This is the second in the series and having really enjoyed the first, I was looking forward to this. It didn't disappoint! It was a multi layered mystery with engaging lead characters. It felt realistic and I enjoyed seeing the investigation unfold. The story never waned and held my interest throughout.

MM Chouinard has built this mystery by layers, ratcheting up the tension with each new death. Clues are given, but you won't believe who the killer is in the end. Our detective is pushed in a new direction with each crime, not knowing where the next body will be found. A really good murder mystery in this second book of a series. The author did an excellent job of capturing my attention and holding it until the end.

I really enjoyed Dancing Girls by this writer so I jumped at the chance to read the second installment of this series featuring Detective Jo Fournier. Taken to the Grave did not disappoint and had me turning pages as fast as I could to find out what was going to happen. In this book we learn more about Jo and her family which I really liked. Makes Jo a more rounded character and could connect to her more this time. I look forward to reading book 3.

When a professor is found murdered in his office at Oakhurst University, Jo and her partner Bob are called to the scene. It seems that the victim was not the most liked man on campus, opening this case up to so many potential suspects. While still looking into this murder more bodies start to pile up and they are all connected by the signature tarot card left at the scene. Who wants these people dead and why? All the while Jo is trying to balance her family life with her father ill. But Jo will not give up until the murder is caught.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

This is a book about betrayal and revenge in many of its guises and the fallout from that. Right from the very first page it is clear the perpetrator is seriously motivated by the past with a list of objectives to carry out within a set period of time.

Part of this story is seen from the killer's point of view which gave it a different slant. It was detailed enough to provide hints as to why things happened but not enough to be sure who was actually responsible. The killings and the reasons behind them were original and engaging but there didn't seem to be any underlying sense of urgency conveyed by the description of the investigation.

Although I really enjoyed this book and read it in two sessions it wasn't one where I wouldn't have wanted to put it down if needed. I think this was because I felt no empathy with the victims and maybe the negative sides of their personalities was too much to the forefront of the story. The lead detective was well written but again not as likeable as some. The family problem was dealt with as a 'normal' person would behave but somehow, in a fictional sense, this made it less believable even though I would have done the same.

This is the second book in the series and although there were no spoilers I think reading them in order might give more insight and empathy for lead detective, Josette Fournier, and her partner,  Bob Arnett. I will definitely read future stories in this series but only after I've completed the first book.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who has read the first book or enjoys an original take on 'revenge is a dish best served cold'.

This newest book in the Detective Jo Fournier is a mix of mystery, police procedural, and family. Jo and her partner work a serial murder case that seems, at first, to be completely random. However, as she continues the investigation, Jo slowly puts the clues together and traces a twisted plot about revenge within academic circles. It involves job loss, infidelity, and the stealing of intellectual property. Jo's personal life seems to have just as many twists. She has a lover that is all too happy to take care of her every need, but Jo is hesitant to get too close and be dependent on a man. Her father is diagnosed with prostate cancer, so she is also trying to juggle family relationships and responsibilities. A visit with her father reminds Jo of how important her roots and her family are. She is determined to make the most of whatever time she has left with her dad. The story seemed to end too soon. I really want Jo to find happiness and peace. Perhaps the next book will get her closer to that outcome.

I really tried to get into this book. I put it `down a couple of times and took it up again, but I just couldn't get into it. The description of the plot sounds very interesting, but the writing style, just wasn't my cup of tea.

Taken to the Grave begins with Professor Michael Wharton, killed in his office at Oakhurst University. When detectives Jo Fournier and Bob Arnett arrive at the crime scene, interviews with his colleagues reveal a disturbing pattern, Michael wasn't well-liked and several people outright despise him. Sigh, a detectives worst nightmare when there are so many potential suspects!
As if that isn't enough to keep the police busy, soon the body count starts to rise, and Jo and Bob struggle to understand what the victims have in common before the killer strikes again. We get the sense that university politics can be fraught with danger, but who knew that they could lead to murder.
This is the first book I have read by M.M. Chouinard, and I enjoyed the murder mystery and getting to know the characters( Jo's family, was interesting). I didn't realize this was the second book in a series, so I would have to say it works as a standalone( though I've added the first book, The Dancing Girls to my TBR list).
To add an author to my list, there has to be a compelling plot, characters I care about, and no parts I just skim through to get to the end. Check, check, check! A beach read for me and one that kept me guessing whodunnit and why!
I received a DRC from Bookouture through NetGalley.

My head is spinning , I couldn't figure out who was out for revenge !!

My ebook froze as I quickly tried to turn the pages !! Could not put it down !!

I was happy to learn more about Jo Fournier: first in line for the sequel !!!

Don't want to give anything away but don't miss this series or this book !!!

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for letting me spend time trying to solve the case along with Jo Fournier.

A girls body is found in the park the second in a few days and each time a tarot card is left at the scene, so begins a series of related incidents and a lot of university suspects to pick from

Recommended read

This is the second book in this series. I loved loved loved the first book in this series. This book had so many characters that at times I found myself lost. There is a lot about university politics that I was not interested in but over all I enjoyed the book.

TAKEN TO THE GRAVE M.M Chouinard

Jo Fournier has relinquished her Lieutenants role and reverted back to Detective. She didn’t like the politics of the role and hated not being on the streets.

Back with her partner Detective Bob Arnett she is sent to investigate the killing of a professor at the local university.

And so, it begins, Professor Michael Whorton is universally hated, students, peers, his wife, and a long list of women who he’s had adulterous affairs with, all seem to have just reason to want this man dead.

The list may be long but realistically who would murder a man, in his own office, in the middle of a busy university.

Jo and Arnett start to unravel the professor’s life, then another body connected to the university is found, and another.

This book is about University Politics, and relationships, and how the unchecked behaviour of one person can send ripples that ruin a lot of people’s lives.

Once the university starts to receive adverse publicity, they start to put pressure on the Police Department, and once again Jo is caught up in Department politics as she is put under pressure to make an arrest.

I liked this book. Just like the first one in the series it’s a good mix between a full on crime thriller and a cosy-crime mystery.

The characters are good, and I really engage with both Jo and Arnett. It is written in a way that it is never fanciful, everything that happens is logical, and there is no “shark-infested-custard” type scenarios or revelations.

The best recommendation I can give this book is it enthralled me to the point where I could have been reading a true-crime story.

Pages: 330
Publisher: Bookouture

Book two in this series loved the first and love the second a series I will be reading,Detective Jo Fournier is a terrific character involved with her partner in multi layered cases,so well written so involving.#netgalley#bookoutture..

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5* rounded down.

This was a police procedural featuring Jo and her partner Arnett, who investigate the murder of a university professor. Within days his TA and the wife of a colleague have also been found dead. For the most part I enjoyed this novel, and its depiction of the politics of a university department was compelling. The twist towards the end was very good. There were also chapters from the perspective of the murderer which got darker and darker, to the extent that I am deducting half a star for them, not just because they were so disturbing, but because the emotions and actions portrayed were so twisted as to sound a bit of a false note for me in the context of the plot as a whole.

Then there were the sections describing the detectives' personal lives, some of which were effective (e.g. Jo and her sister Sophie's difficult relationship) and others which were less so: the chapters at the boucherie and doing the family tree seemed to have wandered in from a different novel - how did they move the plot forward? Arnett had a wife who was mentioned in terms of having once been unfaithful and Jo was sleeping with Eric who a) slept with Jo whenever she rang him and b) cooked her meals.

I will persevere with this series, but from memory I preferred the first instalment.

A small town in Massachusetts appears to have a serial killer at work. A college student is found murdered with a tarot card left on the body. When her college instructor is found murdered the same way, detective Jo believes the killer may be an underachieving student with anger issues, but the next victim, a random neighbor appears to have no connection to the college. Determined to solve the case before anyone else is killed, Jo is also fighting with her father who insists she concentrate on mending family rifts. This book does a great job showcasing both the personal and professional side of a detectives life

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Jo and her partner Arnett are call upon when a murder professer is found on campus in Massachusetts town of Oakhurst and it seem the killer left the weapon and tarot card with the victim.

As they investigate they learn he wasn't a well like and then a another murder happen and a young woman name Britney left with a tarot card.

Jo is also dealing with her father health we do get dialouge about the killers and why they are doing this.

This was a easy read I like Jo and I'm looking forward to reading more about this character.