Caffeinated Reviewer

Deeper Than the Dead by Debra Webb is the first in the Vera Boyett mystery series and was a Prime First Read in July. This was a twisty southern murder mystery that pulled me in as we meet Vera Boyett, a disgraced deputy police chief who returns home when a body is discovered on her family’s homestead.

Someone’s found the skeleton in the closet, and it’s not the only one. Wall Street Journal bestselling author Debra Webb presents an emotional new mystery.

Crime analyst and newly disgraced deputy police chief Vera Boyett doesn’t visit home often, and she certainly doesn’t venture back into the cave on her family land. But when the remains of her long-missing stepmother are discovered, Vera will have to face a past that threatens all she is.

She and her sister Eve had a fairy-tale childhood: good until it was tragic, with a stepmother they never found a bond with. At least they had each other, a baby half-sister, and a mutual devotion that would have them do the unthinkable.

It’s a summer in small-town Tennessee, so thick with humidity it could drown you and so rife with secrets it could smother you. And deep beneath the surface, there are more bodies than you’d think…

I read this on vacation and enjoyed the twisted tale with secrets and small-town issues. For those who have KindleUnlimited, both the ebook & audiobook are available.

When we meet crime analyst and deputy police chief Vera Boyett, she is in trouble. She heads up a special team that garnished national attention, but things went topsy-turvy and Vera will become the fall out guy. She’s backing her desk expecting the worst, when her sister calls. Some kids found the body of a woman in a cave on her family property.

I liked Vera, who held the siblings together after their mother died, but slowly we begin to see the cracks that formed. The local sheriff just happens to be the boy who broke her heart and things turn interesting when more bodies are discovered.

The murder-mystery was twisty. We know some secrets, but it will take Vera and Sheriff to piece things together, because someone wants those secrets to remain buried. I liked the slow reveals, Vera’s quirky secrets, the growing suspense as Vera began piecing things together.

A solid start to the series. I am looking forward to seeing what the next Vera Boyett mystery novel brings. Part police procedural, part small-town family secrets and completely addictive, you’ll want to add this one if you enjoy Kendra Elliot.

Amazon* | Audible

*kindleunlimited 🎧

About Debra Webb

DEBRA WEBB is the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of more than 175 novels, including reader favorites the Devlin & Falco, Finley O'Sullivan and Faces of Evil series. She is the recipient of the prestigious Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Romantic Suspense, the Centennial Award, as well as numerous Reviewers Choice Awards. In 2012 Debra was honored as the first recipient of the esteemed L. A. Banks Warrior Woman Award for her courage, strength, and grace in the face of adversity. With more than ten million books in print in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood when, at the age of nine, her mother bought her an old typewriter in a tag sale. Born in Alabama, Debra grew up on a farm. She spent every available hour exploring the world around her and creating her stories.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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