After seven years as a Chicago homicide detective, Lisa Grant has hit a wall. Ready for a kinder, gentler life, she takes a job as a small-town police chief. But the discovery of a human skeleton by a construction crew at the edge of town taxes the resources of her department. A call for assistance brings detective Mac McGregor, an ex-Navy SEAL, to her doorstep. As they work to solve the mystery behind the unmarked grave, danger begins to shadow them. Someone doesn’t want this dead person telling any tales–and will stop at nothing to make certain a life-shattering secret stays buried.
(From the author’s website.) Irene Hannon is a bestselling, award-winning author who took the publishing world by storm at the tender age of 10 with a sparkling piece of fiction that received national attention.
Okay…maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But she was one of the honorees in a complete-the-story contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. And she likes to think of that as her “official” fiction-writing debut!
Since then, she has written more than 45 romance and romantic suspense novels. Her books have been honored with two RITA awards—the “Oscar” of romantic fiction—and she is a six-time finalist. Her books have also won a Daphne du Maurier award, a Carol award, two HOLT Medallions, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Retailers Choice Award and two Reviewers’ Choice awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. One of her novels was also named by Booklist as a top 10 inspirational fiction books of 2011. In addition, she is a Christy award finalist.
Irene, who holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in journalism, juggled two careers for many years until she gave up her executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company to write full-time. She is happy to say she has no regrets!
In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, gardening and singing. A trained vocalist, she has sung the leading role in numerous musicals, including “South Pacific,” “Brigadoon,” “Oklahoma” “The King and I” and “Anything Goes.” She is also a soloist at her church.
When not otherwise occupied, Irene and her husband enjoy traveling, Saturday mornings at their favorite coffee shop and spending time with family. They make their home in Missouri.
My Impressions:
Irene Hannon has quickly become my go-to author for romantic suspense. With believable and relatable characters, plots full of twists and turns and a faith message that is natural, never preachy, her books are the ideal way to spend my leisure time. Whether you enjoy reading on the porch, the couch, or the chaise lounge, Buried Secrets is a sure bet for time well spent.
Former Chicago P.D. detective Lisa Grant has made some major changes in her life as she settles into her role as a small town police chief. Ex-Navy SEAL Mac MacGregor has given up his adrenaline laced life for a quieter job with the Sheriff’s department. A discovery of long buried bones brings them together, and the sparks fly right from the start. As they seek to keep their personal and professional lives in order, the investigation leads them to long buried secrets and deceptions.
The romance in Buried Secrets is front and center. Lisa and Mac are immediately attracted to each other, though they keep their relationship professional, at least until the case is closed. Both characters develop naturally and are easy to relate to. Their faith is also a natural part of who they are; there are no artificial scenes or sermons to make them seem super-spriritual. They are Christians who struggle with faith and trust just like in real life. And while I enjoyed Lisa and Mac, it was the villain that kept my attention. I appreciated that Hannon created a smart and street-wise woman to play the part of her psychopath, Jessica Lee. The reader is clued into whodunit early on, and the book becomes a race between the police seeking to prove her culpability and her attempts to allude detection. The cat and mouse game proves deadly until the last pages of the novel. I loved the matching of wits between Lisa and Jessica as each sought to exploit the other’s weaknesses. And it is definitely true that pride goes before a fall!
All in all I recommend this page-turning suspense novel with a hefty dollop of romance and anxiously await the other books in the series.
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
To purchase this book, click HERE.
(Thanks to Revell for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
I read Irene Hannon’s Private Justice series and was similarly impressed with those villains. This sounds like the start of another good series! Thanks for sharing your review.
And there may be a little something unresolved with this villain. Hope so. I enjoyed her character.