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.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Lost Graves' by S.A Dunphy.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for S.A Dunphy, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 24th January 2022.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author under Shane Dunphy but his second book by S.A Dunphy. It is also the second book in the 'Boyle & Keneally' series but can be read as a standalone. I have also read the first book in this series called 'Bring Her Home' which I loved and would definitely recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Patricia Gibney, Lisa Gardner and Lisa Regan will not want to miss this.' I am a huge fan of Lisa Gardner, Lisa Regan and Patricia Gibney so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Shane Dunphy and if this is half as good as Shane's previous books it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 86 chapters, 6 extracts and an epilogue set over 5 parts. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Ireland 🇮🇪 UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that this book is based in Ireland is even better as I have been on holiday in Ireland many times so may even recognise some places Shane has set the book around.
This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonists being Jessie Boyle, Seamus Keneally and Terri Kehoe. The benefits of third person perspective and especially with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!! Well I must say Shane you are very talented man!!! What another absolutely addictive read!! I've been eagerly awaiting the second book in the 'Boyle & Keneally' After reading the fantastic 'Bring Her Home' and this did not disappoint!
This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that places you write in the heart of the storyline and leaves you shivering in the woods and leaves your heart pounding. The title, cover and synopsis work perfectly with the storyline.
This is the second crime novel I have read by Shane and he is one of those rare authors who books are fantastic and yet also keep getting better and better. I have read most of his non fiction books from when he was working as a child protection worker and loved them all. They were heartbreaking and I shed many tears but they were fantastic books. Shane then started writing crime novels and was intrigued by the change of genre and was looking forward to seeing if these book would be as good as his previous non fiction work. I am very pleased to say that Shane writes fiction just as fantastically as non fiction!!!
This storyline is definitely unique which I loved. I'm a big fan of crime but it can be tedious reading similar storylines so this one was a nice refreshing change. It is very fast paced and addictive. I was completely absorbed from page one until the fantastic explosive ending. It is ram packed with suspense, mystery, history, mythology, horror, tension, humour and everything you want in an unputdownable page turner. I loved the gothic atmosphere surrounding this story with the forests, the Abhartach and the dark storyline. There were so many twists and turns throughout leading you to one red herring and then another whilst constantly questioning yourself of the Abhartach is actually behind everything all along. I enjoyed that there were several different sub plots and so much going on without getting confusing. I read this book mainly on my kindle but I also listened to some in audio book form which is the first time I have ever used audio books. I must say the narrator on the audio book was absolutely superb and even my partner was intrigued when we listened to it in the car and my partner does not have any interest in books at all. I must say a HUGE congratulations Shane on actually hooking my partner in to a book which I never thought would be possible!! I absolutely loved the first book 'Bring Her Home' but I must say this one hooked me in even more. It was definitely something about the creepy storyline that I jist loved. The book wrapped up perfectly with everything explained (it's a pet hate of mine where a book ends and vital parts seem to have gotten lost in the storyline and never mentioned again) but I will say that I was actually gutted with what happened to a certain person. Ummm... I was going to say something else but won't as I don't want to spoil it for future readers but please do pop me a message if you read this book as I'd love to know your thoughts as I'm sure you will know what I mean!! One of the best things about this series too is that although it is predominantly a crime thriller it has sprinkles of humour throughout which lightens it up from time to time and Shane does it well. I was shocked when I did discover who was behind the graves as I had genuinely believed it was others entirely so well done Shane on shocking me, not an easy feat considering how many crime books I have read. I was intrigued about the Abhartach and enjoyed doing my own research on him. I really couldn't recommend this book and this series more and I would absolutely love to see this made into a TV series!!
There were chapters from/about the Leitrim burial site, Maisie Dunne and the Abhartach which gave some interesting background information. The fact that Shane has obviously either done some research or knows alot about mythology and Ireland (the fact that he lives there probably helps) shines through and I was intrigued by all the mythology, folklore and history in the storyline. I actually ended up reading more about the Abartach which was quite interesting. I also enjoyed learning some of the Irish sayings scattered through. This book is an explosive start to a promising new series and I cannot wait to get my hands on thenext in the series. I cannot say I was completely surprised when I discovered about Balor but it didn't actually disappoint as the storyline was such a heart racing and unique one.
Although this is the second book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I absolutely loved meeting all the characters for this series again and I became really invested in each of them. Jessie, Seamus and Terri worked as a perfect team and I loved the team dynamics. Each of the main characters were strong, realistic and their own unique personalities and they came together perfectly as a team and as friends. I absolutely love Jessie and Dawn's kick a## take no cr## attitude and although Terri gives the impression of a timid mouse she has definitely got a surprise roar and bite to her. I really enjoyed seeing much more of her in this book and seeing her work solo and how she coped it certain situations. I love seeing strong women leads in books being female myself and you can't get much stronger than these three!!! Jessie is absolutely ruthless and I just loved her attitude. Although Dawn is the commissioner she is down to Earth and friendly and cares about her team. I really enjoyed watching Jessie and Seamus friendship grow and develop and I'm looking forward to watching them together and seeing what happens. They clicked together really well and although Seamus calls Terri his sister in the book the three actually seem to have the family feel about them with Jessie and Seamus being Terri's Mum and Dad who are protective of her. I haven't read a book with such fantastic team dynamics in a long time. In terms of personalities and these three are very quickly becoming like friends to me who I thoroughly look forward to meeting again and spending time with them. Jessie seems to be quite serious but can relax and have fun. Seamus is definitely the class clown and brought alot of humour to any situation. The both make fantastic partners and have that rare ability to speak without words and they know what each other mean but also so does the reader. Terri is the wild card and I'm looking forward to watching her come out of her shell even more. Seamus is cute and I think his relationship with his mum Katie is lovely and Katie is another character I really like and am looking forward to meeting again as I missed her in this book. I wasn't a fan of a certain someone from the start and got bad vibes from them which turned out to be right. I won't say any more about them though as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. A certain person, shall I say, was a fantastic surprise and I feel did feel sorry for them. It was actually intriguing getting to know them and I'm glad they weren't your "typical".... (won't add the word not to give away). I definitely agree with what Shane said about them at the end on the note from him. I am looking forward to seeing this great gang again soon.
Congratulations Shane, a man of many talents, on an absolutely fantastic explosive addition to a very addictive series. This is why you are my favourite male author!! Here is to yet another success 🍻!!!
Overall an absolutely addictive, unique and unputdownable addition to a page turning series
Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Thriller, Crime, Thriller and Mystery amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Carol Wyer, Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan, Lisa Gardiner and ANYONE looking for a unique and addictive storyline.
362 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@SADunphy @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
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.
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