The Third Grave is the fourth installment in Lisa Jackson’s Pierce Reid/Nikki Gillette series. When a thug finds two skeletons of young girls who have been missing for decades, and a place for another while trying to find a treasure in the rundown Beaumont Estate that has been empty for years, Nikki Gillette involves herself to get information so that she can write another crime novel. Her husband, Reid, is a police officer, and is on the team to solve the crime.

As a protagonist, Nikki is selfish and entitled – not someone who most readers will like and want to succeed. In fact, she is pushy, as well as being willing to ruin her husband’s career just to chase a story. Reid is almost as bad, since he is hopelessly in love and unable to think clearly when it comes to his wife. Albeit the unlikeable protagonists, Lisa Jackson is an excellent storyteller, and the story flows and has ups and downs that are both unexpected and surprising. The story is actually fascinating, and readers will want to know where the third body is. Nikki does have some skills in investigating, and her aggressive moves almost get her killed, but also uncover clues to who murdered the girls. Jackson does a good job of developing her characters, and even though they are not likeable, readers will definitely feel like they are real people.

While this novel has an excellent storyline, those of us who are sick of spoiled, self-centered, and entitled people won’t particularly enjoy this novel. Jackson’s other novels are much better, and unless one has plenty of time on his/her hands, will want to skip this and read something better.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

So where is Rose? The Duval sisters- Holly, Poppy, and Rose - went missing 20 years ago after their brother Owen took them to the movies. Now, the remiss of Holly and Poppy have been found in a creepy crumbling mansion (good atmospherics here) but despite there being a third grave, Rose isn't there. Nikki, a reporter, is determined, despite her husband Pierce- the detractive on the case- to find answers. The problem with this well crafted mystery is Nikki. Yes, reporters often need to be aggressive but she's reckless and insensitive to others in ways that make her quite unappealing, It's worth noting, btw, that this didn't keep me from turning the pages. I'd not read the earlier books, making this a standalone, and it was perfectly fine that way. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read.

Nikki just found the perfect topic for her next crime book. Three graves. Two skeletons. The skeletons belong to Holly and Poppy. Holly, Poppy and the youngest sister, Rose, went to the movies with Owen twenty years ago. Owen came back but the girls never did. Where is Rose?

Owen is still the prime suspect in his sisters’ disappearance. Nikki and her husband, Detective Pierce Reed start digging into the case and uncover more than they bargained for.

I’ve read other Lisa Jackson books, and have enjoyed them – but, I don’t think I’ve read this series. Time to get the earlier books in the series.

Try the “To Die” series by Lisa Jackson – I totally liked those.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me - the main character is incredibly frustrating, and she seems to succeed in turning around every situation (even the death of another character!) so it's about her.

Having been a fan of Lisa Jackson's for years, I was eager to see she had a new release. Sadly, I think I couldn't enjoy this novel because of how much I disliked one of the main characters, Nikki. Yes, I understand that she's a reporter after a story. However, when your health and safety of yourself and others is repeatedly in jeopardy, and not to mention your own marriage, maybe you need to rethink your ways. How many times did her husband, the lead detective on the case, have to rescue her or stop her from interfering with police business? So while I still like Lisa Jackson as a writer, I don't think I will pick up any more books featuring Nikki!

Lisa Jackson always delivers and this book is no exception. Having said that, let me back up and say that I absolutely HATED the protagonist, Nikki Gillette. She was totally self absorbed and had no concern about anyone except herself. She was willing to derail her husband’s career in order to boost her own career. And not just her husband who was lead detective in the murder. She undermined all rules of decency in her determination to let nothing get in her way of “getting the story.” And quite frankly, her husband was a total sap where she was involved.

The story of the missing girls who turned up in a grave 20 years after they went missing was good. It was definitely a page turner.

I’ll look forward to the next by Lisa Jackson, but don’t think I’ll read any more featuring Nikki.

It was so very hard to put down, The Third Grave. Nikki is a magnet for trouble. So much trouble comes from being too curious. I really enjoyed reading this book.

A hurricane off the Georgia coast has responders busy so Bronco Cravens sneaks away to the crumbling Beaumont mansion in search of hidden treasure his grandpa told him about as a kid. Instead, he discovers the skeletons of what were once two young girls - and an empty space beside them.
Detective Pierce Reed is called to the scene to lead the investigation in the twenty year old cold case of three sisters - Holly, Poppy, and Rose - who went missing from the local movie theater. Autopsies confirm the identities of two of the sisters — but where is Rose? Why was her remains not found next to Holly and Poppy?

Reporter/crime writer Nikki Gillette just so happens to be married to Pierce Reed and she doesn’t care to step on his toes in order to get the story she needs. No matter how many times Reed tells her to back off, she ignores him and shows zero respect for him as her partner and as a police officer. She continuously finds herself in risky situations while ignoring repeated requests not to interfere and those risks lead to tragedy for others involved.

I don’t really know what to say about this book - for me, it was kind of a mess. Nikki and Reed don’t have real chemistry, Nikki is annoying and I felt like the repeated emphasis on her refusal to follow orders and the obsessive need to break the story really ruined the suspense; like, I get it already, she doesn’t care and it’s all about her story. We don’t have to constantly have that same argument between Nikki and Reed, it’s getting tiring. Her actions felt ridiculously contrived.

The mystery itself held my interest when Nikki and Reed’s personal stuff wasn’t getting in the way. There had to be a ton of secrets to lead to the disappearance of three sisters two decades before and some connection to the Beaumont estate where remains were found. I was very curious to learn what happened to the youngest sister, Rose. All this unfolds at a slow pace and the mystery felt almost secondary to the reporter/detective relationship.

That said, the climax had some great action but the who/how/why was … flimsy? Lame? The big twist was obvious from a mile away and required more suspension of disbelief than I was willing to give.

Sorry if this is spoiler-y but it is an *important trigger warning*: There is a scene with a brief description of miscarriage. I know this is a highly sensitive topic so I wanted readers to be aware and prepared.

This is the first book in this series that I’ve read, it can be read as a standalone, and I doubt I’ll return to it.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Third Grave is scheduled for release on June 29, 2021.

A throughly gripping novel that keeps you guessing right till the end.The storyline is well thought out and takes you on a thrilling journey. I read this book in record time and found it thought provoking.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining. The characters were complex while being completely entertaining.

The first half of the book was kind of slow for me, but the second half sped right up. There are a lot of sad moments. It took me to the end to figure out who the murderer was. Nikki wasn’t very good at thinking risks through. Reed just seemed like the long suffering husband for the first half of the book. However, overall I did like the book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

First, thank you to the publishers at Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC of The Third Grave.

I requested a copy of The Third Grave because I knew from the premise that it’d be a book right up my alley, and it did not disappoint.

Centering on the murder of two sisters, Nikki Gillette, a journalist/crime author, and her husband, Pierce Reed, a detective on the police force, are our two main protagonists in The Third Grave. While happily married, they are often at odds because of their very differing jobs, she the snoop, he the one set out to bring justice.

With several different viewpoints throughout the story, we learn a lot of new information through Gillette and Reed. I found the story to be a bit slow moving but that was because it’s description heavy which I can appreciate. I was able to see the mansion, river and city of Savannah within these pages.

Full of plenty of twists and turns that you really won’t see coming, you’ll be shocked by the ending. I know I was, after plenty of speculating throughout the story. Nikki and Pierce, while somewhat irritating, are completely devoted to their separate lines of work, and it really showed. 5/5 stars from me!

After two bodies are found in an old, abandoned mansion, a cold case becomes hot again! Enjoyed this “who-done-it” a lot! I found it difficult to put down! Great detective work and investigative reporting lead to surprising answers to the case.

This was an exciting read. It’s jammed packed full of action, twists, angles, lies. I was stunned at an early event in the book which left one character shaken. It’s a major event for the series that the characters have appeared previously. An old creepy house. Two skeletons. Three missing girls. As the puzzles began to unravel I was glued to my reading. There is a lot Of sorrow, but also redemptions. It’s just a really good story that will keep any reader riveted until the end.

A twisty turny tale of lies and deception. This was a great read. I had read a couple of this authors books recently that I didn’t love so I was nervous picking this one up. I’m glad to say this captured my interest and I loved it. The story line was creepy and well thought out. The characters were well developed. It had suspense and plot twists and a great climax. This one gets 4 stars from me

I normally love Lisa Jackson books. However, this one I had a difficult time getting through. It started out interesting and then I felt bogged down by information and lost interest in the story. I know this book will appeal to others and hope it does well with other readers. I will read more of Lisa Jackson, though, as I do like most of her stories and writing.

Bronco Beaumont returns to his family 's old run down mansion to try to "score" and find something his grandfather his decades ago. While there he discovers the remains of 2 missing girls, identified as the Duvall sisters, that disappeared from a movie theater 20 years ago. Only , there is a problem. There is a third empty grave and a third missing sister, Is she dead? Is she alive.? That is what Detective Pierce Reed and his partner are trying to find out. Throw in Reed's crime reporter wife and you have a very good thriller.

I really enjoyed this book. Fast read. Completed it in 2 days. My only negative comment, I found the character Niki frustrating. She was constantly endangering herself and sticking her nose where it did not belong with no regard for her pregnancy. Highly recommend.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for another great read.

A favorite author of mine for many years, this book did not disappoint. A page turner to the very end, I did enjoy this book but the main character was a little bit self involved so I didn't care for her much.

Nikki Gillette is married to police detective Pierce Reed. When two bodies are found in an old house on an estate Nikki can’t help herself she has to investigate. Years ago 3 sisters disappeared and now two of them have been identified as the decomposed bodies. Where is the third sister. I liked the story as a whole, but Nikki was irritating sometimes. She was reckless in her actions and didn’t seem to have a lot of regard for how it would impact others, her husband especially. There were quite a few twists in the story. I started to suspect where the story was going but in the end I was surprised.
This book is part of a series but could be read as a stand alone. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is the fourth installment in the Nikki Gillette series. I haven't read them all, but I've read two of them. I've found that I have a hard time connecting with or even liking Nikki and her husband, which makes it hard to stay engaged with the story. The mystery was okay, and I did like the ending of this one. I don't know that I'll read any more of this series.