Secrets to the Grave [Hardcover]

Tami Hoag (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 28, 2010

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag returns with her second thriller in the Deeper than the Dead microseries, exploring the early days of forensic investigation, the characteristics of innocence-and the nature of evil.

Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.

When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother's bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin. Already on edge with the upcoming trial of the See- No-Evil killer, residents are shocked by reports of the crime scene, which might not have been discovered for days had it not been for a chilling 911 call: a small child's voice saying, "My daddy hurt my mommy."

Sheriff's detective Tony Mendez faces a puzzle with nothing but pieces that won't fit. To assist with his witness, Haley, he calls teacher-turned-child advocate Anne Leone. Anne's life is hectic enough-she's a newlywed and a part- time student in child psychology, and she's the star witness in the See-No-Evil trial. But one look at Haley, alone and terrified, and Anne's heart is stolen.

As Tony and Anne begin to peel back the layers of Marissa Fordham's life, they find a clue fragment here, another there. And just when it seems Marissa has taken her secrets to the grave, they uncover a fact that puts Anne and Haley directly in the sights of a killer: Marissa Fordham never existed.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The follow-up to Deeper Than the Dead (2009) begins in November 1986. The See-No-Evil killer’s trial is nearing when a woman’s mutilated body is found. Detective Tony Mendez and FBI profiler Vince Leone, along with Vince’s wife, Anne (who in the first book was nearly done in by the accused See-No-Evil killer), race to find the perpetrator before he kills someone else. The book is set a couple of decades later than Colleen McCullough’s Carmine Delmonico novels, but it shares the same premise. It’s a crime novel set in a time before computerized databases, instantaneous data sharing, and high-tech forensics. The story is well designed, although one of the big plot twists is very similar to twists in recent thrillers by Lisa Gardner and Linwood Barclay, and the characters are believable and (mostly) likable. Hoag does an excellent job of exploring how a shocking crime can affect a small community. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hoag’s Night Sins cracked the New York Times bestseller list in 1995, and her next nine books followed suit. We make this one an odds-on favorite to extend the streak to 11 in a row. --David Pitt

Review

Hoag delivers a pacy narrative and knows how to write convincing characters. -- Simon Shaw MAIL ON SUNDAY 20120108 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (December 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052595192X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525951926
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tami Hoag is the #1 international bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers--Deeper Than The Dead, and Secrets To The Grave. Set in the late '80's, this series explores crime fighting in the early days of modern forensic science and criminal profiling. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times Bestseller list with Night Sins, and each of her books since has best a bestseller. She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 106 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A a supremely entertaining and engaging mystery December 28, 2010

By Elizabeth A. White

Format:Hardcover

There are a lot of secrets being kept in Oak Knoll, California in Secrets to the Grave, author Tami Hoag's sequel to last year's Deeper than the Dead.

Hoag wastes no time plunging the reader into the story, opening the book with a horrific crime scene depicting the aftermath of the brutal knife murder of single mother Marissa Fordham. Her four-year-old daughter, Haley, was also attacked and left for dead, languishing for two days with her mother's corpse before being discovered.

Detective Tony Mendez is tapped to head up the investigation, and knows from recent experience to make use of a tremendous resource located in town, former FBI Agent Vince Leone, one of the pioneers in the field of behavioral profiling.

Mendez also seeks assistance from child advocate Anne Navarre Leone, herself nearly a victim the previous year of the so-called "See No Evil" killer that plagued Oak Knoll (the case which initially brought her then FBI Agent, now husband Vince Leone to town). Together they must try to help a traumatized child recover and, if possible, provide them with information to help catch her mother's killer.

As was its predecessor, Secrets to the Grave is set in the mid-80's, which adds an interesting twist to the reader's experience. We have all become so accustomed to crime shows on TV showing off the marvels of how modern science assists in solving crimes, we forget that it wasn't too long ago that concepts such as psychological profiling and DNA identification were either still in their infancy (profiling) or pretty much weren't on police radar at all (DNA). Nor were computers commonplace in police stations. Secrets to the Grave takes readers back to a time when detectives still had to slog through reams of paperwork by hand and spend all day on the phone in order to track down information that could be found within minutes today by using computers and the internet.

Cell phones were also virtually unheard of, which allows Hoag to put Anne in several "out of touch and in jeopardy" situations that would be hard for an author to believably pull off in today's society. All of these "old school" conditions make for a refreshing change of pace, especially as Hoag absolutely nails the feel of the time period. From references to Dynasty to Cyndi Lauper to Bartles & Jaymes in the fridge, Hoag's subtle incorporation of pop culture references paints a vivid picture of small town Oak Knoll at the height of the 80's.

Which is not to say the mystery gets lost in the scenery. Hoag has conjured up a truly compelling crime and given her investigators - and the reader - an amazingly colorful cast of characters to sift through to get to the truth. And though enough subtle clues are left that a seasoned reader of the genre may potentially guess the killer's identity prior to the formal reveal, that in no way detracts from the wonderfully tangled web of a story Hoag has woven. Between the clever plot twists, dedicated and determined heroes, and downright Machiavellian residents of Oak Knoll, Secrets to the Grave is a supremely entertaining and engaging mystery.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy and crafty January 26, 2011

By Bookreporter

Format:Hardcover

Fans of thrillers and mysteries know that small towns make great settings for novels. There are the requisite stock characters, the socially incestuous relationships and the confined geography with which to play. However, in the hands of a talented and imaginative genre writer, those themes and characters that can seem all too familiar take on a new perspective and a new life. In SECRETS TO THE GRAVE, the prolific and bestselling author Tami Hoag explores good and evil, dark secrets, and the power of families to both destroy and heal in such a small town.

The book takes place in Oak Knoll, California, the setting of Hoag's previous effort, DEEPER THAN THE DEAD. It starts a year after the events of that novel, which centered on a string of murders and attacks by the "See-No-Evil" killer. While the trial of that case is getting underway and while many of the characters here were introduced in the first book of this "microseries," SECRETS TO THE GRAVE reads just as well as a stand-alone title as Hoag makes sure readers never feel lost or confused by references to earlier actions.

The story here begins, in the fall of 1986, with a gruesome discovery. The body of the young artist Marissa Fordham is found, mutilated almost beyond recognition in her Oak Knoll home. The body of her four-year-old daughter, Haley, is nestled against her shoulder with barely a heartbeat. Haley survives, and with emotions still running high from the recent murders and attacks by the See-No-Evil killer, Oak Knoll begins a hunt for a murderer once again. Sheriff's Detective Tony Mendez, along with his mentor and former FBI profiler, Vince Leone, lead the investigation as Leone's wife, Anne, takes care of the traumatized Haley, who is both a victim and the only witness to her mother's murder.

The details of the investigation are compelling. Who had the motive and opportunity to kill the much-adored, free-spirited Marissa? Was it a jilted lover? The unidentified father of her child? Her strange neighbor? Her temperamental benefactress? As Mendez, Leone and the other members of their team try to solve the case, their work becomes increasingly difficult: key figures in the investigation go missing, some refuse to come clean with what they know, threats are made against others...and finally they discover that Marissa never existed at all! Who was this mysterious woman in Oak Knoll, and what did she do to provoke such a brutal slaying?

Hoag's latest page-turner is grisly at times (between the details of the murder, the internal workings of a 12-year-old budding sociopath, the evasive games of the killer, and more) but remains totally readable and enjoyable throughout. She shifts point of view between characters with ease, and the pace never lags. Oak Knoll is a stand-in for the relative peace and security we all live in, as well as the fragility of that peace and security. Hoag nicely riffs on some of the expected "small town murder mystery" themes but also delivers plenty of the expected chills. The characters sometimes play to type, but much less so than in most genre writing.

SECRETS TO THE GRAVE is creepy and interesting with some fun twists and dark ideas. It is a complex thriller from one of the most intelligent and crafty suspense writers working today.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Shallower Than The Prequel February 2, 2011

By SwissFictionFan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

After reading "Deeper Than The Dead", I was very much looking forward to the continued adventures of Anne, Vince, Mendez and the population of Oak Knoll. Sadly, "Secrets To The Grave" couldn't hold a candle to its prequel.

On the positive side, the book has a nice flow, some interesting prose and several interesting characters. If that sounds like faint praise, it is.

Oddly, this book fails where the last one succeeded: The characters feel contrived, lifeless and ineffective. Despite being a legendary profiler, Vince cannot figure out the killer or the killer's motive. In fact, he continually misjudges suspects, bumbling his way through a case that reaches its conclusion almost despite him. If Vince doubted his own abilities, haunted by the suspicion that his own condition may be deteriorating, then he might experience some character growth. Instead, he's relegated to puttering about Oak Knoll, following up on not very much at all and (safe one late discovery) contributing precious little.

But if Vince is merely clueless, poor Anne really gets put through the wringer, along with Haley, a four year old subjected to experiences so awful that they struck me as comical by the end of the book. The improbable, curiously contrived situations of peril felt extraneous and repetitive. Anne had much to learn but gave a lot of herself in the first book. Here, she's relegated to an overly idealistic human pincushion, making terrible decisions that put a four year old in lethal danger.

Extremely grating were the continued references to the serial killer of the first book. That killer was a much more formidable villain, a character worth returning to. I was hopeful that the numerous mentions of the upcoming trial meant that Secrets to the Grave would provide new, shocking information that would dovetail into the See No Evil Killer's trial-- but instead, after much exposition, nothing of any appreciable effect on the (still presumably upcoming) trial ever occurs.

One can only surmise that Hoag is taking the long view, planting seeds that will pay off somewhere along the series' plotted-out timeline. This book perhaps suffers from its awkward position in that timeline, leaving me restless and unsatisfied, but hopeful that the next book will begin to tie together the many interesting loose threads.