#Boyle & Keneally 2

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Lost Graves by S.A. Dunphy

Boyle & Keneally #2

 Gripping, gritty, and gruesome – grabbed my attention on page one and never let me go.

The thought going through my head…maybe a song…or that creepy movie…and now this book…was…don’t go into the woods today…and something about a big surprise…

 This is a series I am glad I came in on book one and look forward to reading for many books to come. Book one in the series introduced me to four characters that made me sit up and pay attention wanting to get to know them all better. Book two gave me a few insights into how the new investigation team put together in the first book are doing, reaffirmed that I like them and want to get to know each better as the series progresses.

 What I liked:

* The setting…creepy woods in Ireland

* The writing…brisk, short, intense chapters that pulled me in and moved me quickly through the story

* The four main characters that made an impression in book one continue to be people to admire

* Jessie Boyle: criminal behaviorist, focused, professional, has suffered great loss, strong, team player, leader, competent, skilled, someone I want to get to know better and wouldn’t mind having as a friend

* Seamus Keneally: detective, partner to Jessie, takes on more of the police aspects in the story, strong, skilled, professional, team player, forceful, works well with Jessie and Terry

* Terry Kehoe: historian, genealogist, tech wizard-guru, third member of the team, small but mighty, provides great support in more ways than one

* Dawn Wilson: Irish Police Commissioner recently appointed, Jessie’s best friend from childhood, strong, determined, focused, professional, takes no guff, there for the team she created

* The way the team works together, steps in, reads one another easily, takes on jobs without having to be told to do so, their interactions

* The sense that the team is a tightly knit unit that will only become stronger over time

* Joe and Finbar Kennan and their dog Rufus: Travelers caught up in this story – in more ways than one – that their part in the story informed me a bit and made me interested in googling Travelers. I wouldn’t mind seeing them again in aa future book of the series

* The tie-in to the local myths and the way it played into the story

* Abhartach: see above…big part of the story and interesting take on a common myth/legend

* That it was believable…even when it made me angry-sad

* The tie-in, though slight, to the first book’s serial killer – imagine s/he will show up again later

* That I had empathy for the killer

* That there were surprises throughout the story

 What I didn’t like:

* Exactly what I was meant not to like: whoever and whatever they might be.

* Knowing that evil exists in the world and some of it is similar to what was in this book…

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely…as soon as I can!

 Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – this is my honest review.

 5 Stars

     BOOK DESCRIPTION:

 The only sound in the forest was the wind through the branches; the only light came from the campfire. Jessie stood up, suddenly gripped by a powerful sense of dread. There was something – someone – beyond the darkness, through the trees… When single father Joe Keenan and his young son Finbar make camp for the night in the ancient forest of Leitrim, little do they imagine their rural escape is about to turn into a nightmare. For deep in the woods they find a corpse… As the remains of dozens more victims are uncovered by police, it becomes clear this is the burial site of a serial killer who has obviously been active, unnoticed, for years. Arrested for the murders, while his beloved son is sent into care, Joe pleads his innocence to no avail. But criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle is convinced the killer is still out there. Determined to reunite Joe and his son, Jessie’s investigation turns towards the local community. Who knows the shadowy depths of the forest well enough to hide not just one, but many bodies? Then someone else goes missing, and the situation takes a terrifying turn: it’s clear the killer is escalating their gruesome spree. Forced to enter the woods alone to save a life, Jessie runs from a killer so skilled at hiding and so clever at hunting, it will take every ounce of her strength to make it out alive… A gripping, nail-biting crime thriller that will have you hooked from the first page to the final line. Fans of Patricia Gibney, Lisa Gardner and Lisa Regan will not want to miss this.

      AUTHOR BIO

 Shane Dunphy (S. A. Dunphy) was born in Brighton in 1973, but grew up in Ireland, where he has lived and worked for most of his life. A child protection worker for fifteen years, he is the bestselling author of seventeen books, including the number one Irish bestseller Wednesday’s Child and the Sunday Times Bestseller The Girl Who Couldn't Smile. His bestselling series of crime novels (written under the name S. A. Dunphy) feature the criminologist David Dunnigan. Stories From the Margins, his new series of true crime books written for Audible, has been critically acclaimed and the second title in the series, The Bad Place, is an Audible True Crime bestseller. 

https://shanedunphyauthor.org/

https://www.facebook.com/shanewritesbooks

https://www.instagram.com/shanewritesbooks/

https://twitter.com/dunphyshane1

 Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3KmjQB8

Apple: https://apple.co/30qjIOf

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3vkaCxY

Google: https://bit.ly/3aNIJ86

[annarellix]

Lost Graves by S.A. Dunphy (Boyle & Keneally #2)

My Review (5*) There are two ways you can review this book: one is very short and to the point, the other one a bit verbose but this is a blog tour and we must be a bit verbose. The first reviews is the following: READ IT! It's one of those books you start and won't put down, highly entertaining and gripping. No marketing buzz, I mean it as I love this series and read this book in one setting. The second one is a bit more articulate and there are more words. I requested the arc of the first instalment following my gut feeling, something told it was going to be an exciting read. It was an exciting read, loved it. I requested this arc hoping it was up to the previous story and it was even better. It's a riveting and highly entertaining mix of police procedural and thriller with some folk horror in the mix. There's a mythical monster that could be real or a legend, there's a lot of unidentified corpse, and there's a creepy and fascinating forest. I assume that S.A. Dunphy works for VisitIreland as the description of the forest made me wish I could visit this great place which is full of mystery, history, and life. Jessie, Seamus, Terri, and Dawn are great characters, and the strength of the team is what makes them solve cases and survive I like to learn something about the Travellers and liked how they are represented as human being with virtues and defects. The plot is full of twists, and I couldn't guess what was going to happen. The solution surprised me and was satisfying. I can't wait to read the next story; this one is highly recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Synopsis: The only sound in the forest was the wind through the branches; the only light came from the campfire. Jessie stood up, suddenly gripped by a powerful sense of dread. There was something – someone – beyond the darkness, through the trees…

When single father Joe Keenan and his young son Finbar make camp for the night in the ancient forest of Leitrim, little do they imagine their rural escape is about to turn into a nightmare. For deep in the woods they find a corpse… As the remains of dozens more victims are uncovered by police, it becomes clear this is the burial site of a serial killer who has obviously been active, unnoticed, for years. Arrested for the murders, while his beloved son is sent into care, Joe pleads his innocence to no avail. But criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle is convinced the killer is still out there. Determined to reunite Joe and his son, Jessie’s investigation turns towards the local community. Who knows the shadowy depths of the forest well enough to hide not just one, but many bodies? Then someone else goes missing, and the situation takes a terrifying turn: it’s clear the killer is escalating their gruesome spree. Forced to enter the woods alone to save a life, Jessie runs from a killer so skilled at hiding and so clever at hunting, it will take every ounce of her strength to make it out alive…

The Author: Shane Dunphy (S. A. Dunphy) was born in Brighton in 1973, but grew up in Ireland, where he has lived and worked for most of his life. A child protection worker for fifteen years, he is the bestselling author of seventeen books, including the number one Irish bestseller Wednesday’s Child and the Sunday Times Bestseller The Girl Who Couldn't Smile. His bestselling series of crime novels (written under the name S. A. Dunphy) feature the  criminologist David Dunnigan. Stories From the Margins, his new series of true crime books written for Audible, has been critically acclaimed and the second title in the series, The Bad Place, is an Audible True Crime bestseller.

https://shanedunphyauthor.org/ https://www.facebook.com/shanewritesbooks https://www.instagram.com/shanewritesbooks/ https://twitter.com/dunphyshane1

Buy Links: Amazon: https://bit.ly/3KmjQB8 Apple: https://apple.co/30qjIOf Kobo: https://bit.ly/3vkaCxY Google: https://bit.ly/3aNIJ86