Julie Hall has an unusual skill. She finds dead bodies, using her ability with dowsing rods. When a mother whose daughter has disappeared tracks her down, begging for Julie’s help, she resists. Helping in this case would mean returning to a town filled with memories…and they’re not good memories, which could threaten her fragile sobriety.

In the end, circumstances intervene and Julie decides to help, knowing she has the backup of Garrett, her FBI boyfriend.

Julie ends up facing some tough issues from her past, but she succeeds in her goal and then some.

A Grave Search features a fractured heroine who refuses to break because any of her fragility is underpinned with an iron resolve to overcome, together with the backstop of Garrett’s strength to support her own force of will. There are enough paranormal elements to intrigue the reader and yet the solving of the mystery depends on Julie’s intelligence and ability to unwind the clues.

I was a little lost that when I started this book because it was the second book in the "Bodies of Evidence Series". I wished I had read Ms. Roberts's first book "Grave Calling" it would have helped me understand Julie Hall a lot better. I started to give up and read the first book in series but I was already engaged in the storyline of this ones so I didn't want to give up and start over. I'll just read it later, that's a promise.
I was a fan of Ms. Roberts' earlier series "Ghost Dusting" several years ago and I was glad to see she has another winner out.
I liked Julie Hall a lot, she's gone through Hell to get to her life back on track and there were just enough hints sprinkled throughout the book that I could gather enough information without having read the first book to get a grasp some of her past history to know that she's a survivor but I'd love to know more about what makes her tick.
Julies finds dead people or graves with divining rods, she's made quite a name for herself in Washington State, as well as all over the world. She get's tons of requests from people from all over who want her to find their lost loved ones and bring them home so they can put them to rest. She's a private person and would just like to work around the Pacific Northwest and live with her Rottie, Wookie and have her hunky FBI lover, Garret nearby. She's media-shy, to say the least.
When an elderly lady shows up on her front porch one morning asking for her help in finding the body of her 25-year-old daughter, Julie's torn, she knows this is a no win situation but she'll consider taking the case. When she starts looking into it the case she learns some things that make her decision for her, so she accepts.
This is a great mystery, with twists and turns that will keep you hanging on until the end. It's a fast read and I'm looking forward to the next book in series. There are some new things coming Julie's way and I can't see what Ms. Roberts' has in store for her.
Disclosure: I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The review above are my own words and opinions regarding this book.

Readers who love suspense the paranormal and a little bit of romance will not want to miss out on Book 2 of the Bodies of Evidenance Series.
Wendy Roberts is able to weave a story that will be both heart warming and nail biting book that will have readers hooked.
Thank you to Netgalley

Favorite Quote: “You don’t have to forgive the people who hurt you in order to make peace with your past.”

Julie Hall is adjusting well to her new life She has purchased a new home, her new business is booming, and she is slowly building a relationship with FBI agent Garrett Pierce. When a grieving mother comes to Julie, begging her to find her daughter’s body, Julie reluctantly takes her case. The deeper Julie digs, the more she becomes convinced nothing is what it seems. When information comes back that ties into Julie’s past, she begins to wonder exactly what she will find with her dowsing rods…and if she’s ready to face it.

A Grave Search is the second in Wendy Roberts’ Body of Evidence mystery series. Set in Washington, we are once again dropped back into the life of Julie Hall; a young woman whose unique skills using dowsing rods to find the dead has left her uncomfortably infamous. Picking up after the events in book one, A Grave Secret, Julie sold everything off and left her hometown in an attempt to make a fresh start. She has bought a house, is seeing a therapist, and is in her first serious relationship. She has established a website for her dowsing business. Having done all she could to distance herself from her grandparents, she is shocked when once again someone comes to her door to ask for her help.

As with book one, the main cast is introduced early on to help Roberts set the stage. A young woman was supposedly kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend and never heard from again. Her grieving mother begs Julie find her body so that she may lay her to rest. Julie is stunned to learn that the young woman was not only from her hometown, but Julie went to high school with the supposed killer. As she digs for answers, faces from her past threaten to overwhelm her.

Complex protagonists are my jam and Julie Hall certainly fits the bill. An intriguing combination of vulnerability and willpower that draws you in instantly. She is the underdog you’ll cheer for as she struggles to come into her own after surviving an abusive childhood and numerous betrayals. A recovering alcoholic with severe abandonment issues, she uses her wit, intelligence, and a sense of self-preservation that is innate to abuse survivors to stay on top of her issues with some help from her older FBI boyfriend and her dog, Wookie.

Strong with girl power, fans of Roberts’ books will notice that the females rule the roost with the males definitely taking a backseat cheerleading like roles. The multi-layered mystery intertwines with Julie’s own personal conflicts, finally giving Julie the closure she has needed. The symbolism between Julie’s own feelings of abandonment towards her mother and her latest case is transparent. Julie feels both conflicted and compelled to help this mother find her child; something she wishes her own mother had done. Strong narrative and an energetic investigation hold your attention as Roberts’ builds the tension with intrigue and suspense while keeping readers guessing.

The romance is definitely more established in here. Julie loves Garrett but questions his commitment and their future together. As he is not a part of this investigation, we see them in more casual romantic settings which help to solidify their chemistry with the reader. I was put out by the security cameras. I was also confused as to why Roberts’ spent so much time on verbalizing Julie’s displeasure with Garrett and the cameras but never has her confront Garrett over them. Roberts’ attempts to write it off as it being a struggle between Julie’s independent nature and her subconscious need to be cared for but I didn’t buy it.

The mystery wraps itself up in a dramatic fashion while a subplot that carried over from book one finally grants Julie the answers she has been searching for. Julie allows herself to finally grieve for everyone she has lost over the years and to not only hope for the future but take active steps towards it. I do hope Roberts continues this series. Julie’s evolution is quite illuminating and I look forward to reading more about her and her interesting gift in the future.

Grade: B

After the shocking ending of the last book “A Grave Calling”, Julie Hall’s needs are few and with enough inheritance to buy a small home on the outskirts of a new town, a new jeep, self-help motivation audio books, and food for her dog, everything else should be manageable with her new online business of finding bodies with her dowsing rods.

Ebba Johansson is desperately searching for her missing daughter Ava who was last seen getting into the car of her ex-boyfriend. After the ransom was paid, her daughter was not returned, only a large puddle of blood was where the money had been left. In a last grasp for hope, she shows up on Julie’s front porch and will not take no for an answer.

Mother-daughter relationships are not an easy subject for Julie which usually causes dark quicksand thoughts and a hard tug towards wine. Her own mother left her with abusive grandparents when she was six, and hoping that she would come back one day, only caused her grief. She was told that her mother had died, yet that might not be the whole truth. As Julie is trying to find Ava, she is also in a desperate search to track down leads to an ex- drug dealer that sounds suspiciously like her mother.

Relationships are painful for Julie. Why are there always lies and cover-ups? Whom can Julie trust and does she even want to be Julie Hall anymore. Maybe she should just make a fresh start, go back to her birth name of Delma Arsenault, and see where that path leads.

This is a curious series. The writing is not deep and though some of the smokescreens are easy to see through, there is still a fascination with Julie/Delma. Her unique way of finding bodies is not something that is found in other books and her stunted relationships show her fragility yet her determination to overcome her past shows her resilience. If only there was a way to combine this with the creepy atmosphere of Amanda Stevens’ “Graveyard Queen” series, I think Wendy Roberts would have a winning combination.

Julie found dead bodies with divining rods. She had been doing this since she was a child. Now Julie has started a business called Divine Reunions. Then a broken hearted mother goes to Julie to find her daughter. The woman had paid the demanded ransom but had never got her daughter back. The prime suspect was the woman’s boyfriend Rob who was also never seen again. But Julie is very hesitant to take the job as she would have to go back to her hometown where she has a lot of bad memories. Julie’s grandmother had been very abusive to her. Julie’s inheritance allowed her to buy some property to settle down on. To make new friends and stay away from her triggers. Julie now saw a therapist and was sober but her past had done a lot to Julie. Julie was seeing Garrett who was an FBI agent and twenty years older but both are broken souls trying to heal. Julie feels she should look for the girl and takes the job. Garrett will help her. As Julie investigates she uncovers dark secrets and she will have to rethink what she knows of her past . But someone is now targeting Julie as both her house and car have been broken into. When working for a client the body of a school friend turns up. Julie does have to use other detective’s clues to help her with her work. Julie doesn’t just stop at finding the body she is compelled to solve the crime.
I loved this book . It was well written and had a good plot and pace that I liked a lot. I loved Julie and Garrett together the age difference didn’t matter. I liked Julie’s independence. I also loved Wookie her dog. I loved Julie’s determination. I would advise you to read the first book in the series first before this one. I felt like I was right there with Julie. I liked the introduction of a different gift in this book. I would like to find out more about Julie and her boyfriend. I loved that Julie was working on herself and making progress in her life. I also loved how Garrett is protective of Julie. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend

This is the second book in the Bodies of Evidence series. I mentioned in my review of the first book in this series that I am also a fan of Ms. Roberts’ Ghost Duster Mystery series, and I think this one is going to be tied with that series as my favorite. I love how Julie has her problems, both from the first installment and from her childhood, and the author doesn’t hide them or sweep them under the rug. During the book and the plot, sometimes they interfere, but Julie uses techniques she has learned from her therapist to keep from letting her problems take over. This book wasn’t quite as dark, which I didn’t mind either way, and I feel that Julie has hope she’ll get better and better. Now, on to the plot itself. I love how there are paranormal aspects, but they don’t become a crutch in how the characters solve the mystery; good, old fashioned detective work is very much present if you aren’t really into the paranormal. The author is also very skilled at drawing the reader into the book, painting very vivid pictures of everything going on. The end was a surprise to me, and I love to be surprised. Give this book a chance if you like mysteries; you won’t be disappointed! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Carina Press for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

A Grave Search is just as fantastic as the first book A Grave Calling (Which I recommend you read because not only is it terrific it will give you a sense of where Julie has come from so you can see the road she has had to travel to get where she is now).
Murder, mystery, intrigue and a bit of the unusual A Grave Search catches Julie starting over. She is sober. She is in love with Garrett. She is making new friends and she has her own business. But she is still fragile and working her way through past issues and discovering who this new Julie is.
Julie is emotionally bullied into taking a case to search the body of a missing girl who was kidnapped and killed. She ends up finding more than anyone expected.
I absolutely love this series and want more, more, more. I want to follow Julie on her path and see if she and Garrett can make a go of it. I want to see her take her business on the road. I want to see her succeed.

Synopsis:

Julie Hall is finally adjusting to her new career: locating dead bodies with dowsing rods.

The crime scene is drenched with blood, but the body is nowhere to be found.

When a grieving mother requests Julie’s help tracking the body of her missing daughter, Julie is hesitant. Not only do the circumstances sound disturbing, the job is in her hometown, a place steeped in upsetting memories and unresolved trauma. But her interest is piqued, and she takes the case, knowing she’ll have the support of her FBI agent boyfriend along the way.

Soon, Julie finds herself exactly where she doesn’t want to be—trapped in the dangerous spotlight created to keep the story in the media. And as she digs deeper into the mystery of the young woman’s death, she uncovers secrets about her own past she thought were buried forever.

And don’t miss the first installment in the Bodies of Evidence series. A Grave Calling is available now from Wendy Roberts and Carina Press! (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well wounded and well developed. Julie has not had an easy life and she has a lot of demons in her past. But she is really trying to turn her life around and get beyond her past. I admired her determination and grit. Garrett is a great boyfriend and he wants to protect Julie at all costs.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all of the action taking place. The mystery was carried on well throughout the entire book and I was shocked to read the ending (a good shocked).

I really enjoyed the hint of paranormal in this book, with Julie using her dowsing rods. I find this subject fascinating and I plan to research it further. This gave the book an unique premise which I think is great.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted paranormal mystery. It is not a cozy, it is much grittier than that. But it is well written and very suspenseful. I have read her Ghost Dusters Cozy Series and I enjoyed that a lot too.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Carina Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow!  This series is rockin' with adrenaline.  In this book Julie is trying to start her life anew.  After everything that happened 15 months ago who could blame her.  Her life seems to be on track with a new house, FBI boyfriend and actually making a business out of her talent.  But when a distraught mother asks for her help to find her daughters body, things are not always what they seem and the prime suspect is someone from her past.

Can Julie find the missing girl?  Can she uncover the truth and deal with the past that seems to be popping back up?

I tell you these books are amazing.  They keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.  I was biting my nails and there were definitely some "oh shit" moments!  The adventures that Julie goes on are something else.  She is a very brave and strong woman.  She deals with some really heavy stuff, that a normal person would buckle under that kind of pressure.  I am also loving the chemistry between her and Garrett.  He is a sexy alpha male who is very protective.  It makes me laugh at some of his antics.

In this book though Wendy introduces a new character Tracey.  She is a new friend for Julie, where she has no friends.  It is a budding new relationship and I hope to see more from Tracey in the next books.  She seems to be someone who Julie can use in her life to help her balance the crazy.  

We also find out the long asked question, "What really happened to Molly Arsentault?"  Julie's mom.  

I am a big fan of Wendy Roberts.  I started out reading her books The Ghost Duster Mysteries.  Her books have a strong female characters with unique abilities.  I like that aspect of her books.  This aspect makes for great storylines with wonderful plots that keep the mystery.  Her books hold the reader's attention, flowing smoothly at a steady pace and are highly entertaining.  

I am so in love with this series and can not wait to see what adventures Julie gets into next.

*ARC provided by Netgalley & Carnia Press

Overall I found this book very engaging and well paced.

Julie is trying to get her life on track in this book by standing on her own two feet and by stopping her unhealthy drinking. While I could absolutely see why this step in independence was important to her personal growth it did seem a little bit strange for her to move so far away from her boyfriend and from neighbors, basically. (I find the boonies creepy if you live there all alone.)

Also, and this is a weird complaint but because I actually live in the general area where the book takes place. The book said Julie had moved an hour away from Seattle and this drive consistently took an hour. This is just completely not possible in this area. You might make a commute in an hour 2 out of 15 times. I get that this is a stupid complaint but the drive times through out the book did not add up and that distracted me from the storyline. I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be an issue for the vast majority of readers, however.

I still like the relationship between her and Garrett and I was happy in the developments in their relationship.

I did find the ending very jam packed and sudden. I almost felt like the author was unsure if she would write another in this series so she wanted to sew everything up while she could but she still only had a certain number of pages for the book so she condensed the ending.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Mystery/Suspense.

I received an ARC in exchange of my honest review.

A Grave Search by Wendy Roberts
Bodies of Evidence #2

I have been eagerly waiting to see what will happen next in this series. The main character, Julie, has had so many trials and tribulations that I want her to have “good” things happen in her life and…perhaps a few do in this book BUT a whole heap of not so good happens, too.

Julie has moved from the place of her painful childhood, she has set up house in a new home, she has created a thriving business using her divining skills and she still has her older FBI boyfriend Garrett Pierce. She is still dealing with the problem of alcoholism and the PTSD that is an outcome of the childhood abuse she survived. She does what she can with her copper dowsing rods to help families find and burry their deceased loved ones.

In this book she is asked by a mother to locate her daughter – a young woman that has been missing for some time. Julie is not terribly interested in the case until she realizes that the young man accused of murdering the daughter is someone she knew in school. With one thing leading to another she does become involved and eventually finds a whole lot more than she was bargaining on. She finds several bodies, helps in some investigations for bodies and finds out something major about her own past that begins to put a few puzzle pieces of her own life in place.

I enjoyed the voice telling this story. I enjoyed getting to know Julie/Delma better. I was thankful that Garrett was still there to support, care for and love this fractured but not broken heroine. I am eager to read more of the series and will say that having read book one made this book richer. Why? Because I knew the backstory of the heroine and about the people mentioned that she knew in book one and all of that and her previous experiences were more easily remembered and applied to this book.

I will definitely be reading book three when it comes out and want to thank NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

ulie Hall's life changes after the previous book, A Grave Calling. She moves from her hometown to get away from her source of trauma, she is seeing a therapist, she is sober, she is seeing Garrett Pierce (the FBI agent who is older than she is), and she is adjusting her career as "dead bodies locator". In this book, a grieving mother is pushing Julie to look for the body of her daughter, who was kidnapped, and even after the ransom money is paid, still gone missing presumed to be killed.

Being the second book, I was happy that it didn't feel as depressing as the first. In fact, this one felt more hopeful. Despite the trauma, Julie is making a new life of her own. Sure, she is still a little bit reclusive, staying away from other people. But she's also making progress in a lot of aspects in her life. So I am VERY proud of her.

The mystery was pretty good here. Unlike the first book, well, I get ANSWERS and MOTIVES (two things I thought weren't clearly explained there). I thought Julie was doing well in trying to find clues by herself, despite Garrett being VERY protective of her. Sometimes I felt exasperated even, with Garrett's attitude. It was probably have something to do with the age-gap (Garrett was two decades older), his job in law enforcement, as well as the tragedy that hit his wife and son. I liked how Julie handled Garrett in this case.

All in all, satisfying sequel... I hope that Wendy Roberts continued with this series.

This book was so good I just purchased its predecessor, Grave Calling, to catch up on how Julie Hall's unusual occupation got started. You see, Julie's business is finding the bones of deceased loved ones using diving rods. People reach her through her website, www.DivineReunions.com, unless they are a determined mother trying to find the body of her kidnapped daughter who was not returned after the ransom was paid. Ebba Johansson tracks her down at home, much to the irritation of her FBI agent boyfriend. Ebba wants Julie to find her daughter's body. This adventure follows Julie as she tries to juggle personal issues while pursuing her work as a finder of dead people's bones.

Wendy Roberts has shifted gear with her Bodies of Evidence series and I find the complexity of her well-plotted story engaging from beginning to end. Her skill at managing the interaction of narration and dialogue creates a steady pace, one that grabs your curiosity and doesn't let go. One of the reasons this is such a rich mystery is due to a personal issue Julie pursues - and no, I'm not going to spoil it by hinting at what it is. I got to know Julie Hall and all the characters in A Grave Search. They feel real. I want to know more. And I hope every reader gets to experience A Grave Search as I did - just picking it up and starting on page one.

Overall I quite enjoyed this book, there were a few storylines plots that I found to be a bit contrived however they were more towards the end and did not take away from the strength the story. I had not read the first book in the series, you dont need to, and was able to follow the story. Fast paced, page turner!

A little romance, a lot of suspense and paranormal .... I was not disappointed at all with this book.

Julie Hall has a unique job ... she locates dead bodies by using dowsing rods. This is something she's been able to do since she was a young child.

A grieving mother approaches Julie. Her daughter was kidnapped and she paid the ransom money. However, her daughter has never been seen since. Prime suspect is her boyfriend, Rob. He hasn't been seen either.

Julie hesitates to accept the job; she will have to return to her hometown where she holds nothing but really bad memories. But she feels that she should look for this girl .. with the help of her FBI Agent boyfriend, Garrett.

As Julie investigates she uncovers deep dark secrets and she's going to have to re-evaluate what she knows of her own past. And someone is targeting Julie ... her house and car have been broken into.

I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I was drawn into the story. This was my first introduction to this author and I'm going to read the first book in this series ... A GRAVE CALLING. This does well as a stand alone; there's just enough information to whet my appetite in learning much more about Julie and her boyfriend. Her dowsing talent is rather unique.

The investigation is not overly suspenseful, but there's plenty of mystery. This was a well-paced fast read.

A GRAVE SEARCH will be available 1/29/18.

Many thanks to the author / Carina Press / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I am absolutely loving the series and have to read it as soon as I get my hands on a new book. The concept is great. the characters are awesome.

The twists in the story keep you guessing and reading, the emotions, process, uniqueness to the stories will keep you reading page after page.

I have read all of wendy Roberts books and love them. They are a mixture of paranormal and romantic suspense. A Grave search is the second book in this series where the main character finds bodies using dowsing rods. Very interesting info about dowsing and a great mystery

I realise now this is the second part of a series, but I started with this volume and didn't feel lost. That said, the backstory made me wonder if there was another book, and maybe I'd like to read it.

However, I didn't feel a great connection with the characters or with the investigation. I liked the book enough to keep reading (in between other books), but not to read again.

It is darker than the mystery I use to read but I was fascinated by this book. It kept me guessing til the end and I was fascinated by dowsing part.