- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Kensington Publishing (30 July 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1496717252
- ISBN-13: 978-1496717252
Synopsis
Before being promoted to detective, Carrie Santero was given a rare glimpse into the mind of a killer. Through her mentor, Jacob Rein–a seasoned manhunter whose gift for plumbing the depths of madness nearly drove him over the brink–she was able to help capture one of the most depraved serial killers in the country. Now, the discovery of a small human foot buried in the Pennsylvania woods will lead her to a decades-old cold case–and the darkest secrets of her mentor’s youth.
“Nobody trusts an animal that tries to eat its own kind.”
Thirty years ago, a young girl went missing. A police officer was murdered. Another committed suicide. The lives of everyone involved would never be the same. For three agonizing decades, Jacob Rein has yearned for the truth. But when Detective Carrie Santero begins digging up new evidence, she discovers some answers come with shattering consequences.
Review
An Unsettled Grave is the second book in the Santero and Rein crime thriller series, but it can be read as a standalone which is how I came to it. Set in Viera County, West Virginia this book sees Carrie Santero, newly promoted to Detective at the Viera County District Attorney’s Office, sent to the small town of Liston-Patterson where the local police have discovered the remains of a child’s foot. Back in 1981, Hope Pugh disappeared one night when she was twelve years old and was never found. At the same time one local officer committed suicide and another was killed by a biker gang, but how are these three crimes connected? Moving between present day and 1981, the investigation throws up some shocking and surprising evidence that involves the family of her mentor and friend Jacob Rein.
This book had me gripped from the opening chapter. As well as the main plot, there is a sub-plot that opens the book with a woman being pulled over and raped by a policeman on her way home. This plot continues through and is the first time we see the barriers Carrie has to deal with as a young, female, blonde detective. Her ex colleagues no longer trust her and it is hinted that she only got the promotion because she was female or because she was sleeping with her boss. This sexism follows her to Liston-Patterson where again she has to fight male dominance and prejudice in the local police. As a character I liked Carrie, she is a tough cookie and a brilliant detective, even if she does cross the line slightly to get the evidence to capture the killer. Her mentor Jacob Rein is close to this story so takes a step back knowing Carrie has the ability to solve the case on her own. He is in a bad place, both physically and mentally, and living under the radar. This goes back to the first book The Thief Of All Light, which I am now going to read, but as I said not knowing the details didn’t effect my enjoyment of this book.
Bernard Schaffer has been a police officer and detective in Philadelphia so the attention detail regarding procedure, and the science of getting DNA from evidence is brilliant. I found this added to the reality of the plot and ultimately my enjoyment go the book; I do like the detail and how the investigation actually works. There are the different threads from 1981 of the missing Hope Pugh, the Suicide of Ollie Rein and the murder of Walt Auburn that seem disparate at first but as the plot gains pace and the details of what happened drip fed the tension and suspense builds to an exciting and edge of your seat conclusion, and a very satisfying one in my mind.
An Unsettled Grave is a crime thriller with realism in the plot and the characters. With an investigation that goes against the official records, and the discovery of her mentor’s past, Carrie is a detective that stops at nothing to get to the truth. Bernard Schaffer is not afraid to confront the sexism in the police force, and his experience as a detective shines through. I absolutely loved this book and am excited to have found a new crime series of such high. calibre. I can’t wait to find the time to read the first book in the series and the future books as well. A criminally good read and one I highly recommend.
