#2 in the Nichelle series. She's up to her eyeballs in mystery and murder involving politics, old money families, dead co-eds, and taxes. She's still dealing with Shelby who's after her job. Nicey investigates her leads and gets more trouble than she bargained for. Helping along the way is super hunk/possible mobster Joey and former X boyfriend and ATF Agent Kyle. A dash of romance and a whole lot of murder splits Nichelle in all sorts of directions. ( )

I've never much paid attention to who publishes the books I read, but since I've first started reading books by Henery Press, I've been so impressed with the quality of the writing and editing that I've started looking for new releases and authors coming out of their "Hen House".

I classify this series as a cozy - but it isn't. I don't quite know how to classify it any other way. What makes it cozy: an amateur sleuth, a lack of graphic sex and/or violence. What makes it not-a-cozy: this is a very urban setting and feel, profanity is used well and in context, and there's a depth to the crimes that surpass almost all cozy mysteries. These plots are intricate and complex, as are the motivations of all the characters involved. There are layers - like an onion, only not smelly and without that annoying papery layer in-between the layers.

Buried Leads is the second book featuring Nichelle, a journalist in Richmond, VA whose beat is cops and courtrooms. She dreams of working for the Washington Post, on their political beat, and with ambition and a healthy work ethic, believes the way to get there is by writing the best cops and courtroom stories on a nationwide level.

I like Nichelle. She has a thing for shoes I don't understand, but it's more subtle in this book than the first one, and I like her anyway. She's very smart, capable, independent and on-the-ball. Generally speaking, I have zero interest in anything journalism related and I resisted reading this series initially because of the journalist angle. But Nichelle makes the profession sound interesting and rewarding even to me.

Nichelle isn't in a relationship, but there are two men in her life. Kyle - her long ago ex, now an ATF agent just recently assigned to the Richmond office. He's interested in reconciliation and she sort of is and sort of isn't. She really likes who she is when she isn't someone's girlfriend. Then there's Joey. He's the dark and dangerous man with secrets - literally. He's mafia, and he appears in Nichelle's life in both the most appropriate and inappropriate times.

Both men sound hotter than sin (of course! who wants a dull-sounding love interest?) and normally I'd be screaming "NO! Not another love triangle!" and running away so fast I'd leave pages flapping in the breeze. But two things stand out as different for me: First, both of these guys were introduced at the same time. I think this makes a big difference; I didn't get attached to one only to have the other come in to disrupt the apple cart. Second, Joey is written to be unobtainable; he brings a lot of heat and a level of rule-breaking to the story without actually ever being a serious contender for HEA. I reserve the right to change my mind with future books, but so far, this character dynamic is working for me.

There's a nemesis, because I suppose that nowadays every cozy series Must Have One! Her name is Shelby and she makes no secret of wanting Nichelle's job or her willingness to sleep her way towards getting it. Fortunately, we don't see much of her and there's only one or two scenes where we get to experience her true nastiness. (I'm not a fan of the whole nemesis thing - is it obvious?)

The plot, as I mentioned above, is layered and more intricate that your bog-standard cozy. Nichelle is following up on a man's body found out in the woods and discovers that he's a lawyer for a lobbying firm with ties to tobacco. Intrigued at the political possibilities, she starts digging into the story and starts stumbling into all sorts of secrets. I'll not say more than that, because I don't want to give away the story or the twists and turns it takes. I'll just say that I had a great time reading this plot as more and more information and discoveries unfolded. I never saw the ending coming and the killer was never on my radar.

A word about the killer: if your enjoyment in reading a mystery is at all dependent on all of the suspects being obvious 'players' in the drama/plot, then this book probably isn't for you. This isn't one of those stories the author designs so you have a better than equal chance of figuring out 'whodunnit'.

I had a great time reading this book and I was sorry when it ended. I'm looking forward to her third book, due out in the spring of '14, and Nichelle's next big story. ( )

Buried Leads is an entertaining cozy mystery set in Richmond, Virginia that follows the latest investigative adventure of crime reporter Nichelle Clarke. Nichelle is a crime reporter for the Richmond Telegraph, while following up on a man's body found in the woods, she discovers that he's a lawyer for a lobbying firm with ties to tobacco. Intrigued at the political possibilities, Nichelle starts digging into the story and stumbles upon a corruption case with all kinds of secrets involving tobacco ranchers, mafia, and influential powerful politicians that could put her life in danger. And if that isn't enough, Nichelle is involved in a love triangle with her friend Joey, a Mafia mob boss and her former lover Kyle, who has been promoted as a Special Agent in the local ATF office. Oh and did I mention that Nichelle's coworker nemesis Shelby is trying to take her job? Nichelle has her hands full: can she get to the truth in the murder/corruption case, find love, and save her job and her life?

Author LynDee Walker weaves a fun action packed tale that is full of humor, drama, romance and suspense. I recently have become a fan of cozy murder mysteries set in the South, and Buried Leads is the first story that I have read from this author. I loved the mixture of humor and suspense in this story, I was easily drawn into Nichelle's latest investigative adventure, there was enough twists and turns that kept me guessing what would happen next. I enjoyed that the mystery was the main theme and that the love triangle / romance aspect was secondary and did not distract the reader from the overall whodunit theme of the story.

If you are looking for a delightfully intriguing cozy mystery whodunit with fun characters and a dash of romance in the mix, then Buried Leads is the book for you!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/01/buried-leads-by-lyndee-walker-... ( )

I read this one soon after I finished reading Front Page Fatality and I certainly was not disappointed. This book was very smartly written and had a clever plot with a surprise ending. I love Nicey's character. She is strong willed and stubborn but classy as she winds her way through clues in her fabulous stilettos. The complexity of the her character and the interpersonal relationships with the other characters makes this series a joy to read. The author's experience as a journalist really comes through with this series. I highly recommend it. Can't wait for the adventure. ( )

4 stars

I like how Nichelle Clarke is smart, can run in heels but not flats, She works hard. Trying to be the best and first to get a story.
She does not back down from threats. She also cares about people, her dog and friends. Nichelle is a reporter in Virginia. Crime beat.

Nichelle has friends in FBI, ATF, local police and mafia. I really want to go and read the first in the series.Front Page Fatality (A Nichelle Clarke Headlines in Heels Mystery. They reference it a few times or least the events in it. It sounds good. Buried Leads stands alone though. You meet some of the characters in the first book.

Buried Leads is full of humor, characters, drama and action. It is a clean read. I had no clue till it was revealed. So high on suspense of how the story Nichelle is working on turns out. Did not want to put the book down till through.

On one day Nichelle has four different stories but because she was busy she was scooped on one. She competes against Charlie a t.v. reporter who covers the same stuff as her. Their is also a copy editor who wants part of her beat and is sleeping with the boss to try and get it from her.

Nichelle's mafia friend shows up a lot at her friend and she is attracted to him but leery of him too. Then a old boyfriend from Texas with ATF as moved into town. He wants Nichelle to give him another chance. Two guys but their works is on opposite sides.

Nichelle is working on different stories but they are starting to run into each other. She runs into a lot of dead ends before she solves her story. Because she is interested in different people she meets she makes contacts that help her.

The story pacing is good. It does not get bogged down. I like the tone of the book. Their are a lot of secondary characters that add a richness, humor to the story. I want to know if Troy gets his scholarship and makes it to college. What will happen to his mom now?
I liked how happy he was to have met Parker and follow him one day.

How Parker got involved and made a difference in a college athlete. How he teases Nichelle.

I would love to read more from LynDee Walker in the future. especially if it is as good as Buried Leads.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by NetGalley and Henry Press. ( )