This is the second book by Barbara Taylor Sissel I've had the opportunity to read courtesy of NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. I gave it a 4 star rating. As a mother myself, this book grabbed me. I know I would do anything for my children as we see in the mothers in this book do. There's Lily, mother of AJ, and Dru, mother of Shea. AJ and Shea are to be married in just a couple weeks. Rather quickly we pick up that neither mother is very fond of their child's choice for a spouse. Right from the beginning we find out that one of Shea's bridesmaids is found murdered. The groom is missing and oh, the dead bridesmaid is found in his apartment. There's questions and opinions by all as the police try to solve the murder and find the missing groom. Is he the killer or another victim. I feel I would also struggle as we see Lily, mother of AJ, do. She questioning if her son could have done this and if he did, how well she handle it. She knows right from wrong but she's also his mom and in her gut she believes he's innocent. Both moms just want to protect their child. Several other events happen throughout this story as well as secrets kept for too long from too many people and it all comes bubbling up. I really enjoyed this story. It had just the right amount of family drama and suspense to keep me interested. Many thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

The Truth We Bury
Instead of preparing for a wedding, two families are embroiled in a murder. Lily and her father must try to help her son, AJ , to prove he did not murder Becky, a friend of his future wife Shea.

Becky, who was going to be bridesmaid at the wedding, is found dead at AJ's apartment. Shea is sure that AJ Is innocent and his mother, Lily, wishes that she could be just as sure.

Dru was never keen on her daughter, Shea, marrying AJ because of his violent outbursts since serving in Afghanistan. Is he capable of murder? She doesn't know.

This novel is told from the viewpoint of the two mothers as this whodunnit slowly unwinds. I think it plods along. There were no surprising twists for me and, after the murderer is revealed and caught, the novel continues at a slow pace for several chapters. I persevered but wouldn't read another.

Groom-to-be (AJ) accused of murdering bridesmaid (Becca). Was he unfairly accused because he's a veteran suffering from PTSD? Or, did he really commit the heinous act?

During the investigation, many family secrets are revealed in this suspenseful murder mystery. Did AJ kill Becca? If so, why? Will AJ's bride-to-be (Shea) stick by his side, or cave under the pressure of her mother's (Dru) doubts?

If you're looking for a lighter murder-mystery, then this would fit the bill nicely!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

"The Truth We Bury" by Barbara Taylor Sissel

An emotional and psychological drama told from the opposing points of view of the mother of the groom and the mother of the bride. Two mothers with the same goal: to protect their child no matter what the circumstance.

When a young women is found brutally stabbed in the apartment of Lily's son AJ, events start to take place from that point on that seem to implicate him in her murder and that of another woman a few days later. Meanwhile, Lily is convinced, despite all the mounting evidence, that her son is innocent. Shea, AJ's fiancé is also convinced he is innocent and being set up or held against his will. Her mother, Dru, on the other hand, has felt he has been guilty from day one and is not surprised when more and more evidence points in that direction.

Yet, beneath this violent and evolving scene of events, there are several others brewing around them. From friends relationships and secrets which slowly are revealed; family rumors, feeling of betrayal, loss, and inadequacy; to emotional and physical disconnect, duplicity, and and infidelity.

A novel so gripping, Barbara Taylor Sissel has reached deep into her storyline so that it is not only honest, and feasible, but it is as if it was taken from the front page of the crime section of the local newspaper. Her characters are strong yet fallible; smart yet also doubt themselves; realistic and relatable.

This is a novel that will keep you reading all day or late into the night. A novel you will not be able to put down. An enthralling and engrossing novel. One for mystery lovers; family drama lovers; and for readers of a truly magnificent novel.

Rating: 4.8
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars. It didn't blow my mind but it was pretty good. I had a bit of a reading slump in the middle of reading this so I finished it in 5 days instead of 1 or maybe 2 days. I liked the characters and had high suspicions of who was the culprit but I didn't fully figure it out on my own. Definitely a few twists in there as well. I will look for other books from this author and recommend this to anybody who likes mystery/thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Non-stop and over the top manufactured antics with incessant chatter further advocating, and advancing constant implausibilities.

The character development was weak, it took reading 60% of the book to get to any real plot other than hints at "secrets"'that you aren't that invested in finding out, but figure you must press on anyways. Once the loose ends are tied up in a messy bow, I found myself saying, "that's it!?!" You expect me to believe that beyond out there storyline and explanation? This makes the series "24" seem tame!

Sometimes, less is more in effectiveness.

Slow paced and hard to get engaged with the characters. Didn't enjoy the book as much Ms Sissel's previous works.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

3.5 STARS

A gripping story that had you wondering just who was this killer that killed the maid of honor from Shea and AJ's wedding just days before the wedding. AJ, a decorated marine with PTSD is the number one suspect. The bridesmaid was killed in his apartment and he's missing. Opinions of the in-laws and of the townspeople play a very big role in this story. It's not a cozy little mystery set in a small town outside Dallas. There are some very important issues dealt with while trying to find the killer.

I will say this book had me very, very frustrated with these police officers throughout the whole story. However, I guess I had the advantage of seeing things that they did not, but it still irked me.

This was a suspense mystery dealing with a lot of different emotions that I found very entertaining and was glad that I got the chance to read this book.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

It's been a while since I've read anything in the thriller/mystery genre, so I was excited to pick this one up. I've never read anything by this author before, but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot opens right up from the get-go and I read the entire thing in one sitting. You are immediately drawn into the story in the first chapter and the action and suspense carry you straight through.

There are several twists in the plot that keep you on your toes and leave you guessing who the murderer is until the end of the book, which I enjoyed since I can usually guess who the guilty one is pretty early on in these types of books. I thought the characters were very well developed and I connected with quite a few of them throughout the story.

My one complaint was that some of the scenes with heavy dialogue were a bit tedious and drawn out. I kept thinking to myself if this were real life, these people would be trying to explain their life away. Sometimes, in these instances, it's best to allow the reader to make certain assumptions about how a particular character is feeling rather than needing to tell us. Other than that, it was an enjoyable read.

*I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

I had high hopes for this book, I love a good domestic suspense and the premise for this captured my attention easily. I'm so torn about how I actually feel about The Truth We Bury, there were parts I liked and parts I didn't at all, so I'll just explain my stance and let you decide what you think.

There was something compulsive about this book, I read it really fast and it mostly held my attention. The authors writing style was solid and she clearly has a talent. This would be a great read for a book club as there are several themes and issues one could dissect and discuss. One that I really appreciated was the subject of PTSD. It explored how it effects not only those suffering from it, but also how it impacts their families and loved ones. The families whose lives intersect had plenty of secrets and what's a domestic suspense without loads of secrets?!

While all of what I mentioned previously was great, there was something lacking overall that made this an enjoyable read for me. This is told using dual narratives, that of two mothers whose children are engaged. I always like this style, I just felt there needed to be more distinction between their sections here. The characters also fell a bit flat for me, they needed to be more fleshed out and I didn't really care about them all that much which is always a sign that something is missing for me. The pacing was also on the slow side and I would've liked things to be more suspenseful than they were. The premise was solid, there just needed to be more meat, you know what I mean?

Overall, this wasn't a bad read, it just wasn't one of my favorites. It was light, an emotional mystery that I felt was lacking depth. I found it to be pretty predictable and was left wanting more in the end.

Thanks to Dennelle at Lake Union for getting me advance review copy of this book. I become a huge fan of Barbara when I read "Faultlines." I didn't think she could top that book. Barbara hits this one out of the ball park. You meet a group of young girls when one of them is about to get married. The live in a small town in Texas, where everyone knows their neighbors. Or do they really know them? One of the bridesmaids is murdered and the bride (Shea) husband-to-be (AJ) is the lead suspect. We meet the parents of girls' and AJ's family. Just when you think things can't get worse they do. Long buried secrets come out and effect the present. and the future. Sometimes we keep secrets from our loved one thinking we are protecting them. But what if we really aren't? What will the town do when these secrets come to light and cause horrific outcomes? You won't want to put this book down. I had to make myself not read it in one sitting. If you read one book this summer, you must read this book.

Another great book by Ronald Balson! I really enjoyed reading the Taggart's story and was hooked from start to finish. Liam Taggart takes us on a journey through Northern Ireland as he attempts to find the person responsible for killing his family, one by one. I found myself thinking ahead and guessing who it was, questioning the thinking of Liam and the police and riveted by the acts of the killer and family. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and am so glad that it had an ending that wrapped things up well and left us with closure. I look forward to Mr. Balson's next book.

Thanks for the ARC. Very enjoyable book, nice quick read while I was on vacation. I"'ll be back with my full review when I get home.

This book seemed appealing from the moment I read the synopsis. It was enjoyable, but it wasn’t my favorite read so far this year. I enjoyed the POV’s that the story was told from. I think it was interesting that the book is told from two different mother’s views. Their experiences shade how they see what is going on around them. These mothers both want what is best for their children, but is what’s best what their children want? The others must come to terms with the fact that their children are adult, and even though the situations are terse, they can’t be in complete control of their children’s lives anymore.

Lily and Dru. These are the narrators of the book. Lily is mother to AJ and Dru to Shea. AJ and Shea are in love, yet their parents do not approve of the match. From the first page, the tension is high in the novel because of a murder. It’s made to look life AJ is the prime suspect, but Lily and Shea know he isn’t. Dru has her doubts. As the story continues, the secrets from other characters pop up making the plot more complex.

Usually this kind of novel would give me all the good kinds of anxiety when reading a thrilling novel. This feeling didn’t happen with this book. I feel like there were so many subplots going on that sometimes is made the novel confusing instead of complex. I feel like all of the characters were hard to relate to, and not developed quite enough. If you like a book with a lot going on at once, I would suggest giving this book a chance. It definitely was not one of the worst books I have ever read, just not one of my favorites.

This book hooked me from the beginning. I was immediately drawn in by the police presence, the way Lily wanted to protect her son, and the overall storyline. There were pieces that dragged on, parts that I didn't find completely relevant to the plot. Sometimes it would get confusing when too many characters were in one spot but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves dramatic familial storylines and mysteries.

I would give this a solid 4 stars out of five and probably re-read at some point in the future. If available as a print edition, I would buy for my personal library.

What happens when your son is accused of murder and all the evidences seem to point towards him being guilty. He is also on the run and nowhere to be seen, do you doubt his innocence or do you keep being adamant that all must be a misunderstanding and he is just a victim? This is what The Truth We Bury tries to explore and it does it pretty well with the dual perspective of two mothers: the mother of AJ, the man everyone believes to be a murdered, and the mother of Shea, the woman he is supposed to marry.

The dual perspective works wonderfully, providing two contrasting perspective that really help the reader stay on the top of the problem and view the whole story from a bird’s-eye view. Normally in thrillers that deal with murders from the perspective of people close to the suspect it is easy to get carried away and take their judgment as the absolute truth. In this case because we get the point of view of two mothers both close to the suspect and the victim, but who believe completely different things, the dynamic changes a bit.

Lily, AJ’s mother, desperately wants her son to be innocent and she believes despite his dark past that now seems more ominous than ever, she still believes him to be incapable of such a deed. Add to that the fact that she was never close to him because of her own past mistakes, and you can add a lot of guilt and regret to the mix.

Then you have Dru, Shea’s mother, who wants nothing else than to protect her baby girl and keep her as far away as possible from her fiancé who she never approved of and who now appears to be a cold blooded murdered. Of course, Shea wants nothing of that and just as Lily believes AJ had nothing to do the murder.

This come and go between perspectives is extremely entertaining, both women will have to make compromises if they want to work together and find out the truth and protect their children and family. The book starts strong and it eases a bit half-way in but after the half-point it just won’t let you go once the revelation of what really happened starts to dawn on the reader and then on the characters.

What I liked about this book was that it laid all of its cards on the table, no hiding-information-from-the-reader-to-make-a-plot-twist-work, which I’m honestly starting to hate. Instead, if you paid enough attention all the revelations will be at your grasp before they are revealed to the characters, which I don’t find to be a problem in a thriller. I don’t have to be shocked in order to be entertained, the characters and the situations they found themselves in did all of that. The only thing that I did find underwhelming was the big truth that the title of the book hints at, it was obvious from the start and I found it hard to believe that it was such a surprise to the characters.

Overall this was a great domestic drama filled with suspense. The dynamic between the two families made for a tense read, with all the slow build-up and conflict that gradually accumulates throughout the novel, something has to give.

Highlights- This was a very easy read to get into, though it did not pull me away from any previously scheduled activities because some parts held my interest more than others. The pacing also varied from slow to fast in different parts of the story. I was very eager to read this book given the role of PTSD in military veterans as I am a VA clinical psychologist. The author sheds light on how this impacts both vets and their loved ones, with attention to the varying beliefs they can have about living with this diagnosis. She does a good job showing that not everyone who has this diagnosis is going to behave in the same way. I wish this would have received more attention throughout the book. In the end, I was not surprised by the who but I was surprised by the why!

Explanation of Rating- I gave this 3.5/5 stars. It was not fast paced throughout the novel but it definitely held my interest. Though I liked the characters, they haven’t stayed with me and I haven’t thought about them much since I swiped the last page on my Kindle.

Psychology Factors: I have already referred to the role of PTSD and the most notable point the author makes is how loved ones perceive it. One of my favorite quotes in the book was from a trauma survivor with PTSD, Shea’s dad, “What’s the difference between chronic drinking and chronic fear? The only difference is when someone quits drinking you can see the evidence!” He is trying to convince Shea’s mom that he has learned to manage his PTSD symptoms, but like many loved ones who have been disappointed or let down, she is scared to trust him. I was very glad to see the commonly experienced points of both the challenge to change and “convince” loved ones carried out in the plotline!

Despite my rating of 3.5/5 stars, I do recommend this as a light summer read; especially for book clubs and those interested in military, veterans, and psychology.


Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. What a fantastic murder mystery. It starts with a bang and keeps you interested all the way to the end. We begin with a girl's murder and Lily's son on the run. Then the lies, deception, and and many secrets are exposed. Every character was interesting, and I am also happy to see an author shed a light on PTSD. She did an incredible job with that subject. Unputdownable!

This is a must-read!
It gives the message we all already know all too well. "Things are not always as they appear to be."
It is a story of great love between mothers for their children, no matter how old a child is. The other question is - How far will a Mom go to protect a son or daughter?
I so enjoyed this wonderful novel!

This book was a great murder mystery. So many secrets and lies and tons of family drama kept me reading way past my bedtime! I loved the characters. I felt Lily's pain as she tried to protect her son. I felt Shea's excitement about the wedding then her love for A.J. while she is defending knowing in her heart he couldn't have killed her bridesmaid. It is a wonderful who-done-it book that keeps you guessing until the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.