I really enjoyed Shane's last book, Bring Her Home, so I was really excited to rejoin Jessie, Seamus, Terri and Dawn on another thrilling case. Lost Graves is a fantastic sequel and even better than the first.

The story starts with a bang when 11 year old traveller boy, Fergus and his dog stumble upon some bodies buried deep in the dark and eerie Derrada Woods. All hell breaks loose as the local Gardaí are hell bent on making sure Joe Keenan, Fergus's father is put away for a crime he couldn't possibly have committed. There's plenty of ups and down, twist and turns that will leave you clung to the edge of your seat and shouting at the pages.

Two aspects really stood out for me with this one. Firstly, I especially loved the character development, now we're on book two it was really great to see each of the characters grow and develop. Their little quirks from book one transferred over perfectly to Lost Graves and it almost felt like you were rooting for a friend.

Secondly, the atmosphere which spilled from the pages made for a book that I could just not put down. The dense, oppressive and haunting atmosphere that lurks within the Derrada Woods slowly crept from the pages, up my spine and left every single hair standing on end. I went to bed that night after spending the day reading and woke, jumping from the bed with a sense someone was standing over me, the book had obviously had an effect.

This is a fantastic, well written, creepy and twisty mystery which will have you looking over your shoulder and terrified to go into the woods for a long time to come.

Lost Graves by S. A. Dunphy

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture and I am leaving this review voluntarily

A scrap of clothing still clung to one arm – the remains of a woollen jumper, perhaps once carefully knitted by a loving mother, now dirty and torn. Jessie wondered how many parents were still waiting for news of those buried here, and how far the lost victims were from home.

A body has been found in an ancient forest in the remote west of Ireland – but this death is only the beginning. The crime scene reveals the remains of dozens of victims, stretching back years. None of them matching missing persons lists, and their DNA is not on file. With no clues to go on, and limited resources, the local police call in criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle and her partner Detective Seamus Keneally.

Last year I read and enjoyed the first book in this series - I had no doubts that I should request an advanced copy of the next book in the series. Whilst this is part of a series, I feel that it could very easily work as a stand-alone as the cases aren't connected. Filled with suspense, mystery and local folklore, this is a very enjoyable book. With many twists and turns every time I put this book down, I very quickly picked it back up again.

If you enjoyed the first book in the series, then there is no doubt that you will enjoy this one. If you haven't read the first book in the series, but enjoy police procedurals then you should give this book a try.

Rating 4/5

I was really excited to get this second book in the series, which is a police procedural set in Ireland, featuring our beloved Jessie Boyle, Seamus Keneally and Terri Kehoe, who are now like a wee family to me. The story is about a mass grave which is found, which contains a lot of bodies; the travelling community, a mythical monster, and government officials warning off our little team.

I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the setting, and the supernatural and mythological feel of the book. I look forward to reading more books from this author. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The second in this series and I can hardly wait for the next installment. I love the use of Irish myths and stories getting wrapped up in these stories. The team is great and I love the genealogist character. I hope that the team can stay together and not get too badly hurt.

The second in the series and a brilliant read. While I enjoyed the first book, Bring Her Home, I got a bit bogged down in the folklore and mythology, but in Lost Graves while there is some of that, for me it enhanced the read this time rather than took away from it. Jessie and Seamus travel to Leitrim to investigate the discovery of bodies found in Derrada Woods and immediately just about everyone is warning them off. Terri is more on her own this time but still an important part of the team. While trying to solve the case, they are caught in the middle of a travellers row that will put them and all around them in danger. I read this book in one day and I’m already looking forward to seeing what the next instalment has in store for the team. A great addition to the series

Another brilliant book in this series.
I love the dynamic between Jessie, Seamus Terri and Dawn.
In this book they’re asked to help investigate some deaths which appear to be historic. The bodies were found by a traveller, Joe, and his son’s dog and with over ten bodies found, they know something is not right in this wooded area.
They speak to the locals and are told a tale about a character from Irish folklore and many believe it’s him killing these people.
The team struggle to identify the bodies but at least 2 of them have their details redacted on a military system so this piques their interest.
Joe and his son are also being hunted by a rival traveller gang and they are determined to kill them both.
This is an action packed crime thriller that will have you racing through the pages.
A brilliant book that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

THIs is a well done and highly atmospheric procedural that wraps Irish myths and superstition into a hunt for answers when a young Traveller boy finds what turns out to be a cache of bodies in rural Ireland. The police team-Jessie, a behaviorist, Terri a historian and Seasmus the DS- are unusual for the genre but it works well. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I missed the first book in this series and that's my loss but let me assure you that this will be fine as a standalone.

Joe Keenan, who leads an almost nomadic life with his young son Finbar, is arrested when bodies of dozens of victims are discovered not far from where they’re camping in a Leitrim forest. Joe pleads his innocence, desperate to collect Finbar from care and return to the open road. Criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle is convinced Joe is not guilty, and that the killer is still out there… and potentially still preparing more deaths. When the inevitable happens, Jessie and her team have to risk everything to find the truth, meeting several unpleasant characters in the process and siphoning the facts from the fiction. This book, the second in the series, has just about everything: a wickedly good plot that jumps from different perspectives, action, drama and at its heart, a twisted storyline about the power that the past can have over all of us.

A good sequel with a steady pace and a strong narrative that doesn’t deviate from the main plot. The folklore are interesting and new to me. Though the conclusion was predictable, the author had successfully dealt with all as victims of the time and politics. 4.5 stars.

4 Stars

One Liner: A mix of various elements and interesting characters.

When Rufus, the pet dog of a Traveller father and son, digs up what looks like a burial site, it ends up opening the Pandora box of deaths and mysteries unsolved for years.
Jessie Boyle and Seamus Keneally visit the village and learn that things are as dangerous as they can get. With no clues, DNA results, or any information to keep them going, Jessie knows it’ll be another almost-impossible case to tackle.
The slightest of evidence takes them forward only to branch out into mysterious routes, and only one of them leads to the killer. The forest has safeguarded secrets for decades and has no intention of giving them up without a fight. Moreover, the Abhartach (a terror from the Irish legends) seems to have claimed the forests as his own.
With ominous warnings from the local folk and pressure from the government, can Jessie get to the bottom of the case and stay alive?

My Observations:
• The book reads well as a standalone despite a few references to the past.
• The pacing is steady. The story is neither wow nor bland.
• The characters are cool and distinct. It’s easy to get into the flow and understand their voices.
• Dawn Wilson is a kickass boss. I hope to see more of her in the coming books.
• Some of the Irish politics and military references went over my head. However, it didn’t stop me from getting the overall picture.
• The character descriptions read like a police report. That was cheeky. ;)
• Good balance between show and tell.
• Enough action to keep readers interested.
• No unexpected twists or ‘pull the rug’ moments.

Side Note:
The book discusses the legend of Abhartach, a short, dark, and terrifying man who is the earliest vampire in history. The legend claims that death didn’t stop Abhartach, no matter how many times he was killed. It took a Catholic Church priest to put Abhartach on an ash stake and prevent him from rising again.
This caught my interest as I’ve been reading about colonization and conversion of heathens from pagan religions to Abrahamic religions. The legend fit right into the slot. Imagine a dead person who can be stopped only by a Christian priest. Somehow, none of the existing pagan rituals seem to help people.
The book has interesting viewpoints about the legend, and one of them did get my attention. It equates the Abhartach with the Irish to show that no matter how much the Churches tried, the natives (and settlers) could rise and claim their heritage after being almost wiped out of existence.
Since I actually felt sorry for the character equated with Abhartach, I do agree with the analysis. The pagans are rising again (in my country too, though we managed to retain our culture and heritage), and well, it’s time the world respected this.

To sum up, Lost Graves is a steady thriller with a mix of various elements, from folklore to politics. It can be read as a standalone.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Dunphy writes in a very engaging manner and features characters that he brings to life. There are no cardboard cutouts here. But what makes the Boyle and Keneally books particularly interesting is that the author includes, along with an interesting crime mystery, elements of local folklore which adds an intriguing twist to the stories.

When Irish traveller Joe Keenan, his son Finbar and dog Rufus come across some human remains in Derrada Woods, County Leitrim he realises that, despite his reservations, he will need to report this to the police. Of course his fears are realised when he is arrested on suspicion of murder. The local plod writes it off as a traveller feud. But when evidence of at least 10 bodies is uncovered criminologist Jessie Boyle and her partner DS Seamus Keneally are called in.

It is strangely almost impossible to identify the victims, DNA doesn’t yield anything. Two victims are finally identified as belonging to the Department of Defence. Everything is shrouded in secrecy and the locals talk about a vampiric monster roaming the woods - the Abhartach. When the team’s tech specialist Terry Kehoe digs into it she finds disappearances related to the woods going back at least two decades.

Even though Jessie knows the Abhartach is not real there have been many sighting of a small statured being, all in black, who moves like the wind, who seems to ripple in a way the eye cannot pin down and who is utterly stealthy. Like a ninja. Jessie’s team is repeatedly warned off but the criminologist is not for turning!

Things come to a head when the Dunne’s, another traveller clan who have a serious grudge against Joe Keenan and Finbar, and now Jessie and Seamus too, launch a mass attack against the police station where they are holed up. Things don’t go according to plan.

The writing is so good that you feel you are there. The characters are so relatable and make a wonderful team. Their boss, Dawn Wilson, is a gem - a real leader who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty either. The folklore elements add a level to the story and the Keenans were wonderful supporting characters. The only sour note is that Uruz, an unknown quantity also with mythical elements from the first book, is still taunting Jessie, I have a feeling these two will be having show down eventually. This fast paced mystery/thriller was a pleasure to read. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Wow! The pace in this book never let up from the first page! This is a 5* Irish crime thriller, packed full with interesting and believable characters. A fascinating plot with a slight feel of the supernatural to it, all wrapped up in a dark tale and a superb location. Although it is book 2 in the Boyle and Keneally series, it reads well as a standalone and I highly recommend the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Since I read Bring Her Home a few months ago, I have been eagerly awaiting this book!
It did not disappoint - I could have finished in one sitting if life had allowed.
Sucked me in - fast paced, another mythical legend, sketchy characters, a father and son on the run and of course Jesse and her team. Excited for the next book.
Joe and Finbar along with their dog Rufus are out on a walk - having just arrived at the Derrada woods, an ancient forest in the Irish countryside. Rufus digs up a hand, several body dump sites - forcing Joe to notify the police. As a Traveller, the local police assume like most in their community Joe is guilty.
Jesse and her team are sent to follow-up - upon arrival they push for Joe's release as he clearly could not have committed the crime.
Terri is tasked to track several leads - bringing the attention of the Department of Defense. After being told to step away from this case, Jesse pushes harder to find the truth.
Suspense weaved with local legends - excellent writing. Highly recommend.

Looking for a mystery that reads JUST like a show you'd see on AcornTV or Britbox? Here you go- you've found it! The entire time I was reading this book, I was pulling from the BBC general casting (why are the same 40 actors in EVERY BBC/ITV cop show? Seriously there have to be more actors in all of Great Britain! LOL) in my head, and putting the into the story.

This is an interesting take on a Irish cop mystery in that it incorporates the Troubles, Irish travelers, Irish folklore, and a seemingly perfect crime. But Jessie's small unit isn't a traditional unit. They look outside the traditional forensic boxes for clues, and when they start finding clues, they get shoved back into a corner. Who wants the investigation shut down and why? This roller coaster story will keep you up late into the night! You'll want to go back and read book one, and you'll eagerly be waiting on book 3!

Lost Graves is the second book in the Boyle and Keneally series. I really enjoyed this book. It is filled with suspense, folklore, mystery, and urban myth., Jesse Boyle and Seamus Keneally are the main characters with the supporting characters adding to the story. It takes place in the town of Ballinamore, Ireland.. The story opens with Finbar, an 11-year-old boy, and his dog, Rufus is playing in Derrida Woods His dog starts digging and digs up a body. Finbar tells his dog to go get his father, Joe Keenan. They report it to the local police in Sligo.. Joe is a traveler, The police chief, Josh Glenn has a dislike for travelers and arrests him

Jesse and Seamus are part of a division that investigates cases of violent crimes run by Commissioner Dawn Wilson. Terri Kehoe, a genealogist and tech specialist is also part of this group. Dawn sends Jesse and Seamus to follow up on the body. When they get to Darrada Woods they find it is a burial ground. This is where the story goes in two directions. The first is finding out who the bodies are and the second is why Joe Keenan is on the run. He is being chased by the Dunnes the largest of the traveler's clan. Maisie Dunne is the head of the clan. She has a hatred for Joe and wants him dead. She meets Jesse and Seamus and takes a dislike to them tool

There is a story in the town of a vampire named Abhartach. Everyone fears him, Sergent Major Stewart O'Driscoll is the head of the Irish Department of Defense. They own land in Darrada Woods where they use to do maneuvers. Something bad happened concerning Abhartach years ago. There is so much going on that it is hard to explain all the different characters and more bodies. The story comes to a climax with the attack on the police station by the Dunnes and a surprising ending.

I couldn't put this book down with all the twists and turns. I look forward to the next adventure in the series. I plan to read the first book of this series, Bring Her Home.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

S. A. Dunphy is working hard on becoming one of my favourite authors. This outstanding second book in the Boyle and Keneally series blew my mind! I will not lie, I was a bit scared if the second book would live up to the greatness of the first book. It most definitely did!

This book is set in the most rural setting in a cold and gray Irish village with a scary forest. There is something, someone, scary living in the forest, and no one really knows who it is. People are scared, and there are many tales about this mythical creature. Not everyone who has met the mythical creature has survived.

The police are looking into what is happening in the village because a Traveller and his son find some human bones. They took a risk talking to the police, and now they feel trapped. They are also targets of the local Traveller leader, who wants to see them dead. Not everyone in the police is supporting this case, but reasons behind this are not given.

I thoroughly enjoyed the different storylines that tied together at the end. I find this book to be both clever and brilliant. I simply could not put down this book, so I read it in one sitting. It made me anxious, heartbroken, and proud. It felt like a different world. Reading as many crime books as I do it takes a lot to stir up this many emotions. There were times I did not really know where the book would take me.

I genuinely enjoyed the storyline and the characters. The greatness of this book is hard to describe, it have to be soaked up by simply reading the book. I have to say it was a nice surprise to see Travellers given so much space in a book like this. The characters are so vivid and real. I have a clear film version of this book on my mind. Simply brilliant!

An absolutely gripping tale. Thrilling and keeps the reader guessing about what next. Loved the writing and the characters.

Lost Graves by S.A. Dunphy
(Boyle & Keneally #2)

The women in this story pull no punches. Better start running now because each of them is a force to be reckoned with! Irish Police Commissioner Dawn Wilson, who has a fondness for Batman, has assembled the team of Jessie Boyle, a 45 year old criminal behaviorist formerly of the London Met, 28 year old DS Seamus Keneally of the NBCI, and 25 year old "goth light" Terri Kehoe, a genealogist and tech specialist, to investigate cases of violent crime that standard police procedure has failed to progress.

The team has arrived in Sligo to investigate long buried bodies found in the Derrada Woods. The bodies seem to have been dumped there over several decades and the people were murdered in a variety of ways. Is there one killer, more than one killer? Surely all the murders are connected in some way since the bodies are buried so close together. It turns out that there have been a lot of missing persons but few of the cases were investigated very well so no connection to all of them had been made.

There have been rumors that Abhartach, a short, dark terror of early Irish legend, roams the woods and is able to strike with deadly precision, leaving no trace of his presence. It's almost as if he can fly through the trees, feet not touching the ground, extracting vengeance. Could this mythical monster be preying on men? Why can't most of these bodies be identified? Who has wiped out all record of these people?

No one wants Jessie, Seamus, and Terri working on this case. They are warned off by top officials, local authorities, and a gnarly old man. But the team isn't going to be called off, especially when a Traveling father is suspected of one or more murders solely based on his son finding a body and then reporting the body to the local police. Locking up an innocent man means that the real murderer/murderers are on the loose and more people will die.

There is such a supernatural feel to the story and location, and the mysterious, secret, entities that want the team to abandon all investigations into the deaths, crank up the sense of danger. With the strange creature/human on the loose and other violent persons threatening the team and the father/son duo, this story is dark and it only gets darker and more violent as the team digs deeper.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC.

Jessie Boyle is a former criminal behaviorist now working with a small team that includes Seamus Keneally and young Terrie Keho, who is their tech specialist. Their boss, Dawn Wilson, pulled the team together after they solved a previous murder.

There were many compelling factors in this book. One of them includes the Irish travellers. Also there was folklore based on a legend from long ago. While one of the travellers was accused of the murder, Jessie and Seamus did not see it that way. They had to dig deep and as they did they found much more than they bargained for. Also, there was a military edge to this story, one shrowded in secrecy. Would Jessie be able to pull together the murder, the travellers, the legend and the Ireland special forces in order to stop any further murders?

As the story began, an eleven-year-old boy named Fergus Keenan and his dog discovered bones that proved to be human. The police suspected and arrested the boy's father, Joe. Jessie, Seamus and Terrie take on this case at different ends, and one thing becomes clear at the very beginning - Joe is not responsible for the remains that were discovered. In fact, the location is in an area where more than one person had disappeared. Not likely to be a coincidence, and this is just one factor that plays into Joe's innocence.

What of the Irish travellors, and the legendary Abartach they claim is responsible for the bodies discovered? That is not the only legend claimed. In fact, vampires are mentioned. Will Jessie and Seamus be able to seperate fact from fiction in what proves to become a race against time? Also, there are other parties involved. Not only are other travellers of note, but the secrecy of the military is at play.

Not only did this amazing book prove considerable research, Dunphy created compelling characters, drama and tension and incredible intrigue. I loved the first book in this series, Bring Her Home, and this second book, Lost Graves, was even better.

Truth be told, the woods are even scarier to me than they already were after reading this book. That just goes to show how intensely creative this book was written. The eerie vibe never once let up. I love the team and cannot wait to see what is next in stored for Jessie and Seamus.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

black-ops, trauma, travelers, rom-families, behaviorist, historian, history-and-culture, historical-setting, law-enforcement, lawless, Ireland, espionage, murder, murder-investigation, PTSD, family-dynamics, fast-pace, folklore, forensics, friendship, fugitive, superstitions, support-system, survival, suspense, legend, urban-myth, rural, small-town, computer-nerd, thriller, procedural*****

A blending of the impossible, the possible, and the all-too-real, this is waaay more than a psychological thriller or police procedural. Gathered into a special division of the Gardai in Ireland under the command of a more than capable officer who is responsible to a very high muckity muck in the ministry, are a police detective, a behaviourist, a historian, and a computer geek of the finest kind. They respond to a rural detachment where a traveler (Irish Rom in the Isles) has been detained for reporting the site of multiple unreported burials of people who have been murdered. Then it really gets sticky! Folk horror mixed with a whole lot more made me stay up too late because I JUST had to finish it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!
Now I just bought the audio of book one!