4.5 stars.

The Buried is a chilling and suspense-laden addition to Shelley Coriell's outstanding The Apostles series. It is a riveting, complex mystery that is impossible to put down and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of mystery/suspense novels. Although it is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone but you won't want to miss a single installment in this superb series.

The Buried opens with state prosecutor Grace Courtemanche receiving a distressing cry for help from Lia Grant, a young woman who claims she has been buried alive. At loose ends after her recent court case has wrapped up, Grace tenaciously begins an investigation into Lia's case and in the process, she runs smack dab into "Hatch" Hatcher, a man from her very distant past. Working together to catch a wily and vicious killer, Grace and Hatch discover the flames from their long ago relationship are still burning hot, but with so many of their past issues continuing to plague them, do they have a future? But most importantly, will Grace and Hatch catch the murderer before he claims another victim?

Grace is a strong, independent woman who lets nothing stand in her way and her determination to uncover the truth propels this case into local law enforcement hands. She has an overdeveloped since of responsibility and she gives the investigation 110% even if this means she has to work with Hatch, the one man she has been unable to forget. Grace has a bit of a rough edge to her but as the story progresses, her softer side comes out, which makes her that much more likable.

Hatch is a very charming, flirtatious man and while he comes across most of the time as fun-loving and easygoing, there is also a serious, focused aspect to his personality as well. Most of his issues stem from his dysfunctional childhood and although he is now in his 30s, most of his decisions, actions and reactions are a direct result of his past. But everything Hatch has always believed about himself, his desires and his plans are eventually challenged by Grace and another very unexpected person. Although the unfolding investigation is the most compelling aspect of the storyline, the evolution of Hatch's character runs an extremely close second.

The mystery element of the plot is top-notch and virtually impossible to figure out. The killer's identity remains closely under wraps for much of the story and it is only in retrospect that the significance of seemingly innocuous events and clues becomes clear. Equally intriguing is another murder investigation that takes place in another jurisdiction but it takes almost the entire novel before the two storylines converge together. All in all, it is a very perplexing and multifaceted mystery that concludes with very stunning and dramatic revelations.

Hatch and Grace's romance is very understated but it adds a great deal to character development and the overall storyline. Their relationship never overshadows the investigation but it provides a nice break from the somewhat darker aspects of the ongoing hunt for the murderer. For much of the novel, Hatch and Grace tiptoe around the reasons their relationship ended years earlier but they do finally discuss what went wrong with an amazing degree of honesty.

The Buried is a fascinating and captivating mystery that old and new fans of The Apostles series do not want to miss. With plenty of suspense and unexpected plot twists, Shelley Coriell brings the novel to a jaw dropping and action filled conclusion that will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next installment in this well written and incredibly spellbinding series. ( )

Grace Courtemanche is a state prosecutor in Cypress Bend, Florida, who just worked on a very tough case. Suddenly she starts to get a lot of phone calls one day, which she keeps putting on voicemail. (She thinks they could be unpleasant calls that may be related to her last case.) But finally, after so many phone calls, she answers one. It's a strange call in which a woman says her name is Lia Grant, and she's buried underground in a box, and she is having a hard time breathing. She says she called Grace so many times, why doesn't Grace answer her phone? (Grace has never heard of this woman and can't figure out why she keeps calling her.) Is this call for real or something else, maybe a crank, or to scare her??? She notifies some people to look into it. Eventually she discovers it is for real and Grace really wants to find this woman who seems to be depending on her and obviously has very little time left to live.

While in the middle of all of this Grace ends up running into her ex-husband, Theordore "Hatch" Hatcher who is an FBI Agent/Special Crime Investigative Unit. He's a crisis negotiator, and he is now working for an elite team called the Apostles. (She hasn't seen Hatch for ten years. They were married ten years ago for ten weeks, then they divorced.) Grace eventually asks Hatch for his help to locate the missing Lia---Lia's phone calls quit coming. So Hatch and some of his friends begin to help Grace out.

I don't want to give too much more of the story away. Just that Grace discovers whoever did this to Lia put a cell phone in the box they buried her in...the phone was altered to dial only one phone number...Grace Courtemanche's. Someone is playing a sick game with Grace and she has to find out who it is before this maniac does this to more innocent people.

I liked Grace, she was cool and classy, dedicated to her job. I also liked her old dog Allegheny Blue.

Hatch was friendly and charming, with his shaggy blond hair and blue eyes. He was easy to talk to and people seemed to trust him, except his son Alex. At the beginning of this book Hatch just found out he had a thirteen-year-old son he didn't know about. So now he's trying his best to help his son out---Alex has been in trouble with the law, is angry, rebellious and unpleasant...

Grace and Hatch had good chemistry, and they still cared for each other. Grace broke up with Hatch and filed for divorce because Hatch never wanted to put down roots or live in one place. He loved the sea/water and he loved sailing on his boat. When they married Grace saw some of the happiness leave him so she set him free. (He didn't know the reason why she divorced him.) Grace is now surprised at how much Hatch has changed. He's become very responsible, with his job, with his son, etc...

This was a very enjoyable and entertaining book that had a lot of interesting secondary characters. I was curious to see who the villain was and why they were doing what they were doing. I found the idea of burying the victims alive with cell phones, which they call Grace from, and then having Grace/the team try to find the buried victims creepy but original. A good read with some surprises at the end. ( )

I have not read anything by this author before. Wow. I read this book in one afternoon. I could not guess the Identity of the killer until the author wanted me to learn it. This I liked as this is one of my favorite genre's to read and so it is hard to keep stories like this fresh and keep me guessing until the end. Also, the relationship between Grace and Hatch was a really good one. It helped with the story. Another bonus as sometimes the romance can take away from the suspense. I like that they did not move too fast back into the relationship between each other. Of course, having not read the prior novel I don't know all of the details with Grace and Hatch but luckily the author did a good job of recapping their relationship. I could tell that they had both matured since they were first involved with each other. I can't wait to read book three. While I wait I will go back and check out book one. I have found myself a new author to add to my mystery/suspense list of favorite ones. ( )

I received this book for free as part of a first reads promotion ( )