This is a gritty legal procedural that made me very happy that I don't work in the justice field. The legal maneuvering felt authentic, possibly because the author is an attorney who has worked on both sides, both as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney.

Alonso Hafeez is possibly the scariest villain I've ever encountered in a book, one who could give Hannibal Lecter competition for the top spot. Many years ago, prosecutor Solomon Shephard had put him in jail for murder. Solomon has been out of commission due to injuries he received from another felon, injuries that left him crippled. He returned to work shortly before he gets the news: Alonso has been released from prison, and Solomon believes he will come after him.

When Solomon disappears, his friend and coworker Sheriff Gray knows that something has happened. She begins to dig into Alonso's past to find isolated places where he might be keeping Solomon. But she is also on Alonso's list ...

I received an e-ARC of this book from the author, and publisher Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

This was my first book by Victor Methos. Although it was the second in this series, I didn't feel like I missed much, because I hadn't read the first one. It kept me on edge, as I was worried about what would happen to the characters. The delusions of one of them, put others through so much turmoil. What happens when someone wants to get revenge after being accused of something they said they didn't do? Well, a hell of a lot, and it was quite a ride!!

Note: I am reviewing both the books in this series together.

Prior to reading these books I had heard of Victor Methos and especially his book 'The Neon Lawyer' which I am interested in reading.

Both these books are part of a new series involving Solomon Shepard, a former prosecutor who suffered a near fatal attack by a psychotic killer whom Solomon was prosecuting and Elizabeth (Billie) Gray, a young detective following in her father's footsteps.

Like in most cases I began the series by reading the second book before moving on to the first one. The first book deals with a copycat killer impersonating The Reaper, a serial killer who was never caught while the second book has a criminal holding years old grudge against Solomon for prosecuting and imprisoning him.

While both books are fast paced without a dull moment, I did find I enjoyed the second book much more than the first one. I found the nemesis of the second book, Alonso Ash, a lot more interesting and scary. His delusion, sense of false victimhood and lack of fear of any consequences made him truly terrifying. I am still not sure why the first book is called 'The Silent Witness' but the title of the second book 'The Grave Singer' makes sense when Alonso references an ancient practice to decide if a person on trial was truly guilty or not.

One thing though: Solomon Shepard is described as someone being not that old (maybe mid to late 30s) who uses the aid of a walking stick as a result of the attack he suffered in the courtroom but I somehow couldn't create a clear picture of him in my head. There were times when I pictured a much older man which was in direct contrast to how he was described.

P. S.: From the short bio, I found Victor Methos's own journey to becoming a lawyer quite interesting as well.

Rating:
The Silent Witness ⭐⭐⭐✨💫
The Grave Singer 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I thought this book was going to be better than what it was, this was the first book I read from this author and unfortunately it will be my last. The book had the potential to be good but for me it just wasn’t there

If you're looking for an romping good boo, this one's for you. I was thrilled by this book. The surprises kept me reading. I enjoyed every book by this author.

I enjoyed this book it was good. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters. I also enjoyed the plot.

Addictive series. Great suspenseful mystery. Interesting unique characters and thrilling twists. Solomon and Billie are a great team. You won't be able to put this one down. Highly recommended.

Thanks to netgalley! Another great read from Methos. I continue to find these stories fresh and additive each book. This was a great sequel to the Shepard and Grey series. Hoping for book 3.

If you're looking for a thrilling read that will make your heart race, look no further than Victor Methos' latest novel, "The Grave Singer". As a fan of his other works, I had high expectations for this book, and I was not disappointed.

Methos does an excellent job of building suspense and keeping the reader engaged throughout the story. The characters are well-developed and complex, and the plot twists keep you guessing until the very end. I found myself staying up late into the night to finish this book because I couldn't put it down.

Overall, "The Grave Singer" is a compelling and riveting thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're a fan of Methos' other works or enjoy suspenseful novels, I highly recommend giving this one a read.

The Grave Singer by Victor Methos
Shepard & Gray Series #2

Dark, gritty, gruesome action-packed thrill-ride from beginning to end – I could not put it down. Though second in the series, I was able to read this without trouble…but do want to read book one at some point in the future.

What I liked:
* Solomon Shepard: legal prosecutor, mobility impaired, intelligent, raised in foster system after orphaned, friends with the sheriff, in a relationship with Gesell
* Gesell: divorced, mother of a teenage son, musician and chef, business owner, loves Solomon
* Billie Gray: sheriff, father was sheriff before her, good friend, there for Solomon, would like to know more about her and wonder if she and Solomon might end up together in the future
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* That I cared about the characters and wanted the good ones to prevail
* The look into the legal system – a bit of the good and the bad
* Being able to thoroughly dislike Alonso Ash – a brilliant, wily, wickedly evil villain easy to hate
* That though Solomon dealt with physical damage he handled it well though he may also have past issues he needs to deal with to move forward
* That the relationships and situations in this story seemed honest and believable
* Reading a new-to-me author that I will read again

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about what causes some people to be as warped and wicked as Alonso Ash was

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

This is the second book in this series and in the beginning I thought I was going to like it even more than the first one but there was a bit too much violence towards the end. There's a lot of brutality in the book and a cat goes missing but I've read worse descriptions. I had to wonder how much punishment Solomon could take and still survive. The author's writing is crisp and concise and I didn't find myself zoning out whilst reading. I hear Book 3 is in the works so I'll definitely be watching for it because I feel like there were some loose ends in this book and I'm still hopeful Russell the cat will show up. Romance between Billie and Solomon is hinted at but I'm kinda hopeful it doesn't go anywhere. I thought he was a contemporary of her father's, not that there's anything wrong with a May-December romance; it's just not my thing. The book also contains information on where the title came from but I can't vouch for how authentic the explanation is; still, it was interesting and worked with the plot! I'd give this book 3.5 stars rounded up just because it was a pleasure to read.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Published: April 25, 2023

The Grave Singer by Victor Methos.

Please note that this feedback is for an advanced copy of the story and may not represent the final product.

TL;DR: Clever, thrilling and all-around-good yarn in which a most dangerous and patient ghost from Mr. Shepherd's past returns to haunt him, seeking to retcon history via a skewed sense of justice.

I've crossed paths with a number of books by Victor Methos and have enjoyed meeting them all. However, the book for which this is a sequel, The Secret Witness, was my favorite of the bunch. That's high praise, all things considered, the others being cracking stories. Of course, I told each one not to tell the others, but *they're* my favorite.

The plot of The Secret Witness was clever, compelling and exciting, but it's the characters that drew me in. Characters that are realistic, flawed, interesting, and, at the end of the day (or yarn), both likeable and relatable. Fictional characters I'd want to know in real life.

[Granted, there are many intriguing fictional characters I'm happy don't exist - Apologies]

Like the punch line for a series of well-worn jokes: Character goes a long way. When coupled with an entertaining story, all the better - a project can evolve into a sum-of-the-parts-is-greater-than-the-whole situation. Wait, no. I suppose it's an equals situation. Okay. Scrap this analogy. How about... it's a good thing.

The characters I've been going on about include formerly former prosecutor Solomon Shepard and second generation sheriff Billie Gray. Disparate souls who believably became friends, as is often the case for us characters playing out our stories. In this chapter, which thankfully doesn't succumb to the dreaded sophomore slump, a patient and dangerous ghost from Mr. Shepherd's past returns to haunt him. Thrills, chills, interesting observations, and nice character moments are sprinkled throughout this ever escalating well-paced and written tightly woven tale. Nope. You'll get nothing more from me.

I appreciate how the author has found a nice balance between story and character. His books have come to feel like living worlds. They continue to spin whether we're observing it or not and the characters in them grow and evolve... none of which is forgotten (or added) in between episodes. Looking at Mr. Methos' work as chronologically published, he continues to hone his craft - each story becoming a progressive step in his evolution as a writer (and the first one was good).

A number of elements introduced in this book hint towards a sequel... which is happening (tentatively titled The Deceiving Look), and I can't wait. Mr. Methos seems to have a thing for trilogies. I don't know how he's going to handle what happens next, but, based on what he wrote in this book, the next entry could definitely include game-changers for these characters. I hope he sticks the landing. I like these characters. Fingers crossed!

Overall rating: 4 stars

#NetGalley

Another great mystery thriller from Victor Methos, this one a follow up to The Secret Witness, also featuring prosecutor Solomon Shepard and Sheriff Billie Gray. This story is about revenge, clearing a (maybe?) wrongfully convicted ex-con, and getting justice. It is a non-putdownable adventure.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author and publishers for the ARC copy of this novel. I give this honest review voluntarily.


This is the second book in this series featuring Sheriff Bille Gray and prosecutor Solomon Shepard. I liked the first one 'Silent Witness' but I think I like this one better. The characters seem more fleshed out than the first book. Alonso Hafeez, their nemesis in this novel is very intriguing. Make no mistake he is twisted, extremely violent and probably a sociopath but he is also exceptional intelligent which makes him a very fascinating, interesting character. I don't know why but when I picture Alonso before Mr. Methos described him as being bald I had this picture in my head of him having a full head of hair styled like Elvis in his last days when he was heavy and I was actually a little disappointed to have to now visualize him as bald. I liked visualizing him as a Latino/Middle Eastern Elvis...oh well. Dang! The part where Alonso has created a mock court trial is crazy sick but so absorbing. Victor Methos is such a talented author. I love his books, I have not read a bad one so far and I've read quite a few of them. As I said, Alonso is a scary character but also so magnetic. The scenes he is in draw my attention so intently that I can't read the pages fast enough. As I got to the ending scenes I just thought of my sister who doesn't like books like this and if she did read the last couple chapters, she would probably have nightmares for weeks. For me, I enjoy these kind of books. The intensely dramatic and violent action was so well written. Alonso truly was a sick, insane, violent character. The ending was very thought provoking- Is it wrong to convict someone for a crime they may not have committed even if they have committed so many other crimes that they weren't convicted of? Is that justice? I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series. I highly recommend it and give it 5 stars.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the first Shepherd & Grey book and looked forward to this second installment. I was surprised by how different Solomon was from the first book. I also felt that Grey was more of a backseat character in this one until the end. The second half of this book was definitely over the top so read/listen when you’re ready for something completely off the hook!!
The way things were left at the end between the main characters has me interested to see how this all will resolve next in the final book!
*Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this advance copy for review.

While I do like the author's writing style, I have to say I'm not quite fond of the content. I just feel like firing off on a number of points and as a reader, I don't understand what it is that I should expect and get out of it. I did like the curious perspective of the antagonist.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

To begin with, whoever posted the blurb needs to go back and edit it, as the criminal's name is Alonso Hafeez, not Alonso Ash. Something that was later changed, I'm sure, but it did give me pause when I first went to post my review.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, although this was the second book in the series, I didn't have any trouble understanding who was who or what the relationships between the characters were, so I would confidently say this one can be read as a stand-alone.

The problem I had with this one was that it was just too over the top and unbelievable for me. It started off strong, with what on the surface appears to be a random murder, then moves on to a prisoner recently being released for "good behavior" only to immediately begin stalking the prosecuting attorney that put him away eleven years prior and his girlfriend. But does Solomon do anything about it? Does he make anyone aware of it? No.

In fact, despite the fact we are told over and over again that Alonso is a "giant", Solomon still tries to provoke him into an altercation in the hopes of getting his parole revoked. Which makes it all too easy for Alonso to get a restraining order against Solomon. Not that it matters, considering the order is violated within twenty-four hours. That is not exactly the behavior I would expect from a prosecuting attorney who could lose his entire career over this one person.

Fast-forward a few chapters, and this is where I find the book completely goes off the rails.

********SPOILER ALERT********

Solomon is abducted by Alfonso and badly injured in the process. All in some misguided attempt for him to clear his name. And sure, there were some instances where he did prove how the justice system is flawed and where witnesses may have been tampered with, but at the end of the day, he had to know it wasn't going to end well for him.

Sadly, it was during this process that everything fell apart (for me, at least). We have several "key players" in this farce of a trial, all of whom are either badly injured or (in one case) has ingested a highly toxic mixture of pure snake venom. And yet, for the most part, neither injuries, venom, gunshot wounds, or burns will stop these two characters from coming at each other again and again. It just crossed the line of realism and kept on going. The strongest example of this is when Solomon is taken to the hospital after everything (including being shot, although it was a through and through) ends up being released the same night. I'm sorry, that's just not going to happen. But of course, it needs to since you know Alfonso also escapes despite his injuries to come for him again.

******** END SPOILER ALERT********

Those things considered, I enjoyed this author's works enough in the past that I will give the first book in this series a chance before I decide whether or not to write these characters off for good or not.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Grave secrets - Victor Methos

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In this novel, Alonso Hafeez is out on parole 11 years after prosecutor Solomon Shepard finally found an eye witness to one of Alfonso's numerous vicious crimes.

Alfonso plays cat and mouse with Shepard, showing up everywhere Shepard goes, ultimately kidnapping him (and the judge who sentenced him) to get revenge as Alfonso holds Shepard responsible for the loss of his family and for the time he sent in prison.

Will Sheriff Billie Gray find where Alfonso is hiding the judge and Shepard in time, before Alfonso's weird kangaroo court mock retrial of his crimes concludes?

This was the first novel I read by this author, and it was heading straight to a 5-star rating, but for me the final third of this story jumped the shark as Alfonso's behavior appeared to change completely.. Throughout the entire 2/3rds of the first part of this story Alfonso was like a vengeful capo from the Italian mob who lived for violence. However, in the final third of the book Alfonso shows himself to be a majorly crazy person, completely delusional and fanciful. I don't think Alfonso (or anyone else) would have been able to hide such severe and delusional madness, which seemed the opposite of the former calculation and cruel intelligence that allowed this master criminal to get away with a lifetime of brutality and murder until he was finally found guilty.

Until next time, give it a read, I found the majority of the book to be very enjoyable, and your mileage may differ, but for me the unbelievability of the finale dropped my rating down from 5 stars all the way to 3...

Another really excellent book from Victor Methos. This is the second in a series centering on Solomon Shepard, a former Utah prosecutor, and his friend Billie Gray, a county sheriff. Shepard is being stalked by a newly released prisoner that he helped convict.

Highly suspenseful and well written. Highly recommended.

I actually came across this book first before going back and reading the first installment of the series. I’m weird that way, I have to start a series from the beginning; I hate feeling like I’ve missed something. I blame the day job for that peculiar quirk. However, I truly believe this wouldn’t have been as enjoyable if I hadn’t read the first installment. I don’t think this would make a good standalone because then the reader wouldn’t understand the depth and history of the friendship between Billie and Sol or of Sol’s accomplishment of going back to work as a prosecutor.

The book summary pretty much lays out the primary storyline, so I won’t repeat it here. There are, of course, secondary storylines. One being the investigation of a local murder that Billie and Sol believe Alonso Ash may be connected to. There is another one around an incident where Ash threatened to kill Sol’s girlfriend, Giselle. Actually, he intimated that he would saw off her head. And yet another storyline where Billie is being stalked by her ex-boyfriend, Dax. Suffice it to say that Methos has crammed a lot of stuff into 270pgs.

The conclusion to a couple of the storylines came quick with a scary and tragic ending. While Methos didn’t wrap up all the storylines, he may be saving that for later installments. This was a solid 3star read; not as good as the first (a 4star rating), which is kind of odd since this installment was the one that interested me to even read the first one. Hopefully, the next will be better.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

@NetGalley @Thomas&Mercer @GraveSinger