This book is the first in a new series that combines a regular police procedural with some supernatural elements, and some history thrown in for good measure. The time jumps back in the past confuses at the beginning but soon it all comes together and keeps you entertained until the end. A thrilling read, recommended.

What happens when an ancient spear is used in a modern murder? Told in alternating storylines, Bury Me Deep takes place in England--both in modern day and during the Anglo-Saxon beginnings. I've not read much from this ancient time period, but is was fascinating. The storyline was solid and the main character was easy to root for. I will be reading the rest of the series as it comes out. Definately recommended.

This was an interesting read for me because I love police procedurals and I love historical fiction so this was a great mashup! I started this book long ago, but it started out rather slow for me so I put it aside and then just recently got back to it. I really like the author’s writing style and once I got the feel of the book, I was intrigued to see how the different time periods were going to merge! So glad I stuck with it! I’m looking forward to her next book! 3.5 stars

The body of Charlie Higgins, a small-time criminal, is found in an archeological dig site in Threadingford, and Detective Rozlyn Priest is investigating in Bury Me Deep, which is the first novel in the Detective Rozlyn Priest series. While much of the novel takes place in the modern day, there is also a subplot dating back to the Dark Ages, and it seems that the two plots are related. Roz is determined to dig deep enough to find the murderer, and also to find out why she is having visions of a Saxon warrior who is also fighting for justice.

Jane Adams is a bestselling English author, and her expertise in writing is evident in this new series. While the book is fictional and does include some supernatural aspects, the historical facts relating to the Dark Ages parts are factual and educational. It’s always nice to learn historical facts while enjoying a good novel. Adams does an excellent job of developing her characters. Rozlyn Priest is an interesting character, and she is the perfect protagonist for this unique police procedural novel that takes place both in our modern day and during the Dark Ages.. Adams also does a good job with the supporting characters, and readers will be surprised how easily the stories go from time period to time period.

Readers who like history and police procedurals will enjoy this book. It will keep readers on the edge and will be difficult to put down. Adams is an excellent writer and this is a good new series.

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

When the body of a minor informant and petty criminal ends up in at an archaeological dig in Theadingford, Rozlyn Priest wonders who would go to the trouble to murder Charlie Higgins. Long known to her as a man full of misinformation and more of a hindrance than a help, she can't imagine a reason anyone would want him dead. When the murder weapon turns out to be an Anglo-Saxon spear, in perfect condition and never recorded as an archaeological find, she realizes her murder may be the tail end of something much bigger.

The spear once belonged to Treven, King's Thegn of the vill of Theading in the ninth century. When he arrives with his Shire Reeve, Hugh de Vries, he has every expectation of providing the people with stability and justice after long years of war. He is loyal to King Aelfred, and has plans to use this time of peace to secure the land and the people for his king. Soon after he arrives, however, the daughter of a prominent family and wife of a local farmer is found with her head bashed in after leaving for a tryst with Hugh. Treven must determine if Hugh is guilty of the crime, and if not, who is. Drawn into not only this murder, but the earlier disappearance of the woman's sister, Treven has to use his skills and judgment, honed by experience on the battlefield, to unravel the crimes.

As both Treven and Rozlyn confront misconceptions about those around them, the more they realize they committed errors of misjudgment. Rozlyn's investigation uncovers links to human trafficking and the antiquities black market. Treven's leads him to the truth about his companion in arms. Neither are resolved to any degree of satisfaction for the reader.

This book started off with so much promise. Rozlyn is a strong female character. She has grit, determination, and does not back down from confrontation. With sharp wits and keep investigative skills she seems an unlikely person to need psychic abilities to solve crimes. In all fairness, she is not comfortable with these traits and does not seek them out. But the way these traits are written in the narrative makes them seem contrived. They are not necessary to solve the crime, and they don't add depth to the story or complexity to the characters. Metaphysical components may be popular in stories that bridge past and present. At times, they seem ubiquitous. But Rozlyn Priest is a character for whom these abilities seem wholly unnecessary.

This is a bold book. It links the elements of mystery, mysticism, and history with a fearless but vulnerable female detective at the center. Unfortunately, the book halts abruptly, trailing off into an epilogue in which nothing is truly resolved. You don't really know who did what to whom and when. There are future books featuring Detective Priest in the works, so perhaps more finality comes in these editions.

If you like your mysteries with a touch of the woo-woo, you will enjoy Bury Me Deep. If you prefer a more scientific approach to issues of crime, time, and history you might want to look elsewhere. This is not a badly written book, but it lacks the complexity and layers to appeal to both sets of readers.

Bury me deep by Jane Adams is the first in the new Detective Rozlyn Priest series and I was hooked within the first few pages and I could not put it down. This new series is set into two timelines centuries apart, one in the present day which features Detective Rozlyn Priest, and the other in the year 878 set in and around Theadingford Manor, an estate located deep in the valley two miles from the Anglo-Saxon village of Theading.

THREE VICTIMS. TWO MILLENNIA. ONE TIMELESS WEAPON


"Detective Rozlyn Priest never expected to find herself here. Teetering on the brink of an ancient grave. She takes a breath, willing herself to look down" She finds old bones, broken relics but, she finds a dead man staring back at her!
She recognises him as Charlie Higgins, a petty criminal Roz who once called on for help from her.

Is she the reason he’s dead?

Slashed with a spear that belongs in the Dark Ages? WoW!

"Roz won’t rest until she finds the truth. But her investigation is leading nowhere. And now she’s seeing things — visions of a flame-haired Saxon warrior who shares her thirst for justice."

WoW what a start to a new series.....I loves it. I highly recommend this book and looking forward to the next book in this Detective Rozlyn Priest series

Big thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own

Nail biting, gut wrenching thriller! I love a good book with different timelines. This story was truly fascinating and Jane Adams did amazing with this book.

“Bury Me Deep” is written in dual time frames – present day and the 9th century, when King Alfred was trying to unify England. Both involve mystery and murder, with an archaeological find and the land itself being the link between the 21st and 9th centuries.
Detective Inspector Rozlyn Priest is called to attend the discovery of a dead man at the Theadingfold dig. This is not an ages old body, but someone that D.I. Priest knew – a small time criminal named Charlie Higgins. When the murder weapon is found, it becomes obvious that Charlie was killed by a single thrust of a spear that had been made centuries earlier. This is the beginning of the present-day mystery: why was Charlie killed, by whom and where had the ancient spear come from?
In the 9th century, the story features the events that follow the arrival of Treven and Hugh de Vries at Theadingfold. Both were warriors who had fought for King Alfred and they had been sent to the region by the king to take over and manage property in the area. They are not welcomed by the Scrivener brothers, who had been overseeing the land. It was not long before Hugh was becoming familiar with the wife of one of the brothers - a fatal and misjudged liaison.
The two stories intertwine throughout the book. There are elements of the supernatural in the novel and overall, they enhance the story in my opinion.
I enjoyed “Bury Me Deep”, which is well written and carefully plotted. The characters have depth to them and I will certainly look out for more Rozlyn Priest novels.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe books for the chance to read and review this book.

Bury Me Deep by Jane Adams is the beginning of a new series featuring Detective Rozelyn Priest. It is set in and around Threadingford Manor, an estate that is deep in a valley about two miles from Threading.
The story is set over two timelines, centuries apart. We see the present day with Detective Rozelyn Priest and the other being the year 878 New Lord Treven, accompanied by the king’s appointed Shire Reeve Hugh De Vries, has been granted the land by the grateful King Aelfred whom he fought beside and discovers that one of the old steward’s daughters Allis is missing,they think she has either run off with another man or has been killed. Cate, her sister knows what has happened but can't say. When another woman is attacked and dies, Treven needs to learn the truth of his world as we see Rozlyn needing to do in her present day world. Treven also begins to experience weird visions and he doesn't know why.
In the present day we see what is left of the estate being excavated by archaeologists and a body is found. Rozlyn is called to the scene where the victim, Charlie Higgins,has been killed with a single powerful and very accurate stab wound. The murder weapon, an ancient spear from the Dark Ages but definitely not from the dig site, is found nearby, more than likely dropped by the murderer as he was trying to get away fast. Rozlyn feels almost like it is her fault due to the fact Charlie was someone she had used for years to attempt to get information of criminal activities, but he wasn't exceptionally good at it. Her feeling is cemented when she finds out that Charlie thought he was onto something “big” and was eager to find out more in order to please her. As she digs deeper, she realises that there was a lot she was unaware of about Charlie and it begins to dawn on her that this case is a whole lot bigger and more serious than she could have imagined. Will both Treven and Roz be able to solve their mysteries before other people are killed?
I love a dual timeline story and although this particular one is quite a unique one, going back so far, I really got into it. A riveting and definitely immersive read. Jane Adams has skilfully woven a tale that is so rich in historical detail that I was there! I loved it! I can imagine for those who just enjoy a straight crime thriller it may be a bit heavy on the history side. I personally think it was a story that took us from way back in the Dark Ages and back to present day so smoothly and every element was present to create a very interesting crime thriller also. The twists, turns, blind alleys that had me quessing so incorrectly all kept me turning them pages! A highly original and intriguing tale with a new Detective to look forward to learning about in future books as well.
Thanks to Jill ,Joffe Books and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

This book was just okay for me. It didn't really keep my attention and I have a hard time remembering anything I liked or that stuck out to me.

Dual timeline between 9th century and the present-day linked by a jewelled spear. It felt like two different stories stitched together by the weapon. Modern day police woman sorting out the murder of one of her narks, people trafficking and other nastiness. 9th century story of greed, murder, honour. The two didn't really gel with me. Well written though. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Present day: a police informer or 'snitch' is found murdered at an archaeological dig. The murder weapon of a medieval spear is nearby. 878 AD King Alfred has sent a law enforcer to Theading but murder takes place and his former battlefield comrade is prime suspect...
Bury Me Deep is a dual timeline novel, an intriguing mix of police procedural novel and historical murder muytery. There is also a hint of supernatural as the two timelines collide through dreams and visions.
It took me a little while to get into the plot as the two timelines jumped about a bit in the opening chapters so I couldn't settle into either era. The middle was excellent and dramatic. I found myself completely swept up in both timelines and interested in the comparison of the present day with the Anglo Saxon era as well as the connection of the murder weapon. The ending fizzled out a little for me but I'm looking forward to the next in the series to see where the author takes the characters from here...
Rozlyn's character felt solid and dependable although her dreams cause her to doubt herself. She feels responsible for Charlie's murder and is determined to bring his killer to justice, using some of her more unsavoury contacts to help the search. She pushes boundaries if she feels that the ends justifies the means, but this leads to danger and puts her at odds with her superior officers.
Meanwhile the ninth century characters also had an authenticity. Trying to survive and bring security and peace to a turbulent nation, the pagan and Christian religions battling for spiritual dominance. I found it easy to identify with Treven who seems to have a modern and pragmatic outlook which makes him likeable.
Bury Me Deep gave a fascinating and contrasting study of justice across two time periods, and overall I enjoyed it.

⭐⭐

I struggled with this book from beginning to end. It wasn't a badly written book. My issue mostly was that I didn't feel like the dual timeline meshed well at all. The connection between both timelines felt weak at best. And the present-day story was slow, boring and the characters flat. That said, I enjoyed the historical story much more, and ultimately it was that kept me reading.

**Arc Via NetGalley**

I was excited by the original premise of a murder mystery linked to history, and I tried to get into this book. I really did. Mystery is the main genre of books I read, so this premise stood out to me as unique, but I only kept reading because I had to write a review, and I kept trying to see if I just had a slow start.

Nothing kept my attention or intrigue - the characters were bland and their lives and work didn't interest me, the mystery itself moved way too slow. I would have stopped reading very early because of the monotony of the plot, even though there were two storylines. (Switching back and forth between them made me care about the characters even less, because who am I supposed to be rooting for and where am I supposed to be anchored when thrown right into the story?) In present day, the investigation didn't have enough leads and new discoveries along the way to keep my attention, and the historical timeline felt like a soap of who wanted to bang who with some death and testosterone thrown in. The characters didn't feel real to me and I couldn't connect to them or their lives.

Giving this two stars because the writing itself is decent and the premise had potential. Someone else might be able to handle the slow reveal, but not me.

Thanks to the author, Joffe Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read Bury Me Deep. I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I'm a sucker for the dual-timeline mystery format (where there are two interconnected plots, one in the distant past and one in the present). This employed it well.
I will admit that, like the protagonist, I have little interest in early British history. Like, none, actually. So I wasn't as interested in the past portions of the story. There was nothing wrong with those parts- they were well written and the characters were surprisingly well-developed, given their limited airtime (page time? I'm not sure what the correct term is, but you get the idea). But I just couldn't get into it. That's on me, not the writer.
I was more interested in the present. I like the protagonist, who I was happy to find wasn't of the "maladjusted, messy maverick" variety, and I liked Jenny, her sidekick, and the local community-minded crime boss. The best character, though, was Mouse Man, who genuinely tugged at my heartstrings. That one scene with his wee rodent companions... oof.
The mystery was interesting enough. Archaeology, greed and murder, with some intimidation and other criminal activities thrown in.
There was also a supernatural element. I'm not so sure about it. I think it has the potential to be an interesting part of future stories, but the, I guess, dream sequences? in this one felt clunky and awkward The dialogue didn't work. It's a shame, because it's a fun concept, but I do think that aspect will be ironed out in future books.
Overall, I enjoyed it and would definitely read a sequel.

2 murders, 1200 years apart doesn’t seem possible to be linked in any way, but as the story unfolds connections begin to appear with Roslyn Preist with her somewhat unearthly powers brings justice to the victims. A somewhat seemingly impossible story line leads to a great read.

An intriguing book, especially if you believe in an afterlife, an ancient murder tied up with a modern tale of people trafficking and art world crime. A policewoman with The Gift to see things? Not sure if it’s acceptable but book is laced with characters that are all believable if at times mysterious A good read

An unusual crime read from Jane Adams with dual storylines, one set in the present featuring DI Rozlyn Priest and the other set in the 9th century featuring Treven, tales connected by a murder weapon, Priest finds a informant murdered informant, Charlie Higgins, stabbed by a very old spear, and wonders if she is responsible for his death. She will not rest until she finds the killer. Treven, looks into the murder of a nobleman, determined to get justice. The historical thread felt a more laboured read, I much preferred the present. A mixed bag of a crime read for me, there were aspects I enjoyed but some parts I found harder to get through. Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.

Two timelines, one weapon,one connection. Here is the premise that drives this story. It’s two timelines are meant to engage the now of the story while the second offers a glimpse meant to satisfy the historian in the reader. I love a good historical reference point and happily you get a feel for the past here. Bury Me Deep hits the best of both worlds. Happy reading

This is a story set in two timelines centuries apart, one in the present day featuring DI Rozlyn Priest, and the other in the year 878 set in and around Theadingford Manor, an estate located deep in the valley two miles from the Anglo-Saxon village of Theading. New lord Treven, accompanied by the king’s appointed Shire Reeve Hugh De Vries, has been given the land by the grateful King Aelfred whom he fought beside and learns that one of the old steward’s daughters Allis has disappeared, presumed run off with another man or killed. Her sister Cate knows what happened but cannot tell. When another woman is attacked and dies, Treven will need to find the truth in his world just as Roz does in hers and he is curious about the strange visions he has. In the present day the remains of the estate are now being excavated by archaeologists and this has become the dump site for a murder victim. Roz is called to the scene where the victim, Charlie Higgins, has been found with a single powerful and very accurate stab wound. He was a small time and pretty unsuccessful snout she had used for several years. The murder weapon, an ancient spear from the Dark Ages but definitely not from the dig site, is found nearby, dropped by the killer as he made his way back to his car to flee the scene. Roz feels almost a personal responsibility for the death, especially when she learns Charlie thought he was onto something “big” and was keen to please her. As she digs deeper, she discovers much she didn’t know about Charlie and realizes just how big and dangerous this case is, while she also starts to experience strange echoes from the past. Will both Treven and Roz be able to solve their respective mysteries without further bloodshed?
I have to say I loved the present day aspect of this but found the historical side and dream sequences quite heavy and detailed at times, and it took me quite a while to get into the story. Once the two threads started to intertwine, it produced an interesting twist on a police procedural novel with a historical and mystical flavour. I will be keen to see how the series proceeds. 4*