Deeper Than the Dead

Deputy Chief Vera Boyett is on suspension from Memphis PD, where she headed a special team set up to prevent crimes. Through no direct fault of hers, two of her team members died, but as the head of the team, she has been made to take responsibility for their deaths.

When her half-sister Luna calls to tell her that a body has been found in a cave on her family’s property, she returns to her family home in the small town of Fayetteville, Tennessee, to support her family. The body is believed to be that of Luna’s mother, Sheree, who disappeared 22 years ago when Luna was a baby.

Vera was 17, and her younger sister Eve was only 12 when Sheree disappeared, less than two years after the death of their own mother. Vera left to go to college not long after and never returned, while Eve and Luna still live together in the family home now that their father is in a care home with Alzheimer’s. Luna’s love of books has led to her becoming the assistant director of the library, while Eve works as a mortician, a job she loves, as she claims she has the ability to listen to what the dead want.

Vera is surprised to learn that the current Sheriff is Gray Benton. Known as “Bent,” he was Vera’s boyfriend during her last year of high school until he suddenly left town to join the army without explanation. When the forensic team finds more bodies in the cave system, Bent has no choice but to call in the FBI, who put Vera’s family under the microscope. Her father is their number one suspect, but his memories are unreliable due to his Alzheimer’s.

Vera’s past relationship with Bent should complicate her ability to get involved in the investigation, but it doesn’t seem to hold her back too much. She’s annoyed to find she still feels an attraction for him and is happy to learn he is still single, but she tries not to let it distract her from the case.

The story arc is interesting and suspenseful but drags a little in the middle of the novel with much reflection from Vera and little progress being made in the case. Despite the FBI being in control of the case, they seem strangely absent. The pace does pick up in the second half of the novel, building to a good climax as the killers crawl out from the shadows. Vera uncovers plenty of secrets, long held in the town and in her own family, giving the plot several good twists to keep the reader guessing. This is the first in a new series, and the depth of the characters and the excellent ending suggest we have a lot to look forward to.

With thanks to Thomas and Mercer for a copy to read.