<b><i>An Entertaining Read!</i></b> I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by J.R. Backlund and published by Crooked Lane Books in 2017, <i>Among the Dead</i> is a crime and police procedural novel set in small-town western North Carolina. Rachel Carver is a former homicide detective with the Raleigh Police Department and a former agent with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) who has resigned from police work — until her former partner calls and offers her an assignment consulting to the sheriff of the small town where he now works as the Chief Deputy. There’s been a murder, and he needs Rachel’s help in solving it.

Rachel accepts the assignment, and the action begins immediately. Although the bad guys can almost be guessed by readers, there is still a good amount of suspense and uncertainty that is slowly revealed by the author. The plot is credible, as is most of the dialogue and the characters. On the negative side, Rachel seems to be a bit quick to fall into bed with her fellow investigators, but perhaps that is what readers want in these kinds of novels these days.

In any event, the author ties up loose ends after the crimes are solved, and she sets the stage for additional stories in the series, which will surely be worth reading. I enjoyed reading this one, and hope to read the next ones, also. This is an easy read. It is an entertaining read. You will like it if you like the genre.

A really good crime thriller. Well written, exciting plot and good characters. One for your summer read. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

Action packed thriller
Action packed with a thrilling story line the novel follows Rachel Carver, ex-SBI Agent, as she is brought in to investigate a double murder in a quiet country town with a population of only 2,000. The killer has left no forensic evidence and there is nothing to link the two apparent motiveless murders. The body count grows as Rachel pursues her own line of enquiry a route that will prove to test her endurance to the limit as the killer seems destined to evade justice. Rachel possesses a singular ability to solve crimes but is haunted by demons as the result of a previous miscarriage of justice. Or at least as she perceived it. A thoroughly gripping novel which will have readers on tenterhooks right to the very end. I recommend this to all lovers of Crime thrillers - you won't be disappointed.

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Another tough ,persistent female lead,hope she's back soon.

J.R. Backlund gives us a complex, fast-paced suspense novel set in the mountains of North Carolina. Former SBI agent Rachel Carver is called to the rural to consult on a murder that quickly develops into multiple murders. While the politics of the town cause the authorities to look in one direction, Rachel uncovers past secrets that finally lead to the killer. Well written, believable and good dialogue.

RATING: 5 Stars This was a stunner of a book from a debut author who I think is going to hit it big with his Rachel Carver series.

GENRE: Mystery/Suspense

AUDIENCE: Fans of Lisa Gardner, Alex Kava, and Tess Gerritsen will really enjoy “Among the Dead”.

SERIES: Debut novel of the Rachel Carver series

Rachel Carver is a disgraced North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent struggling to come to terms with her last case, one which ended her career and an innocent woman’s life. She’s still figuring out how to move forward when she gets a call from an old partner who asks for her help in an ugly case that’s yielding no clues.

Carver digs into the mysterious and suspiciously clean murder of a low profile community member. Working together with a small, inexperienced team of investigators she tries to put the few clues they have together. More bodies pile up, all seemingly random but for a small incident in the past. A young suspect enters the forefront, but he’s only the tip of the criminal iceburg. State investigators move in, taking over from a very tenuous drug angle. Rachel is sidelined, but encouraged to continue her investigation by a side player who has interest in seeing the crimes solved.

Rachel Carver’s character was written as a strong yet fallible detective who wants to put the bad guys away the right way. All support characters were drawn out just enough to make readers know and understand their motivations throughout this whodunit. I loved that we kind of know who the bad guy is but how he figures into the crimes isn’t revealed until the very end.

I rarely give 5 stars, but “Among the Dead” definitely deserves it.

*Tremendous thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an ARC.

Rachel Carver a police investigator,  is invited by her former partner Danny Braddock to help investigate a unsolved murder in his small North Carolina mountain town.

A Thrilling crime novel with exciting twist and turns. A great plot, with a cohesive bond between characters.

4 stars

I received this ARC through Netgalley for a honest review.

Rachel Carver, a former SBI agent, is asked by a friend to help the small town police force he. Woks for for help. A very meticulous murderer is stretching the police force beyond their capability and the SBI says it will be a week before they have someone to send.

Rachel agrees but soon discovers small town policing is very different than what she is use to. Generally she is coaching everyone on their jobs. Murders beginning piling up with lots of theories but few answers. Rachel is able to find the killer who himself is killed on the way to jail.

As more bodies are found Rachel begins to see a direction but no one else sees the same information as she does. With the killer dead how to find the motive and who is behind the plot?

Excellent story! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

Rachel Carver turned her back on law enforcement when her last case ended with an innocent woman dead. Now, she’s reluctantly agreed to help her former partner by taking the lead on a murder case in the Carolina mountains. The team she’s leading has no experience in this type of law enforcement and Rachel knows she’s in for a rough go, but nothing prepares her for the death of one of her own detectives. Her old agency, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, takes control of the case, but Rachel doesn’t think they fully understand the case, and begins working it alone. As it turns out, Rachel is following the right path, but it could get her killed.I’m amazed this is Backlund’s first book, it’s a tension filled, wild ride with one of the most interesting protagonists I’ve encountered in a while