An Unsettled Grave is one of the best books I have read in quite some time. The story unfolded like being in a speeding police car going 100+ on the Autobahn. It grabbed me and didn't let me go until the end.

There is graphic violence. Really graphic so if that bothers you, this is not the book for you.

This is the book for you if you like police procedurals that pull you in and make you read faster and faster to find out who the bad guy is and why. The primary character, Carrie Santero was a kickass detective who makes your average officer seem like a non-starter. She is that awesome. You will likely love her.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own and freely given.

Boom!!! This is how it is done!

What a amazing book, it is beautifully written, descriptive and a absolute page turner. I read this book in 5 hours, I couldn't put it down.
A new case and a cold case mixed together, with some side cases as well. This is how you write a crime book. This was put together perfectly, it flows and wraps around it self and the reveal was something else.

I didn't realize this was part of a series, I will definitely have to go buy the first book, and the there if there is one. I would follow Mr. Schaffer anywhere.

I can't recommend this one enough, if you like crime books, a little thriller it's so good.

I really liked this book. I do have the first book in the series but only had my Kindle with me so I started with number two. I am for sure going back to read the first but you can easily read this first. Excellent writing and character development. It's been a while since I have read crime drama, mystery/thriller and this reminded me how much I enjoy that genre. I will put Bernard Schaffer on my must read list. My 92 year old dad loves this genre and I can't wait to get these books for him.

An Unsettled Grave
by Bernard Schaffer

Hardcover, 288 pages
Expected publication: July 30th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation




Goodreads synopsis:
In this brilliantly chilling follow-up to The Thief of All Light, veteran police officer Bernard Schaffer digs deep into the past--and the haunted psyches of the detectives who search for truth . . . at any cost.

"There's a thousand scavengers in these woods."

Before being promoted to detective, Carrie Santero was given a rare glimpse into the mind of a killer. Through her mentor, Jacob Rein--a seasoned manhunter whose gift for plumbing the depths of madness nearly drove him over the brink--she was able to help capture one of the most depraved serial killers in the country. Now, the discovery of a small human foot buried in the Pennsylvania woods will lead her to a decades-old cold case--and the darkest secrets of her mentor's youth.

"Nobody trusts an animal that tries to eat its own kind."

Thirty years ago, a young girl went missing. A police officer was murdered. Another committed suicide. The lives of everyone involved would never be the same. For three agonizing decades, Jacob Rein has yearned for the truth. But when Detective Carrie Santero begins digging up new evidence, she discovers some answers come with shattering consequences.

***

5 Stars

Before you start reading this be aware this story from chapter to chapter will jump back and forth in time. Sometimes you will be seeing JD’s view of things as a kid or Sheriff Ollie’s view from the past. And then very quickly later be thrust back into present time with Carrie’s investigation.

This starts off with a gal being pulled over by a cop on a deserted road and raped. Carrie takes the call and wants to investigate but her boss accuses her of wanting to stir up a “shit storm” and reassigns her to a cold case from the past where new evidence has come to light. I don’t think her boss realized what the term shit storm actually meant. She went from a camp fire to a blasing inferno.

I was looking for more information about the present day JD/Jacob but found that sorely lacking from this book. I had not read book one where I figure all the info I desired lay. So you may need to read book one if you want a clearer picture of present day JD. But this book succeeds without it. Learning about young JD and his experiences is enough. JD is responsible for getting Carrie involved in the case since he knew the dead girl from when he was a kid.

I felt bad for both Hope Pugh and Sheriff Ollie. They both were on the brink of discovering a new and lasting relationship before their lives were quickly extinguished. I would have liked to see an epilogue where Sheriff Ollie and Auburn’s death were revealed to the public. And the entire situation explained in order for life to feel like it ended in some sort of order. But life is messy sometimes and I understand why it was left out.

The lives of the people in this book are screwed up. But justice is served in the end even if some people weren’t alive to see it. Check this book out. New author to me and I will definitely pick up book one in the series soon!

Highly recommended.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

One of the best books that I have read in a long time. At first I was trying to figure out how to tell the Author how bad it was and that I just couldn't get into it. There were times that I was lost with all the characters but man am I glad that I continued to read because I read it all in one sitting and was hooked! I want more more more! Everything comes together pretty quickly and it is a very enjoyable read. There are a few storylines that are within this book and I loved how it all came together. Can not wait to read more by this author. Received this book as an ARC and voluntarily gave my review.

Absolutely spellbinding. I could not put this book down once I started. I was immediately wrapped up in the mystery and rooting for Carrie, and cried and stressed and searched for answers along with everyone else in the novel. This was an amazing, mesmerizing read and I couldn't get enough of the story. I turned the last page with a full heart and a smile on my face. Shaffer's insight to the police officer's mind was instrumental to the story, and I felt like I was part of the whole process. I highly recommend to anyone searching for an intense story with emotionally charged characters and page-turning action.

This is one book you wont want to miss! An Unsettled Grave by Bernard Schaffer will capture your attention from the first chapter and keep you furiously turning the pages to find out what will happen next. I absolutely love these characters, they are so well developed and realistic. Schaffers experience as a police detective causes his stories to be unlike the others out there! 

An Unsettled Grave is the second book in the series however, it can be read as a stand alone. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for Bernard Schaffer and this series because it has turned out to be one of my favorites!

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of the book provided by Kensington publishing the author and Netgalley.

This is the second of the Santero & Rein myster/thriller series (first being the riveting Thief of All Light!) And I hope not the last!
It does read well as a stand-alone.
I love the writing style of Author Bernard Schaffer! His writing grabbed me from the first paragraph and it just flows like music! He has the ability to know when to add light banter between his characters, that takes the edge off some of the gritty police business. His characters are well written and easy to identify with. The plot was fantastic!! Edge of my seat loved it!! Read in one setting!
I love the cover and had an "ah-ha" moment after I read the book! (Where the cover tied into the story!)
This awesome action packed story gets a -5 star rating - and I BEG you not to miss this very well written, awesome series!!!

An Unsettled Gave is a part of a series, but can be read as a stand alone. The rookie police officer is working in a small town and at times gets a little bored with the small town not so much crime. With how small a town she lives in there are times when they are called to assist surrounding towns. When she gets sent to another town due to a crime, she at first doesn't want to go but then ends up finding that a very minor crime will lead to a unsolved case of a rape and murder of a little girl! As time passes with investigating this case, many other things from the past and crimes continue to build and causing the original small crime to become something so much more!

This book kept me reading, the story line is amazing, and you feel like you are there with the characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!

Chilling! Family tragedies. Cold case. Determined young detective. Fast paced. Excellent writing. Intense.

This is a good book, but definitely full of graphic violence. It might be a bit much for some people. One of the main characters, Jacob is so broken, the description of a attack on his childhood sweetheart and the cruelty of his father is almost unbearable to read. It has stuck with me for days. This book is very well written, visceral , life like and the characters are quite robust.

Wow! A true masterful storyteller of criminal acts. Once you get past the shocking first few pages you are engaged in heart pounding, nail-biting, page turning til the very end. This is the second book I have read from this author , I really like the characters Carrie and Reid , I look forward to more crime solving from these two.

Book two in what is turning into great detective series.
Please keep writing more in this series.. Really got pulled in on this
Series.

Carrie Santero and Jacob Rein are back in the second book of this wicked good series. A cold case from Jacob’s hometown leads Carrie into his past of small town dysfunction, a missing girl and two dead cops. This is a fast paced, heart pounding, keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you’re reading kind of book. While it is book two, don’t be afraid to read it as a stand alone. But why would you? The Thief of all Light is also an amazing read.

This is the second book that I have read by Author Bernard Schaffer and it has drawn me in further! In An Unsettled Grave, Detective Carrie Santero is trying to uncover the past while working a case where a child's foot has been found. There has to be more to this case then meets the eye. In this book, we find out more about Jacob Rein and his past. How does Jacob fit in to this current case? Will the truth finally be discovered that will put the painful past to rest? I am absolutely addicted to Author Bernard Schaffer 's books!

This is the second installment of the Santero & Rein series and it was freaking fantastic! It can be read as a stand alone but I highly recommend reading the first book.
A mysterious disappearance from Rein's childhood becomes the focus of this book and gives us more insight to Rein's character. Santero has matured more in her roll as a detective and is still dealing with the 'boys club'.
This book made me cry for Rein, for the little boy he had been and the man he his today.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of the book provided by the author and Netgalley.

Another of my recent forays into police procedurals set in the back blocks of America, this time in rural Pennsylvania, "An Unsettled Grave" is the second outing for inexperienced but whip-smart Detective Carrie Santero. She teams up again with relentless hunter of killers, Jacob Rein (this time jobless and homeless after the furies of the series' Book 1), when a child's foot emerges from a grave. Secrets three decades old are re-ignited. Bernard Schaffer writes smoothly and Santero in particular works well as a feisty protagonist. If I tired a little of flashback scenes (I know they have their place but I prefer present-day drama in procedurals), the climax satisfied and the entire read flowed like a river.

This is a stand alone book but I would suggest reading The Thief Of All Light first. I read them both & am a big fan now ! Bernard Schaffer is brilliant is his writing style & pulls you in to the characters so that they feel real. The book is about a rookie cop who is a woman on a hunt for solving a mystery case & will do what it takes to bring down the person responsible. It’s a suspenseful, thrilling ride with a kick in the gut here & there. I highly recommend this book.

This is the follow up book to Thief of All Light (TOAL) and for me it wasn't as good, but that's not to say it wasn't good.

I'm usually not a fan of alternating between past and present although I do understand why it was done this way and we definately have a better understanding of certain events and characters.

Carrie, Jacob, and Harv (well, he's not a favorite of mine!!) are back at it. There's something for everyone...murder, rape, twists/turns, old friends, and new friends, and of course old cases being solved.

I love how Carrie and Jacob just fit and I'm hoping for a new beginning for Jacob.

I received a copy from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

#netgalley #bernardschaffer #unsettledgrave #carrieandjacob

Review of advance reader eBook

Carrie Santero, a detective with the District Attorney’s office, is used to receiving phone calls at all hours. Sent to investigate a savage rape, she soon finds herself caught up in a cold case involving a young girl missing for some thirty years, a police officer’s murder, and a police chief’s suicide. Will her investigation finally uncover the hidden truth?

Readers are likely to find this dark and gritty follow-up to “The Thief of All Light” difficult to set aside before turning the final page. Chapters set in the past tell Jacob Rein’s backstory and provide insight for readers while chapters in the present focus on Carrie’s investigation. The plot is complex, with secrets and lies woven into the tapestry of the narrative; unexpected revelations take the story in unexpected directions.

Well-crafted and populated with believable characters [although several are unlikable], readers who enjoyed the earlier “The Thief of All Light” will recognize some returning characters in this Santero and Rein thriller. The intricately-layered story keeps the reader guessing as the story unfolds; unfortunately, a much-overused and offensive expletive mars an otherwise intriguing, spot-on narrative.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Kensington Books and NetGalley
#AnUnsettledGrave #Net Galley