There is some action in the novel, but the narrative is well-crafted. It portrays the lives of small-town, southern residents who are steeped in prejudice, poverty, and striving for success. The characters are portrayed as eight-year-old children who are sensitive to what is going on in their households, and who are well-versed in keeping secrets and when to be quiet.

What Lies Beneath is the second book in a series. While it can be read as a standalone, I do suggest you read the first one too. It does get confusing. There's some references to the previous novel, some recurring characters with very little context, and I'm getting you would get to know Laura a bit more. She is a complex character to get to know.

Good mystery set in a Hillsborough, North Carolina. Laura is a reporter, not a police officer and finds her self connected to a murder as she is the last person the victim called. The problem is she doesn't know the woman or recognize her. As Laura investigates she dredges up connections to a crime from the past, her father, and the friend she lost. Themes of poverty and its impact on choices, motherhood.

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley

THis was not for me. Very slow and draggy. I really wanted to like this one based on the description but yea that is a no go for me. I put it down at about 100 pages in and never picked it back up.

What Lies Beneath is the second book in the series and while it can be read as a standalone, I do suggest you read the first one too. Laura is an investigate reporter that charges head first into situations. This makes for entertaining reading, and I hope there is a third book soon.

This is a really suspenseful thriller that built the tension perfectly.
I was totally invested in the plot despite not having read the previous book.
I felt this was an eerie mystery, that had me guessing till the very end.
So many secrets and plot twists that kept me gripped till the end.

Good mystery set in a Hillsborough, North Carolina. Laura is a reporter, not a police officer and finds her self connected to a murder as she is the last person the victim called. The problem is she doesn't know the woman or recognize her. As Laura investigates she dredges up connections to a crime from the past, her father, and the friend she lost. Themes of poverty and its impact on choices, motherhood and memory. I enoyed this and would read another in the series. ..

Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of What Lies Beneath. This is an honest review.

Genre:
Mystery, Thriller

Length:
320 pages

Blurb:
I have to deviate significantly from the blurb on Goodreads because that one almost seems like it’s for a different book.
My blurb goes like this: Journalist, Laura Chambers, gets called in to identify the remains of an accident victim. Except, the body is so broken and damaged that Laura can’t recognize the woman. Then Laura discovers that the woman’s last call had been to her. And so begins Laura’s descent into chaos. Hell-bent on finding answers, she bends rules where required, faces off against a police officer who hates her guts, and discovers that a friendship from her long-forgotten past has ties to her present. Who was the woman who died on the highway? Why had she called Laura? And what did any of it have to do with an old friend that Laura had lost touch with decades ago?

Overall Rating:
3 out of 10

Plot:
6 out of 10

Characterization:
3 out of 10

Primary Element:
6 out of 10 for its mystery

Writing Style:
4 out of 10

Part of a Series:
Yes. This is Book #2 in the Laura Chambers series. However, most people who’ve read it said it stood on its own without much concern. I don’t know if the first one was any better, especially on the characterization, but I did feel like I may have lost out a bit by not having read the first one – especially regarding getting a feel for any of the persons involved.

What Worked and What Didn’t:
What Lies Beneath has an incredible start. It jumps right in and gets you hooked. The first couple of chapters are thrilling as heck!
The rest of the book just plods along. I remember thinking, at one point, “This is moving really slowly. Maybe I should stop.” And then I saw that I was 56% in. At which point I realized that it was not moving slowly, but that was its actual pace – a lot of nothing happening.
I feel like the main reason for that emotion was that the story was so vastly different from the blurb. For instance, there was no mention of Laura thinking that the picture she found was of “someone she had imagined”. There was very little confusion between her fact and fiction – more like questions about why things that happened (and that she remembers happening) had happened.
I have never disliked so many characters in a single book. Okay, maybe I disliked the ones in Win by Harlan Coben more (review here), but this was a close second. Laura, in spite of being a victim, was so selfish and annoying that I could not find myself rooting for her at any point.
That’s not to say that there were no glimpses of her ‘goodness’. They were just so rare that she’s just an unlikeable person. And having a main character you can’t root for makes it that much more difficult to be invested in the book.
There’s also a lot of assumed characterization. Relationships and emotions spill over from the previous book, but none of it is explained. As a result, you feel like you’ve walked into the middle of a conversation where everyone is mad at everyone, irrational, and intentionally obtuse. I’m not saying Hetherton should have given the entire plot away. But some introduction would have been good at specific points to help understand what was happening. I’ve started a lot of series midway and have seen most authors do this, specifically to help with characterization.
Plus, the writing style gets super weird at times. The author seems to get taken in with his own similes, and I often found myself lost in paragraphs that didn’t add anything to anything.
Overall, the book is okay. It moves very slowly, doesn’t really fill you with active interest to know what happens next, and is oftentimes exhausting in both narration and conversation. All in all, worth a pass.
I had a lot of expectations going into What Lies Beneath, but I wouldn’t really recommend the book to anyone. If you love thrillers and mysteries, there are other, much better ones out there. And I’m definitely not going to be reading more from J.G.Hetherton. His style may be great for some, but it just didn’t suit my tastes.

A very classic whodunnit, featuring Investigative journalist Laura Chambers. While you can read it as a standalone book, it does get confusing. There's some references to the previous novel, some recurring characters with very little context, and I'm getting you would get to know Laura a bit more. She is a complex character to get to know.. It isnt very action packed but if you like your scandinavian murder-shows as much as I do, you'll love it!

This is a suspenseful story that I enjoyed reading. This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed and look forward to seeing what is next for them. This is a well written story about secrets, where facts and fiction lines seemed to be blurred. What happens next in this story you will want to find out. This is a fast paced story that had me coming back for more. It is a story that is hard to put down and keeps you engaged throughout. I enjoyed how the characters pulled me into their story. They are connectable and made the story realsitic. This is a great story that I truly enjoyed. I highly recommend this book.

The second installment in the Laura Chambers series is a disturbing addition. This dark and twisted book takes the reader through twists and turns that come out of no where.

While reading I was sure I knew how it was going to end, and what was going on, but I was completely wrong. J.G. Hetherton does a fantastic job of leading the reader off the path of the truth before throwing in a jaw dropping truth. I yearned for more genuine relationships throughout the book, not just with Laura. There seems to be a distance between all the characters that makes it hard to relate to any of them.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought it would, and cannot wait for the next addition to the series.

I want to thank Netgalley, and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this book.

What Lies Beneath was a riveting and intriguing read. Although somewhat of a dark, sad tale of dysfunctional families, I hoped for some genuine relationships between characters - maybe a little love story happening (there was a hint of one). Laura was a very determined journalist who was willing to go to great lengths to find the truth in a story that was thrust upon her even at great peril to herself. The memories of our childhood are often murky and disconnected so building a story around memories and perceptions of an 8 year old Laura Chambers could seem random but I felt like the details became aligned as the story progressed making it a page turner til the end.

When reporter Laura Chambers is called into the investigation of a fatal vehicular incident, it turns out her roots are quite deep in the bigger mystery of why a Jane Doe calls her minutes before she is killed.

Laura is an interesting character. She's not above fibbing or worse to get what she needs in her investigation. She wasn't always likable to me, and that was a surprise for this reader. I liked that Laura wasn't my favorite character in this story.

As Laura's investigation continues, she learns that she has connections to the mysterious victim and to the local man on death row, called the Shotgun Slayer. When she finally puts it all together, there's certain danger for her as she uncovers the family secrets, real motivations and killers.

I liked how all the clues came together in this story. I did think it took a little while for this reader to get into the story, but somewhere after all the clues started making sense and the pace picked up, I fell into it and couldn't read to the end fast enough to find out how it all fit together.

I also thought that things really worked for me when Laura was partnered up with FBI Agent Timinski. There was a certain energy to the story when these two characters were together that left me wanting more of their story.

When I selected this book to read and review, I didn't realize it's the second book in a series. I have not read this author before. It didn't keep me from enjoying this book, and this one works as a standalone. I can't say how much reading book 1 would have enhanced Laura Chambers' background for this reader. Maybe I would have liked her more, I don't know, but this book works as a standalone and you might be intrigued to learn more about her. I liked the writing in the second half of the book a bit more than the first half.

Overall, a well-crafted mystery with characters who are often difficult to like, but also interesting and complex. I would read another book by this author and I may have to find some space in my reading list to catch up by reading book one in the series.

Laura Chambers finds herself caught in a deadly web of small town secrets.
Hillsborough, North Carolina is a town with a dark history that is bubbling to the surface. Twenty years ago, Laura’s friend’s family was slaughtered in their beds, and the sole survivor, Laura’s eight-year-old friend, was whisked away to distant relatives. That was the last time Laura ever saw her best friend.
Twenty years later, a woman runs onto the interstate, directly into the path of a truck, and the gruesome accident leaves behind a mangled corpse. Her very last phone call was to Laura, just before she was killed, but her face is disfigured beyond recognition. Identification seems impossible, and the victim was barefoot and in a state of undress. The only thing in her possession is an old photograph depicting Laura, Laura’s father—and standing next to them, her lost friend from childhood.
Laura’s father passed away when she was eight, and she thought she understood why he vanished from her life in the year before he died, but the photograph and the corpse begin to cast doubt on everything she thought she knew.
As the lines between fact and fiction blur, Laura digs into the history of the deceased, and her own family, determined to discover what lies beneath.

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary

What Lies Beneath is the second book in the Laura Chambers Mysteries. It can definitely be a stand alone book, but I would have preferred to have read the first one, just to clear up a few things for me.

The story begins, in the past, with the events leading up to and the murder of the Merritt's (husband & wife). Now in the present Laura Chambers has written an article for the newspaper regarding the upcoming execution of the man convicted of the Merritt's murder. Unknowingly, Laura has gotten the town and the people in it worried about the past.

A young women hit by a car has died, but made a call to Laura which went to voicemail. Now the police are questioning her about the woman, and Laura does not have any answers, nor does she recognize her. The police don't believe her and go out of their way to harass her. Laura decides to investigate the history of the deceased. What she finds, makes her question what she has been told and remembered. An old picture of Laura from when she was just a young girl, standing with her father, her father's best friend, and another little girl who Laura could have sworn was just a figment of her imagination. What else doesn't she remember.

This is a riveting story that will keep you guessing. The writing is a bit slow in the beginning but the story heats up quickly as there are many twists and turns until the truth is revealed. I couldn't put this one down and am looking forward to more in the series.

Two timelines for a mystery murder story. Laura's friend's family, when they were both little girls, was murdered brutally. The friend was taken by relatives and that was the end of the relationship between the two girls.

Fast forward twenty years and a girl's mangled corpse on the interstate after an accident leaves some strange clues behind. Her last call was to Laura but Laura cannot identify the corpse and detectives are skeptical that she has no idea why someone would be calling her just minutes before she died. The onlu clue is a photograph which includes her friend from twenty years ago with Laura and Laura's father as well.

The story was a complicated one. Laura starts investigating the murder on her own, unravelling so many connections to her own family which leaves her nonplussed. Her mother is scathing in her attacks on the family. Added to the mix is a lifer in prison who is facing execution shortly, who also seems to have some insider knowledge of the old murder.

There is some action but it is the descriptive writing that is good here. Small town southern inhabitants with a lot of prejudices, plenty of poverty, and trying to succeed. Eight year olds who were quite sensitive to what was happening in their homes, who knew how to keep secrets and when to just shut
up.

The review was not an easy one to write, though the book was entertaining

What lies Beneath bye J. G. Heather ton

Laura Chambers finds herself caught in a deadly web of small town secrets.

Ic enjoyed this book. No one was who you thought they were. It was full of intrigue and secrets. Kept my interest right up to the last page. Sinister characters, although a few were very likeable.. well-written, good plot.
I recommend this book.

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

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in a series, of which I did not read the first. It can be read as a stand-alone, but I was definitely missing some of the context. The writing conjured the oppressive atmosphere of a US southern small town on the downturn, and the author also did a great job of describing the inner life and thoughts of his protagonist. Unfortunately, said protagonist came across as very unlikeable (disagreeable, manipulative and unprofessional as a journalist) and thus I found it difficult to get invested. Quick-paced this was not, but the beautiful writing distracted from that - until everything went off the rails in the last third of the book. It felt as though the author threw every unrelated plot point he could think of in his story cauldron, which resulted in an undigestible mess.

What Lies Beneath is an excellent story and it's beautifully written. The author, J.G. Hetherton, certainly knows his words, and his descriptions of places, situations, and people are just great! The story starts in an intriguing way and with its development, the reader slowly starts to understand who is who, and why some relationships are so broken, even though they should be between a mother/daughter. The real motives that lead to the crime are totally unexpected as well as the letter that was left to Laura by her father (the man of few words). Great plot and great entertainment!
I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest review.

This book has EVERYTHING I want/need from a thriller: well-developed characters, an action packed, unpredictable plot and top-notch writing. I

This is the second book featuring a reporter, Laura Chambers, and although I did not have the pleasure of reading the first book, this read as a standalone.

Laura's childhood friend, Emily, lost her family to a home invasion at 8 years old. She was traumatized, unable to speak of that night and, shortly after, shipped off to live with a distant relative. After Laura publishes a story about the upcoming execution of the man in prison for the home invasion/murders, events quickly unfold that have her questioning the past and investigating inconsistencies. The truth always comes with a price but Laura is determined to see justice through.

My go-to genre is thrillers and I've read a vast amount of books featuring determined cops or some other person chasing the truth. It's difficult to craft a story capable of "wowing" me. The author of this book successfully grabbed my attention from the very beginning and kept me in suspense throughout the entire book! I really hope there will be another book with Laura Chambers in the future!

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read/review this book! Review will be posted on Goodreads, Bookstagram (Books_beaches_and_tea) Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Plenty of action and intrigue.
It took me most of,the book to warm up to Laura. Usually I’m attuned to strong, brash, and bold female lead characters, but Laura didn’t resonate with me.
It’s still a good story with lots of history to muck through.
It ends with a hook for the next book.