Gone to Ground: A Novel [Paperback]

Brandilyn Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2012

Amaryllis, Mississippi is a scrappy little town of strong backbone and southern hospitality. A brick-paved Main Street, a park, and a legendary ghost in the local cemetery are all part of its heritage. Everybody knows everybody in Amaryllis, and gossip wafts on the breeze. Its people are friendly, its families tight. On the surface Amaryllis seems much like the flower for which it’s named—bright and fragrant. But the Amaryllis flower is poison.

In the past three years five unsolved murders have occurred within the town. All the victims were women, and all were killed in similar fashion in their own homes. And just two nights ago—a sixth murder.

Clearly a killer lives among the good citizens of Amaryllis. And now three terrified women are sure they know who he is—someone they love. None is aware of the others’ suspicions. And each must make the heartrending choice to bring the killer down. But each woman suspects a different man.

Endorsements/Reviews:

"The popular novelist's talent continues to flower . . . sales will flourish."

-- Publishers Weekly

“What do you do with a truth that could shatter your world? That’s the question at the heart of this rollercoaster suspense thriller. With memorable characters and intriguing plot twists, Collins leads her readers through a high-octane course as each woman confronts the price she would pay for justice.”

--CBA Retailers + Resources

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages." —Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. She is a three-time American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award winner and has also received Inspirational Readers’ Choice and Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice honors. The Writer magazine named her nonfiction release, Getting into Character, among 2002’s best books on writing. Brandilyn and her family have homes in California and Idaho.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books (March 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433671638
• ISBN-13: 978-1433671630
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and best-selling novelist, writing her trademarked Seatbelt Suspense®--fast-paced, character-driven suspense with myriad twists and an interwoven thread of faith. She also has written the distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons).

You can read excerpts from all her books at her Web site: www.brandilyncollins.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gone to Ground a Fabulous Read! January 31, 2012

By Marian Baay

Format:Kindle Edition

In this novel Brandilyn Collins takes us to Amaryllis a little town in Mississippi where everybody knows everybody. And everybody knows what the other is doing. But nobody knows who `The Closet Killer' is. Three women think they know who he is, but each woman suspects a different man.

The Closet Killer has murdered five women in the past three years. They were all stabbed with a knife in their neck and were found in their bedroom closet. Now a sixth woman was found murdered.

Three women are convinced that the man they know has murdered this last victim. Cherrie Mae thinks one of her clients did it. Deena thinks her brother did it. Tully thinks her husband did it. They all have believable arguments to think that the man they know is the killer.
The women get together and learn from each other that all three men have a motive to have murdered this last victim. Together they try to figure out who the real killer is.

Gone to Ground is a gripping page-turner. The story was very well written. I loved to read each woman's thoughts and their own manner of speech. This made the characters more real to me.
Usually I figure out pretty soon who the bad guy is, but not this time. I had not guessed who the killer was. Good job, Brandilyn!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What an Ending!!! February 13, 2012

By Jlwhitney

Format:Paperback

Wow! What a book! What an ending! When it comes to suspense look no further than this book, it won't let you down. Gone to Ground is told from three different women with there own point of view and they all think they know who the murderer is but the catch is they all suspect someone different. Brandilyn Collins does a great job writing in this style because she truly gives each character her own unique voice. After reading each characters sections a couple of times you can tell who is who by the writing style which is something you don't always get from other books written like this. I loved Cherrie Mae in this book she was by far my favorite and really made the setting truly southern. Her accent and mannerisms were so much fun to read and I could picture her very vividly. Suspense books to me can be either very fun to read or kind of a let down. This book is not a let down by any means and when I found out who the murderer was I was completely shocked and never in a million years would have suspected that person. What I though happened was pretty much all wrong and that makes it fun. I do not want to read a suspense book and withing the first half or so be able to solve it and be right.Gone to Ground is definitely a solid 5 star novel and I will be reading more from Brandilyn Collins in the future.

* I received this book from the publisher through PR by the book for the purpose of this review.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!!! Gone to Ground was such a GREAT book!! May 19, 2012

By Melanie

Format:Paperback

I'm quite familiar with Brandilyn Collins' books (I think I've read every suspense book she's published so far) and she is one of my favorite authors! Gone to Ground might just be my favorite of hers to date! I absolutely loved it!!

The way the chapters were set up was great! They were written in first person, but the POV went back-and-forth between Cherrie Mae, Tully, and Deena. Also, every once in a while, there was an excerpt from The Jackson Bugle.

Gone to Ground was a great mystery - it kept me guessing! It wasn't until the last moment that I guessed who "The Closet Killer" was and even then there were some twists left.

I can only think of one thing I didn't like in Gone to Ground - how it portrayed God talking to Cherrie Mae. Other than that, I completely loved this book and it is one of my favorite books now.

If you are looking for a great mystery novel, you should definitely try Gone to Ground. I think you'll have a hard time guessing what happens. :)

*I received this book for free for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*