This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was suspenseful, clever, fun and fast-paced. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by these authors.

Dr. Jacoby Heron, an intrusionist and civilian consultant with the ability to hack any computer system, and Carmen Sanchez, a former FBI agent, now collaborate as a two-person team called “I Squared”. Jake and Carmen had previously worked together, with Jake as a civilian consultant. They will be working on specialized cases. Their first case as a two person team is that of investigating a case involving a serial killer.

Damon Garr is a serial killer with a unique twist. He waits for a couple to get married and immediately kills one of the spouses. Damon revels in the suffering of the surviving partner. This murder serves as the opening act of a case that Carmen and Jake are currently investigating, which is dubbed the “Honeymoon Killer” (HK).

As Carmen and Jake delve deeper into the investigation to find and apprehend the killer, they uncover other intriguing developments. This is particularly significant considering Carmen’s rocky relationship with her sister Selena and their joint efforts to find their father’s killer. Despite his death being ruled a suicide, they have evidence to suggest otherwise.

The Grave Artist is the second installment in the Sanchez & Heron series, following Fatal Intrusion. While it it might not be necessary to read the books in order, I highly recommend it. Jake’s “career” is unlike anything I’ve encountered before, and it’s delightful to see him reuniting with Carmen. Needless to say, there’s a hint of romantic tension that could potentially alter their relationship in the next book of the series.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Homeland Security Investigations agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner, security expert Jake Heron are back in this tense and fast-paced thriller!
Part of a small team designed to identify micro-threats (such as a burgeoning serial killer), Sanchez and Heron use their complementary skills and an AI assistant to track down a killer targeting newlyweds, who makes his kills appear to be accidental deaths. The killer is adept at staying one step ahead of the team, but they know they need to find him fast, before another newlywed dies. Throw in some political tension affecting their jobs and the possibility of romantic involvement between Sanchez and Heron and you have an exciting, twisty page-turner!

“The Grave Artist,” by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado, Thomas & Mercer, 396 Sept. 9, 2025.

A wedding reception is coming to a close in the Hollywood Hills when the day is shattered by the death of one of the newlyweds. Anthony Brock is fatally stuck with a rock, but police believe he was intoxicated and fell off a cliff.

While it is first thought to be an accident, Homeland Security Investigations agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner, security expert Jake Heron, discover that the death is the third in a series of similar incidents.

Supervisory Special Agent Eric Williamson, their boss, tells them that the international serial killer has been dubbed the Honeymoon Killer. Carmen is also reviewing the file on her father’s suspected suicide.

For some reason, they can’t get in touch with the widow, Allison Brock. When Carmen is too busy to really investigate her father’s death, her sister Selina goes out on her own. And Williamson is subpoenaed to testify before a subcommittee of Congress.

The reader knows from the beginning who the killer is, but the reason behind the crimes is not disclosed at first. The subplots makes the story more complex. It is intense and fast-moving. This is the second in the series, but you don’t have to read the first one, “Fatal Intrusion,” to follow the plot.

I rate it four out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Great follow-up to book 1. Definitely need to read in order. Love both of these authors and can't wait to read the next one.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomasandmercer #apub for the eARC.

Book 2 in this crime series by co-authors, Jeffery Deaver & Isabella Maldonado. After the rocky start to the partnership in book 1, Sanchez & Heron have settled into their roles as team mates. The air is still fraught with some of their differences of opinions and a certain other spark that everyone else notices but neither is acknowledging but they know each other well and have got each other's backs when it comes to work.

I feel like almost everything leftover from book 1 has come to a conclusion though it was cleverly weaved into this new suspenseful mystery. The banter and the supporting characters lent a vibrant air to this twisted murder investigation. I look forward to what's coming next with this pair and hopefully, their expanding team.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for ecopy of book via NetGalley

This is a sequel worth reading! I enjoyed it even a little bit more than the first book. The first one spent a lot of time building the concept of intrusions and establishing relationships between the characters. This one picked up where the first left off in the storyline. There were lots of twists and almost all of them wrapped up nicely at the end. It was a lot and mostly worked. It felt like 1-2 too many but I am more eager to continue the series than I was after book 1.

This book had it all, and I loved every bit of it. First, we have the murder of a newly wed couple. Then, Agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner security agent Jake Heron are trying to catch Tristan Kane. He seems to have been able to evade all law enforcement. On the other hand, Carmen's sister Selina is trying to figure out what really happened to their father once it is discovered that he didn't commit suicide. He was murdered. Jake also finds out that the cult his mother was part of has been dismantled thanks to her, but it seems like she may be missing.

This was such a fun, grown-up, well written book, and I enjoyed it so much. Declan, their own AI was fun to read. Overall, I enjoyed each individual story and how, in some ways, they all crossed paths at one point.

Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer, for this eArc. All opinions are entirely my own.

This one ended not at all as what I expected, but I loved that I picked it up.

This is definitely one you should check out

The Grave Artist is a dark, twisty thriller that kept me hooked from the start. This second book in the Sanchez & Heron series throws us right into the hunt for the “Honeymoon Killer,” a chilling villain who targets newlyweds and turns their grief into his own disturbing artwork. I really enjoyed how the investigation balanced suspense, action, and personal stakes. Carmen Sanchez and Jake Heron make such a great team, she’s by the book while he pushes the boundaries, and their dynamic adds depth to the fast paced plot.
I liked how the story weaved in multiple layers, including the ongoing mystery around Carmen’s father and Jake’s complicated family history. The mix of high tech investigations with raw, emotional moments made it a gripping read. Deaver and Maldonado’s writing styles blend seamlessly, delivering both tension and detail. A creepy, riveting thriller that leaves me excited for book three!

Intense riveting series. There is a lot going on several plot lines, but each one is riveting in its on right. Tristan Kane from book 1, the creepy honeymoon killer, the mystery of Sanchez and Selina's dad "suicide", the conditional approval of I2 and so much more. Moments of wtc, oh no's, and a conclusion that has be waiting for book 3. Thank you for the advanced copy. I freely share my honest thoughts and opinions. #TheGraveArtist #SanchezandHeron #JeffreyDeaverandIsabellaMaldonado #ThomasMercer #NetGalley

He targets newlyweds for death

What should have been the happiest day of the bride's life instead ended in tragedy when the somewhat inebriated groom fell to his death, apparently after taking a cliffside selfie went awry. But Declan, the large language model AI of the newly created I-squared (Intrusion Investigations) division of the Department of Homeland Security notices that it shares common factors with two other newlywed accidents, both of which took place in Italy. Is there an international serial killer on the loose? It is up to I-squared agents Carmen Sanchez (formerly of the FBI) and Jake Heron (professor and penetration specialist), her civilian partner, alongside LAPD Detective Frank Tandy to investigate what happened at the Hollywood Crest Inn and Spa that night. The bride is somewhat hostile, the groom's sister has gone AWOL, and the thorn in I-squared's side, DHS Deputy Secretary Stan Reynolds, is convinced that somehow the whole thing is a Russian plot. Sanchez and Heron set aside for the moment their search for elite hacker Tristan Kane, who in addition to being amoral and a danger to national security is Heron's personal nemesis, in order to find the Honeymoon Killer....who has now targeted them as well. But things grow only more complex, and the danger may touch those they love.
The Grave Artist is the second installment in the Deaver/Maldonado collaboration series featuring Sanchez and Heron. The two make an interesting team...she is strictly by the book, he far more comfortable coloring outside the lines...and they have a history that still has show signs of some embers burning. They along with their supervisor and support staff (and Declan, of course) are the full makeup of I-squared, although their boss is working to both make the group a permanent division and add more staff. Reynolds wants them ended, or to take control of them (and the kudos for their successes) himself, and his machinations further complicate the investigation. The killer has, as they say, "issues" which are fueling his murder spree which unfold as the story progresses. Sanchez and Heron both have turmoil in their private lives, Sanchez the ongoing mystery of her father's death (framed as a suicide but recently discovered by Heron to be murder) and Heron the reappearance of his mother, from whom along with his father he has long been estranged due to their involvement in a cult. With its combination of a fast-moving plot, intriguing characters and twists scattered throughout to ramp up the suspense, it is a fast-paced read, Just as Sanchez and Heron are a team whose strengths compliment each other, author Deaver's expertise in suspense and creepy villains compliments Maldonado's knowledge of law enforcement details. The Grave Artist is an entertaining thriller, maybe not quite as good as the first in the series but still well worth a read (and can be read as a standalone if so desired), likely to appeal to readers of James Patterson, Lisa Gardner and Tess Gerritsen. My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review...I eagerly await the next adventure with Sanchez and Heron.

Award-winning and best selling thriller authors Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado drop by to talk about THE GRAVE ARTIST, the second book in their collaborative “Sanchez & Heron” series.

They talk about how the idea to collaborate started (along with Gillian Flynn in the mix at the time), and how their individual approaches to thrillers blended so well, then coming up with the investigative team of Jake Heron and Carmen Sanchez, and the nature of the killers they have to hunt down.

They also talk about how they both separate and combine the work to write the books, working on the characters and the plot and subplots, balancing and filling out the outlines, then fine tuning everything through the subsequent drafts.

https://www.writersafterdark.com/writers-after-dark-152/

I really enjoyed this book. I think there was enough background if you haven’t read the first one, but I highly recommend starting there. These two are fantastic authors on their own, and this series has been put together seamlessly. Sometimes coauthors don’t mesh well; not the case here.

I’ve been looking forward to catching up with Isabella Maldonado’s and Jeffrey Deaver's newest installment of their collaboration of the Sanchez and Heron series. Carmen Sanchez, a bad@$$ special agent for Homeland Security’s I-squared program, and Jake, a nerdy professor and civilian consultant for the program are again in pursuit of the criminals that pose a threat to the country.

The book summary introduces the primary storyline of the Honeymoon Killer (HK), aka Damon Garr, who Carmen and Jake are investigating and are in pursuit of. What the book summary doesn’t mention is that Carmen and Jake are also working with a local police detective, Frank Tandy. After the team thwarts HR’s attempts at another victim, HK decides to go after the team in an effort to prevent them from thwarting anymore future plans of his. In the process of baiting HK, an attraction starts to develop between Carmen and Jake.

There is also a secondary story of Carmen’s younger sister, Selena, who is looking into their father’s supposed suicide, which the sisters know was a cover-up for their father’s murder. Selena makes some headway at deciphering their father’s “suicide” note to them and discovers it was actually a message to them in hopes of leading them to the killer. None of this is a spoiler since it’s revealed early in the story.

Most of the story flips back and forth between Carmen, Jake, HK and Selena. HK isn’t the run of mill wacko. No, someone who only targets newlyweds on their wedding day, is a whole other kind of wacko. While there are clues throughout the story as to why HK is so deranged, we don’t find out until deep into the second half just how completely nuts this wacko is. The final chapters are really scary and intense for the team and Deaver & Maldonado really keep you hanging until the end.

The continuing character development of Carmen, Jake, Selena and HK was well done. I would have liked to have seen more of the plotline between Reynolds and Williamson. I guess we will see more of that in the next installment. This was another fast-paced, action-packed installment. The storylines were interesting, and the writing well done. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.4 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer and Brilliance Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer #BrillianceAudio #TheGraveArtist

The Grave Artist by Jeffery Deaver; Isabella Maldonado is well-written, with a strong plot, which makes the reader's so engaged, and grabs the interest from the beginning. Very entertaining!

A fast, fun thriller with twists and entertaining characters just like I expected. I didn't like it quite as much as the first book in the series--multiple storylines came together in a way that really stretched belief--but it was still thoroughly enjoyable and looking forward to seeing what comes next!

The villain maketh the thriller and no one embodies that in a tale as much as Jeffrey Deaver. With Isabella Maldonado providing the procedural explorations and forays into technology, the author duo wield a tale of suspense, serial killing and, in true Deaver fashion, twist at the end!
This is the second book in the Sanchez and Heron saga, bit can be read as a standalone.
The storyline follows the honeymoon killer, a redemption arc for Sanchez's father, Heron's nemesis Tristan Kane, and their own fledgling department under bureaucratic turmoil.. if these themes aren't enough, I am not sure what will suffice!!!
The romance between the partners is stilted but the book lays a foundation for the next tale in the series. Its a quick read but I did live the depiction of Damon Garr.. brilliant!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc, I cannot wait for more!!!

Wow! This was my first book to read by this author but definitely not my last! This book will leave you wanting for more and the characters and storyline stick with you long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and pick up this page-turner!

I love Maldonado books but this collaboration didn’t get my attention as usual. I felt like based on which author wrote the chapter the flow was different.