Tumble Graves: A Stonechild and Rouleau Book 3 Mystery by Brenda Chapman

393 Pages
Publisher: Dundurn, Dundurn Press
Release Date: March 22, 2016

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Murder, Police Procedural, Canadian, Quebec

Catherine Lockhart has not heard from her friend Adele Delaney since she was sick a few days ago. She and her son, Sam stop by to check on Adele and her daughter, Violet. They missed a playdate and that is very unusual. When they get to the house, the front door is open, and breakfast is still on the table. It looks like they left in a hurry. What starts as a missing person case soon turns into a murder investigation.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are very developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The detectives, have a great relationship. It is obvious they have worked together for a while. A past event has caused Kala Stonechild to have custody of her niece, Dawn. She is dealing with being a single parent but a detective with a bone to pick gives details of Stonechild’s past to a reporter. The news story creates events that snowballs. If you like police procedurals, you may enjoy this mystery with its many twists.

I AM SO EMBARRASSED ... JUST NOW FINDING THIS ONE ON MY KINDLE/AMAZON. WAS NEVER READ SO NO REVIEW COMING AT THIS LATE DATE. MY SINCERE APOLOGIES. BOOK HAS BEEN ARCHIVED.

I didn't realize, when I first started this book, that it was #3 in a series. While it might have been useful to have had knowledge of a bit of the back story, it wasn't essential to my enjoyment, and enjoy this I did.

Brenda Chapman has an 'easy' way of writing; it is all very relaxed and the story flows brilliantly. Her characters have personality and are realistic, therefore not always likeable.

My heart ached for Kala and her ward Dawn as they pussy footed around one another, each afraid to disturb the delicate balance of their situation.

And the main storyline of a murdered woman and a missing, presumed murdered child held me enthralled. I read to almost half way in the first sitting, and finished it in the second.

Tumbled Graves is an excellent read and I look forward to catching up on the earlier books in the series, and those yet to come.

4.5☆ and I enjoyed the poetry excerpts from T S Eliot.

Thank you to Dundurn via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Tumbled Graves by Brenda Chapman for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Tumbled Graves by Brenda Chapman is a mystery and thriller read.
A missing child. A dead mother. Kala Stonechild is about to discover what one betrayal can lead to.
When Adele Delaney and her daughter, Violet, go missing, Jacques Rouleau is called upon to investigate. However, struggling with the impending death of his ill ex-wife, he sends Kala Stonechild and Paul Gundersund instead. Stonechild has been trying to adapt to life as her young cousin Dawn’s guardian, and even though Gundersund has offered support, Stonechild is at risk of losing custody.
I really enjoyed this book. Wanting to know if mother and daughter were safe and what happened to them. I was surprised with who it was. I wasn't expecting that. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.