I raced to put clues together. There is a doctor, a bachelor architect, an engineering consultant, stay at home mothers and home schooled kids. Very diverse, well described characters.
Meredith's own past demons haunt her particularly on this case. The victim's resemblance to her missing sister, Alice, threatens years of Meredith's mental health progress. She's also dealing with an X-husband, his new girlfriend and her daughter, Allison.
The victim also has an interesting background which hinders the detectives at every turn.
The plot was definitely fast paced, lots of surprise revelations and twisted turns. There was a good balance of personal background and the characters were engaging,  human and flawed. This is a great beginning for a new series, can't wait for the next one.
Thanks to Netgalley, Steve Frech and HQ Digital for the advance digital copy of "Secrets to the Grave", a Detective Somerset thriller. These are my personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

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Once a fan of Steve Frech... always a fan! Each book that I have read by this writing genius has continued to grab my attention and this one held the same effect for me! What happened to that girl that was laying in the middle of the street? Who can you really trust? And, what goes on behind all of those shut doors on the street? You had me glued to your great writing once again Steve!

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I’m a big fan of Steve Frech’s writing. Nightingale House was one of my favorite books that year. His writing style is charming, detailed, and suspenseful, and his plots are always great fun. Having said that, I just wasn’t quite as riveted by this mystery as I have been by his others. Detective Somerset is an appealing character, and I’ll definitely read the next book in the series, but the plot of this one didn’t really grab me from the start the way some of Frech’s other books have. The pace was also a bit slow for my tastes. I did enjoy learning Detective Somerset’s backstory, and I am hopeful the plot of the next book will move a little faster and interest me a bit more. Still a Frech fan and interested to see what he comes up with next in the series.

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Excellent fast paced thriller that held me throughout and I am hoping there is going to be another one.
Would definitely make a good detective series.
It was really interesting & had plenty of suspense & intrigue to keep you turning those pages with some great characters.
I read it over two days I was enjoying it so much.
The story starts when a young girl is found dead in the middle of a street in a secluded neighbourhood & wearing no shoes ?
Detective Meredith Somerset & new partner Tyler Files have been called out to investigate the mysterious death.
Not all is right in these detectives lives as they are both damaged in their own ways & fighting their own demons but they have a job to do &need to focus on that.
The story held me throughout, it had so many twists & turns but the author brought them together brilliantly.
A great crime thriller for me I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Will be looking out for more from this author

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There's been a murder on Willow Lane and noone knows what happened...or do they?
Detective Meredith Somerset arrives on scene to find the lifeless body of a teenage girl laying in the road. There is no ID and she only has her socks on, which are stained green from the grass. These facts make it appear as though she was close by, but if that were the case, then why didn't anyone on Willow Lane hear her cry out for help? Upon turning the body over, Meredith sees her sister's face. She is immediately immersed in flashbacks from that tragic day and hears the phrase that has haunted her since. She shakes herself out of it, there is no time to dwell on the past. There is lots to do if she and her partner, Tyler Foles, are going to find out who this Jane Doe, what happened on Willow Lane that morning, and who else was involved. Will she be able to put all the pieces together? Or will the memories of her sister and that terrible day take over?
I loved this book so much! It was very well written and overall a great detective story. I will definitely be recommending this to friends and counting down the days until the second book in the series releases. There were so many twists and turns I didn't see coming, I didn't want to put it down! Another great thriller by Steve Frech!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

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This was an intriguing thriller that kept me guessing throughout. I found it suspenful and found that it hooked me in.

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I always enjoy books by Steve Frech , I find them fast paced with lots to keep your interest. This book is based on the mysterious death of a young girl found lying in the road of a quiet residential street, all of the residents of this street have their own secrets to hide and it's up to the detectives to find out who killed her and why. Great book

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A great story with believable characters and what an amazing ending. I look forward to reading more by Steve.

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This is going to be the start of a great series!

I really love Steve Frenchs writing. Fast paced, keeping me interested and on my toes. After reading Deadly Games I wanted to enjoy more of his writing.

When a teenage girl winds up dead in the road of a small, we’ll of suburb, it’d obvious someone in these houses knows more than they are letting on. Who knew the girl, and who murdered her. Detective Meredith Somerset and her new partner, Tyler Foles are on the case. Both Meredith and Tyler have complex pasts that will be good to see played out in further books.

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This is different from Steve's other books but definitely loving the detective writing!!! He's awesome with spooky but I'm definitely wanting a second book after this one! The Willow Lane neighborhood is a complete shit show lol. Everyone is hiding some type of dark secrets. But who is responsible for killing a young girl? I didn't see this ending coming. Definitely twists! And come in Tyler get your stuff together lol. Looking forward to the next one because there has to be one!

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I loved this book and I really hope it becomes a series because I need more Meredith Somerset in my life. She’s just such a great character and I loved her relationship with her boss. Tyler was an interesting one and I kept swinging between loving and hating him.

After the first few chapters, I thought it was going to be one of those books where you know who the bad guy is from the start but then bam suspects everywhere. Willow Lane really is a wild place to live. I had no idea who it was going to be but what a wild ride it was. I couldn’t put it down. Also with regards to the ending, I’m normally not a cliffhanger ending kind of girl but it gives me hope that there’s more to come and we will get a series because I need answers.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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