A young girl is found face down dead in the middle of Willow Lane by a girl who is out jogging. This street, Willow Lane has a lot going on - so many lies and secrets. Detectives Meredith and Tyler are a great team who work well together. The ending left me saying “what?” Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Published September 2021.

This was a cracking novel full of intrigue and fast paced thrills.

A teenage orphan found dead on a street where everyone has something to hide.
A great case to read about being investigated but where to start?

Highly recommended.

A brilliant read
When a young girl is found murdered what have the residents of Willow Lane got to hide
They are all keeping secrets but could one of them be a murderer
Thanks NetGalley

A really good read that kept you gripped throughout! It kept you guessing right to the end . Not sure whether the author plans on making this into a series but the main characters are likeable and would like to see where there relationships lead. Also loved the short chapters!

This book caught me from the first page. It is about a teen girl who is found murdered in a small, very nice neighborhood. Everyone on the street is a suspect. The girl is an orphan who has found one of her parents. Everyone on the street has secrets to hide! The lead detective has past trauma where her sister was abducted when they were little and she has visions that every case is her sister. She also worries about her ex-husband and his future wedding and their daughter, but it turns out to be a good thing for her. The twist at the end of this book is amazing. The deaths in this book are not cut and dry. Kudos for this amazing novel!

Secrets to the Grave was quite intriguing and a good story. There are several twists and turns that kept my interest. Overall, an engaging and good novel.

#SecretstotheGrave #NetGalley

The first of a new series, Secrets to the Grave by Steve Frech was a tremendously good read. A young girl is found strangled in a cul-de-sac, Willow Grove in Atlanta so Detectives Meredith Somerset and Tyler Foles are assigned the case. When they question the neighbourhood residents every one appears to have something to hide.

Various situations complicate the investigation so Meredith has her work cut out in this case. As well as the criminal investigation the reader learns of the detectives' personal lives which are a sizable part of the story. A great suspenseful mystery, I am looking forward to another case with Detective Somerset.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ Digital via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

A scream echoes through Willow Lane in the early hours of the morning…
Being called to the scene of a murder is business-as-usual for Meredith Somerset, an experienced and respected homicide detective. When she arrives on the scene, the murder isn’t as cut-and-dry as the average crime, but Meredith and her partner, Tyler Foles, are ready to take on the challenge. Between keeping Tyler, who’s new to homicide, in check, dealing with uncooperative Willow Lane residents, and re-living the trauma of her missing sister, Meredith is spreading herself quite thin. However, she is determined to crack the case, and as a seasoned detective, she knows how to get the answers she needs. Everyone on Willow Lane has something to hide, but Meredith and Tyler won’t rest until they unearth every single one.
I loved the characters in the book and will be counting down the days until the next Meredith Somerset book is released. I could not put Secrets to the Grave down, especially as things began to come together. I had strong suspicions of a character and was pleased to be on the nose with my prediction, but so many revelations did catch me by surprise. I also loved the banter between Tyler and Meredith. The characters were fleshed out really well, which is always nice in the first installment of a series. I can’t wait to read more of Steve Frech’s work. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good murder mystery.

What a intriguing new series to start reading.
Definitely a “can’t put down” book!
Secrets to the Grave introduces Detective Meredith Somerset as the lead detective and Detective Tyler Foles as her new partner. When a murder occurs, they are brought in to investigate.
As the story unfolds much Is learned about the backstory of Meredith and Tyler. And, both have very interesting pasts.
I am looking forward to seeing how their partnership evolves as well as their personal relationship. I want to start the next book in the series right now!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

A young girl is found strangled in the road of a cul de sac. Detective Somerset and Foles are assigned the case. When they question the neighborhood every one acts like they have something to hide.
This is a great suspenseful mystery. I look forward to another case with Detective Somerset.

In what seems a cut and dried case of a freshly murdered body in a small suburban street the story twists its way through the residents of the street, all of whom seem to have something to hide, in an attempt to identify both the victim and the killer.
The personality of Meredith, with her past tragedy and current family situation, really shone through and lent depth to the investigation of a frankly hideous collection of suspects!

‘Secrets To The Grave’ is the first book in a new series featuring Detective Meredith Somerset. I read the synopsis for ‘Secrets To The Grave’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of detective story I like- a fast paced detective story with several twists and turns along the way. So without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for an afternoon full of reading. I did enjoy ‘Secrets To The Grave’ but more about that in a bit.
It didn’t take me long to get into ‘Secrets To The Grave’. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first couple of pages, I was going to find it difficult to put this book to one side for any length of time. The discovery of the body in the middle of the road is shocking enough but it soon becomes clear that each household on that street have secrets that they want to remain hidden and they will do anything to keep them that way. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen and so I had to keep reading to see if my suspicions were going to be confirmed or whether I had the wrong end of the story entirely. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. All too quickly I reached the end of the story and I had to say goodbye to Detective Meredith Somerset. I found ‘Secrets To The Grave’ to be a gripping read, which certainly kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Secrets To The Grave’ is well written. The author has created a truly memorable character in Detective Meredith Somerset and I look forward to getting to know more about her. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. I found that the story had more layers to it than a parcel in a game of ‘Pass The Parcel’. Open one layer and then half a dozen more emerge. Not everything is as it first seems as the saying goes. Reading ‘Secrets To The Grave’ felt like being on a bit of an unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride of a read with many twists and turns along the way. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Steve’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘Secrets To The Grave’ and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Steve’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Secrets to the Grave is a perfect escapist read, which I found hard to put down. The author, Steve Frech, uses a fast pace to ramp up the tension, a technique that always works well in any type of thriller. He’s also skilled at using descriptive language to set the scene and make you feel as if you’re right there, sitting beside the characters.

The murder of the teenage girl is intriguing on its own. But equally fascinating are the mysteries surrounding the lives of the residents of the street where the girl’s body is found. The reader is slowly fed titbits of insight about each household, letting you peek behind the curtains and discover what really goes on behind closed doors.

I warmed to the main character, Meredith, and felt invested in her situation and struggles outside her work – particularly the trauma of her sister’s disappearance. And her relationship with her slightly haphazard partner is another reason I enjoyed this book.

Secrets to the Grave kept me guessing, and as with any good thriller, it has a cracking twist.

I look forward to reading more of Steve Frech’s books – especially the next instalment in his Detective Meredith Somerset series.

Steve French's Secrets to the Grave introduces Detective Meredith Somerset. She's a detailed, organized detective who is haunted by her little sister's unsolved abduction. This novel has such a fantastic supporting cast, from her partner Tyler, her Sergeant, her daughter Allison, plus Steve and Heather... the reader will become completely absorbed in this book. The mystery is super twisty-turvy - like the backroads around here - just when you think you've got it figured out - hard left or hard right. I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to see what Mr. French throws Meredith into the middle of next! Fantastic!!!

Wow…what an incredible ride. It was late night when I first started Secretes to the Grave and I’d only intended to read a chapter or two before calling it a night. Well, that didn’t happen. I ended up reading until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.
Secrets to the Grave starts out as you might expect a mystery/police thriller to…with the discovery of a dead body. In this case a woman is out for an early morning jog when she comes across the body of a dead teenage girl in the street in a rather nice if somewhat secluded neighborhood. Enter our investigators…two police detective, each damaged in their own way. Detective Meredith Somerset is the senior detective who is still haunted by a tragic loss when she was only 15 years old, that totally altered the course of her life. Her partner, Tyler Foles is not a new cop but this is his first day as a homicide detective. If only being late was his only problem, but he has demons of his own. After a brief examination of the crime scene the duo move on to questioning the neighbors, and we meet quite the collection of characters. I was instantly reminded of another book I’d recently read, CUL-DE-SAC by Joy Fielding, in that the face that these characters presented to the detectives is completely different to how they are portrayed behind closed doors.
And from here the story only gets better. Steve weaves an incredible compelling story with multidimensional characters and fantastic but completely believable twists and turns. Did I enjoy this book? Let me just say that as soon as I finished Secrets to the Grave I instantly downloaded Steve’s three other books to my kindle. Yes, I’m now a huge fan of Mr. Frech, and I can’t wait for his next book.
I'd like to thank the author, HQ Digital, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Secretes to the Grave.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RQQ91VC8JS4BY/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-to-the-grave-steve-frech/1139773913?ean=9780008471026&bvnotificationId=8fe3f482-1bbe-11ec-b35c-0a389594c15b&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/187720939

The Story: The body of a young woman is discovered on a quite suburban street of Willow Lane. Detective Meredith Stokes and her new partner Tyler Foles are assigned to this case. As they begin to investigate, they soon realize that something is off with the community of this neighbourhood. No one is wiling to talk and to find the killer, both Stokes and Foles need to find out the secrets they are hiding.

My thoughts: Oh wow. Talk about a creepy neighbourhood! This story definitely delivered that! How can no one saw anything happened right?! It was bizarre.

I absolutely enjoyed following the investigations done by the detectives. It was pretty intense as they try to expose the secrets. There may seem to be a lot going on at first, but everything makes sense in the end and it was so well-done!

This was actually my third book by this author and it did not disappoint! In fact, this is most probably my favourite one so far!

I have a love hate relationship with the ending. It was perfect yet it left me wanting more! So here's me hoping that I get to read the next book soon!

In a nutshell, this was an enjoyable crime thriller and if you're looking for a twisty nail-biting plot with amazing characters, give this book a read!

Pub. Date: Sep 22, 2021

***Thank you HQ Digital, author Steve Frech and NetGalley for this gifted reading copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

Happy UK publication to Secrets by the Grave by @stevewritesstuff

The Aussies out there, sorry guys we have to wait until the end of November, early December for this one 🥺

Steve Frech, a crime writer, published three other books, comes to us with a new nail-biting crime thriller with a shocking twist, perfect for fans of Harlan Coben, Robert Dugoni and Lisa Regan.

This is the first book in the Detective Somerset series, and I'm so glad it started and ended with a bang! 

A young teenager is found dead in the middle of the street, only surrounded by four occupied houses. But what if they all denied not seeing a thing or knowing the girl, but they all acted guilty as charged. Detective Somerset and Detective Foles both investigate the ammo, and slow piece together the unusual crime. Can their own issues at home get in the way or jeopardise their case or are they able to catch the criminal before they get away with murder? 

I really love the short, paced chapters, I actually ended up reading the book in just two days which for me is quite unusual.
I enjoyed the backwards and forwards between who was guilty, most neighbours had secrets just some darker than the others. I also loved that Frech included some of the personal life about the main characters Somerset and Foles. However I hope the next book does come with some more backlog content because I actually thought this book was a sequel or something 😂 but overall a wonderful crime thriller.

I want to thank @netgalley and @hqstories for accepting my request to read the book in exchange for an honest review. 

#SecretsToTheGrave #SteveFench #hqstories
#HQ #Netgalley #NetgalleyReviewer
#NetgalleyReview #Ebook #PublicationDay #BookOne #DetectiveSomerset #CrimeThriller #DetectiveSeries #DetectiveWork

This is a great start to a new series.
Detective Meredith Somerset and her new partner, Detective Tyler Foles are tasked with finding the killer of a teenage girl who’s body was found in a small street overlooked by a few houses.
They’re convinced that someone must have seen something so start to find out more about the people living on the street.
There’s plenty to get their teeth into as the investigation gets underway.
We also get an insight into the personal lives of Somerset and Foles and they work really well together.
This is a gripping crime thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The first of a new series, Secrets to the Grave by Steve Frech is his fifth published novel. Detective Meredith Somerset and her new partner are called to Willow Lane, a quiet cul-de-sac in Atlanta, where a teenage girl found dead on the street. Canvassing of the neighbours fails to identify any real clues or leads. As the investigation unfolds, we learn more about the background of the two detectives and the personal costs of their policing. As each resident is checked out, their secrets come to light, but the mystery only deepens. Just when all seems resolved, there is yet another twist and action-packed conclusion. With an interesting combination of police procedural and suburban noir, this is an enjoyable read with a three-and-a-half-star rating. With thanks to HQ Digital and the author for an uncorrected proof copy for review purposes.

Meh. It's not bad, but just another thriller centering on a troubled detective.
A story as old as time, as they say.

I suppose that's it for me with this author… I really loved his first two novels exactly because they were so different from this, so innovative, but clearly he decided to specialize in police procedures. There's definitely nothing wrong in that choice and Frech is a talented writer but I liked those stories more.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with and ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.