This book was a great read and I would recommend reading it to all my friends and coworkers. I didn’t know where this book was going as I read it and I was pleasantly surprised. I would read another by this author.

I found this book very slow paced and hard to get through. I didn’t find myself really liking any of the characters and sometimes the catheter volume of them made it confusing to remember who was being mentioned. I don’t think I’ll continue the series unfortunately. Overall I think it’s a 2-2.75 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my review.

This book follows the Wilson family in the aftermath of a tragic accident. The layers peel back to reveal the long-buried secrets that threaten to tear the family apart. The exploration of family complexities and the power of love is compelling. The author incorporated the multiple perspectives well allowing readers to dive into each character more throughly. The story was gripping, but I thought the paced moved quite sluggish at times. For a thriller, I wasn't used to this leisurely pace and kept wanting to get to the twists.

Refreshingly not a teenage/new adult mc story, our mc is in her 50s and still kicks ass. Jhonni Laurent is the chief of police in a small town area, after finding a frozen body in book 1 were now in spring, just in time for the Easter egg hunt. The most shocking find being another body back at the popular diner. A murder investigation begins and no one is above suspicion and soon another body drops, unsure wether this is multiple killers or a serial killer, Jhonni delves deeper into the lives of family and friends and uncovers much more than she ever expected

Thank you for the opportunity to read Cracks Beneath the Surface. I enjoyed this mystery and I was interested in what happened to the dead woman until the very end. Sometimes it got a bit repetitive and unnecessarily detailed but overall, it’s a great book.

Jhonni Laurent isn't your typical sheriff. Not only is she a woman, but she also is a gifted musician, a cellist who was forced from her professional ambitions many years earlier. In this second book, Jhonni is enjoying the annual Easter egg hunt when she discovers a body in the catering van. The investigation soon uncovers that all wasn't' happy in the victim's family, from a jealous daughter to a bitter soon-to-be ex-husband. In addition, Jhonni's trying to connect with the daughter she gave up for adoption. While this can be read as a stand-alone, it makes for a richer story if read in series order.

This murder mystery follows Sheriff Laurent as she investigates the murder of Lisa DuVal, the owner of a popular restaurant in a small Indiana town. The beginning of the book was slow and it took me a while to get into it. There were several suspects and possible motives that keep the plot moving throughout the story. This book is plot driven without any character development....it's all about who did it and why (if you are reading it as a standalone book). Cracks Beneath the Surface is part of a series, so there are storylines from the series that are also addressed (Sheriff Laurent's opponent in the last election, her recovery from a gunshot wound from a previous book, and the progress of her relationship with her adult daughter who she gave up for adoption). Overall, this was an average murder mystery read.

This a prep-publication review.
It was a really slow book and just a typical murder mystery/thriller. I didn’t know this was a book 2 of a series. The first book is called Bones under the ice.

I really enjoyed this book, there wasn't any hold your breath moments, then end was expected but it was easy reading

Thank you @netgalley and @oveanviewpub for the e-ARC of this book.

This was honestly just a typical murder mystery/thriller. Nothing really struck out as being unique or worth recommending to a friend. I got confused when chapter 36 started from a different character’s POV. I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see if it said anything about the POV changing. It didn’t. This happened a couple of times.

Things didn’t start getting “interesting” until about 75% through the book, the end of chapter 46. It was here that I started to finally get interested in the now multiple murders.

Overall, the story was just okay.

I decided to read Bones Beneath the Ice first so I could have the backstory of the town and all of the players involved. I really enjoyed this book and learning more about Sheriff Jhonni Lauren's past. I look forward to the next book in this series. The only downside was sometimes it was hard to determine who was speaking with the formatting of the ebook and not delineating who was speaking at that time. Otherwise, the story was excellent and you can tell the author does her research into law.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for my ARC!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION REVIEW 📚

"Cracks Beneath the Surface"
By Mary Ann Miller
Publication Date: October 15, 2024

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5 Stars)

The Synopsis:

The annual Easter Egg Hunt in Field's Crossing is a huge success, thanks in no small part to Lisa DuVal, owner of Big Al's Diner. But when Sheriff Jhonni Laurent discovers Lisa's body in her catering van later that day, the happy holiday quickly sours and Laurent begins a murder investigation.

All are shocked at the reading of Lisa's will when it's revealed that the diner will be inherited by Lisa's best friend -- not by her daughter, which raises Laurent's suspicions. While working to find the killer, Laurent uncovers some unsightly secrets that Lisa's family had been concealing. Could they be involved in something shady?

My Review:

Overall, this was a good book. It started out really slow, with what felt like a lot of descriptions of the small town of Field's Crossing and its residents. Even when the murder was discovered, I wasn't sure I was going to keep reading because it was so slow-going. Just not enough adrenaline in the story for me initially. Was that writing style intentional to reflect the nature of the slow, small town portrayed in the book? Maybe.

At some point though, I realized I had started enjoying the story. There were a lot of characters and numerous tangential paths to ensure you couldn't quite be certain of the murderer(s) in the book. And though the book overall was entertaining, the ending felt like it happened fast and got tied up in one speech by the Sheriff. I'd have liked to read about the details of the resolution as it happened, rather than feeling like I only got a summary briefing of the outcome of the case. I mean, I read this whole book to find out whodunnit, so I wanted to read a little more about how it went down. Regardless, it was a fun read, fairly quick, and kept my interest once it picked up.

Thank you @netgalley and @oceanviewpub for this advanced reader's copy!! You can pick up your copy when it comes out October 15th!

#NetGalley #CracksBeneaththeSurface #MaryAnnMiller

Thank you first to NetGalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this Advanced Readers Copy of this book. I enjoyed that this story was set in my home state of Indiana and that the mysteries were resolved so well in this book. I enjoyed the book but it left me wanting more. I gave this one three stars.

Mary Ann Miller delivers a memorable small-town police procedural with Cracks Beneath the Surface. The novel rises above a formulaic approach by focusing on the characters, who are developed wonderfully. The variety of personalities will be recognized by anyone who has lived in a small community – the likeable locals, the disgruntled residents searching for a way out, and the everyday people who keep whose jobs keep the town running. Sheriff Laurent is incredibly likeable due to her ordinariness, making her a protagonist easy to relate to. The sleepy town of Field’s Crossing is anything but boring – not just because a murder has just taken place, but because Miller is able to capture the town and bring it to life, right down to the detail of local farmers in their John Deere caps. This is a fairly straight forward mystery, but one that will keep the reader guessing. The pool of suspects is established early. That is part of the fun here – we think we might know, but do we really?

This is a great weekend book or one that can be packed for a getaway.

This was an interesting book. I want to read the first book in this series because of this. Thank you Netgalley for this novel, for an honest review.

I found this one a good read . I loved the characters and plot and just a good read overall. Excellent writing talent on display. Here

Cracks Beneath the Surface by Mary Ann Miller. I enjoyed this cozy mystery very much. All the characters were very real and entertaining individuals. This was a very fast paced book.. I look forward to more adventures in this series. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this fun book.

Very well written, I loved the suspense the author held throughout the book. Likeable characters. Fast paced.

Murder, mayhem and moonshine are at the heart of Cracked Beneath the Surface.
Deaths are mounting and it’s up to Sheriff Laurent to untangle this mess. Victims are mad because they didn’t get the inheritance they were owed. Others because of the moonshine recipe. But who and why started this chain of events. Hold on to your bonnets.


Thank you #NetGalley #CrackedBeneaththeSurface for this ARC

This was a great sequel in the Jhonni Laurent mystery series, it had a great overall feel to this book. I enjoyed how good the story was and how it worked with the other book in this series. The characters had a great overall writing style and I enjoyed how good they worked with this novel. It had the twists and turns that I was hoping for and glad I got to read this. I hope there is more in this series and from Mary Ann Miller.