Member Reviews

3.5 stars, rounded up. There's a nice sense of place in this one that I appreciated, and the story has a heavy bit of tension that hangs over it and kept me invested. I think Vera is a great character to carry forth a series, and I'm interested to see where this goes.

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The first book in a new series introduces the reader to Vera Boyett and her family. Vera returns home when her stepmother’s body is found in a cave on their family land. I’ve ready many books by this author and am always finding out I I don’t know the story like I thought I did. There are a lot of twists and things you take as fact that are later found not to be. It kept me engaged and I’m excited to read Vera’s next case!

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Vera Boyett returns to her hometown in Fayetteville after being disgraced during her position as Memphis Deputy Chief. She receives a call from her younger stepsister, Lulu, that the remains of her step mother have been found. Her step mother went missing 20 years ago. Vera, Lulu and her other sister Eve, come together to break the news to her father who is in memory care.

I liked the interaction of the sisters, and the growth in their relationship with each other. I felt the author wrote this part very well.

However, Vera has no authority to investigate the case, so she has to rely on "Bent", the sheriff and also her first love. So yes, there is a budding romance going on here. The investigation seems to have no momentum, and many things are repeated over and over. I just wanted the story to start! It was very slow, and had very little suspense. I also felt that the ending was a little lackluster. There is one part of the case that is left open, and this caused me to doubt the resolution of the rest of the case. I think the author may have done this to lead into the next book in the series.

This is the first in a series.

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

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Knowing that she will soon be asked to resign, Deputy Police Chief Vera Boyett cleans out her office and returns to her hometown. A mission went wrong, someone must take the blame and she knows it will be her. What did she miss that could have made a difference? Returning home will only add to her problems as human bones have been uncovered in a cave on her father’s property. Her father is in assisted living suffering from dementia. How will the news that the new sheriff is her former love interest, Gray “Bent” Benton, affect her? There are secrets that Vera shares with her sister Eve from the time after their mother died and her father remarried. After the birth of their half-sister, Luna, her father’s new wife left…or did she? Secrets abound in this fascinating mystery as further shocks continue to keep the story moving at a fast pace. What really happened to Luna’s mother, who are the other bodies that were found in the cave, and who is sending her threatening messages? As other agencies are called in, Vera and Bent continue their own investigation, but could anyone be prepared for the stunning finale? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

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I enjoyed Debra Webb's Finlay Sullivan series - The Last Lie Told, The Nature of Secrets, and All the Little Truths - but this first book of the Vera Boyett series was slow and mostly boring. It took me a week to get through a 392-page book and it was a real struggle, it was way too easy to put down. An unfortunate event cost Vera her job as a crime analyst and deputy police chief in Memphis. Now she's back in her small hometown of Fayetteville, Tennessee and her family's past has come back to haunt them. Her long-missing stepmother turns up dead, buried in a hidden cave on their property. Then more bodies are discovered in another part of the cave. The new sheriff in town just so happens to be Vera's high school boyfriend who broke her heart. In an unofficial capacity, Vera works with him to try to solve the mystery of the murders. The storylines are fairly predictable and I don't recommend this one. Thanks to #netgalley and #Thomas&mercer for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Woods are supposed to keep all secrets,or are they? Vera and her sister have some deep secrets that they do not want to come out. This was a great suspense, fast paced and twisty !

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A suspenseful tale with great characters and great dialogue. I always enjoy her well thought out characters and edge of your seat suspense.

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Vera is a cop who is under investigation for an incident that occurred with her team. Shes forced to take a leave of absence as they investigate. She receives a call from her step sister telling Vera she needs to come home. Vera's step mom, Sheree has been found after 20 plus years of being missing.

Vera and her sisters are now faced with figuring out who murdered their step mom and placed her remains on their family's farm. With her dad in a facility with dementia, Vera is tasked with figuring out who did it. But there's a new sheriff in town, who happens to be her ex boyfriend!

Loved the story and how the author didn't divulge too much information too soon so that the reader has time to come up with their own theories.

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Deeper Than the Dead is the first book in the Vera Boyett Series by Debra Webb. The last book I read by this author involved a cold case, in a way this one does too. The difference is the remains of the missing woman from twenty years ago are just now found. However, hers are not the only ones found.

Vera is a multifaceted person with ties to the woman who remains were found. She is one of those with secrets and a past that is more than complex. With work related problems, struggles and accusations this is not an easy time for her. Reliving the past as the crimes are investigated does not make life better for her. Still crimes are solved, a bit of second chance romance and perhaps growth especially for Vera. A slow beginning with a tough set of cases to be solved. The next book in the series should move faster since all the introductions to the characters and small Tennessee town have been completed.

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Debra Webb's new Vera Boyett series is an excellent story with many twists and turns that kept me guessing to the very end.

Vera returns home after many years to assist her sister Eve with a discovery that traces back many years to a secret, they have kept to themselves.
Luna the youngest sister is excited to have Vera back if only for a little while. The town Sheriff is Vera's old love interest that still has some unfinished business to tend too. The cave behind their house was a place to play when they were kids but has become a dumping ground of bodies that no one seems to know anything about. As the memories resurface of what happened long ago, Vera searches for answers and tries to hide them from the sheriff and everyone else in town. It seems the neighbors have an opinion of what happened all those years ago, but can Vera and Eve keep the truth to themselves without anyone getting hurt?

Debra Webb is one of my favorite authors. She has a writing style that draws me in each and every time I pick up one of her books. The twisted plots, the family histories, the ending you never see coming keeps me coming back for more. The romance that is always a backstory but draws you in page by page where you are rooting for the couple even in the darkest of times. I can't wait to read the next installment of Vera and her family. Debra Webb has set the stage for more to come, and I am all in!
Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer for the eArc of this book.

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As she deals with the fallout of a major incident at work, crime analyst and deputy police chief Vera Boyett is called home by her youngest sister after neighboring kids find a skeleton in a cave on the Boyett family's property. It soon becomes clear that Vera and her other sister, Eve, aren't surprised to learn it is the remains of their step-mother, who disappeared over 20 years ago, but exactly what happened back then isn't revealed until much later in the book, leaving the reader guessing in the meantime. Vera battles conflicting obligations as she tries to protect her family from suspicion while not impeding the investigation, as well as her feelings for her ex-boyfriend and first love, who happens to be the sheriff leading the investigation. Overall, I liked the characters and thought Webb did a good job with red herrings, but I found the pacing a bit stilted for the first half of the book as, for me, a bit too much information was held back. I presume this was to build tension, but having to wait so long to find out what happened at Vera's job actually made the final revelation a bit underwhelming. That being said, I enjoyed the book and will definitely look for the next one in the series.

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Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the chance to read Deeper than the dead by Debra Webb. The first book in a new series, Vera Boyett returns home when her long gone Stepmother is found in a secret cave at the back of the property. Then more bodies are discovered. Is it one killer, or several? Lots of family secrets, twists and turns and some left open threads that I hope continue in the next book!

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Deeper Than the Dead is the start of a new series by Debra Webb.  Vera has just returned home because something went down at her last job and somebody's head had to roll and that was Vera.

At home we meet her sister Eve and much younger sister Luna. The sisters get on quite well together, but as the story reveals itself - all I can say is wow! All the secrets!  The new sherrif in town Bent is a flame of Vera from the past,  so there is a little romantic interest there that you can see will develop further at some point.

The whole mystery - dead bodies - around some cold cases, is in my mind, bizarre. It's all quite complex and it seems that anyone could have been responsible, and as its all revealed, I wondered what would come out into the light and what would or could remain still hidden deep.

Vera works kind of with Bent and eventually most of it all comes out, and eventually she has to decide where her life is going next.

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Wow! One surprise after another. Complicated characters, suspenseful mystery, and family drama makes for a read you can't put down. I'm never disappointed by this author. I read this book in one sitting. I was so engrossed, before I knew it, hours had passed and I was at the end. Highly recommend!

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My Review
☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️

Deeper than the dead.
#Privateinvestigator

Get ready for a wild ride.This story has it all.
Dead bodies, caves cemeteries. Criminals.
The wicked. And then there's the good people.
It's simply a fascinating story.

Crime analyst vera boyett

A trip back home. remains have been found.Secrets have a way of surfacing. Some people will kill to keep those secrets.
Bodies that have been buried for years,

For me, this was a very intriguing story.
I loved how everything unfolded.
Secrets lies and more lies on top of lies.

just when I thought I knew who the killer was, I was wrong.It turned out to be completely someone different. This author always throws in a shock factor in the end.
Absolutely a terrific book.

I really recommend this author's work.
She's my favorite in this genre.

Debra Elaine Webb
Thank you For another fantastic book.
Your stories are the best.

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This was a very suspenseful, twisty read! The author peeled back the layers bit by bit, which left me engaged and in suspense the entire time. This author is the best at writing dark and twisty mysteries and this one was no exception! My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Deeper than Dead is part police procedural and part domestic thriller that is sure to entertain the reader until its twisty end. Set in a hot, humid Tennessee town where everyone knows everyone including their past. Vera Boyett was the deputy police chief of Memphis and has returned home after a scandal that has rocked the department. While here she must face her traumatic past including some actual skeletons found in a cave on her family’s land.

Read this is you like:
-slow burns
-dual timelines
-cold cases
-small time vibes
-hint of potential romance
-traumatic childhood
-police procedural with domestic thriller
-complex characters
-red herrings with several twists
-satisfying ending

My rating 3.5 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC that will be released August 1, 2024.

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This was an intense book. It’s full of family drama, secrets and some surprises. I will say it starts out slow and is almost too wordy at times. It wasn’t til almost half way through that it picks up and gets more interesting. It becomes a page turner from there til the end. It’s another good book by this author. I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.

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New series! New kick butt main female character! New mysteries to uncover and murders to solve!! These are all good things from Debra Webb!

Vera is abruptly brought home when her stepmother's body is found. Good timing since she is in the process of being fired from her job. But coming home is never easy and Vera has to face the fact that her own family's history may not be as upstanding as she thought. The same goes for the small town they live in. I enjoyed getting to know a new cast of characters and slowly learning what has been hidden. I thought the resolution was very unique and interesting and am looking forward to the next book(s) in the series!

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Vera doesn’t go back home often, but she receives a phone call from her stepsister, Luna, telling her she needs to come back home. Her sister Eve and Luna live on the family property in Tennessee and the body of Luna’s mother that has been missing for over 20 years was found in a cave on the property. Vera returns and 3 other unidentified bodies are found is this same cave. The investigation into the identity, cause and timeline bring out long kept secrets that people will do anything to keep hidden.

Thank you so much for another twisty thriller Debra Webb and NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer

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