Buried (A Bone Secrets Novel) [Kindle Edition]

After reading the first two books in this series, I was excited to get my hands on this pre-release third installment. This book features Michael Brody, the ex-boyfriend/now good friend of Lacey Campbell from book one.

Twenty years after a school bus filled with children disappears, the remains are finally found. Michael Brody's brother, Daniel, was one of the children who disappeared. Bodies are being unearthed and identified, but the remains of two of the boys are not there. One missing corpse is Chris Jacobs, who managed to escape after a couple years of captivity, and made it home to his family. He was severely scarred, both physically and emotionally, and became an amnesiac hermit who to this day keeps his whereabouts unknown.
As you might guess, the other boy not found is Michael's brother, Daniel. The clues that arise from the findings/remains of the other children only point to more questions, and Michael will not rest until he finds the answers he seeks.

Chris Jacobs (the one who survived), has only one family member left, his sister Jamie who is now a school principal. Since Chris left home, Jamie has never known of Chris' whereabouts, and only has a message number to reach him.
Desperate to find out what happened to his missing brother, Michael is determined to find Chris. He is convinced that Chris does not really have amnesia, and assumes he remembers things that are keeping him in hiding. Being the only known link to Chris, Michael contacts Jamie and after events convince her she has little choice, she joins Michael in the search for her brother.

Like any good mystery/thriller, this story has a very satisfying blend of intrigue, action, and heart pounding scenes. If I had to find a negative, I would say that I knew very early on who was probably responsible for the mass murders. I don't feel it detracted much from the story though, because I did not know the motivation until close to the end. There is a wonderfully surprising twist near the end that helps explain the motivation, and it all ties up nicely.

Of all the things I liked about this book, one of my favorites is how everything finally comes together. The ending was not too abrupt, as I find some mysteries to be. This author tied up all the loose ends, and then a full chapter was spent on closure. This was a very satisfying read, and I really hope to read more about one particular character in this story in a future book!

I have enjoyed all of Kendra Elliot's books, but this one is my favorite so far. I think that she took a tough subject and handled it delicately.

Michael Brody, whom we met in Elliot's first book, is back. He's a reporter, the son of a senator and a famous doctor. His brother was one of several children who disappeared while returning from a school trip. Jamie Jacobs' brother is the only known survivor of that trip. However, he has amnesia and can't help anyone. It's twenty years later and the buried secrets of that trip are about to be uncovered.

I don't want to say too much more about the story, because I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that the story does involve pedophilia. Elliot handled this subject very well - she doesn't hit you over the head with horrible descriptions. On the flip side, she follows in the path of great thrillers that allow your imagination to play out the rest of the scene. And sometimes, what you imagine is worse than what is given to you.

I highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to her next one.

Kendra Elliott is a gifted author. Buried has some wonderful and startling twists and turns that kept me up way past my bedtime! I can't wait to see what Ms. Elliott writes next as her first books have been outstanding! Mason could use his own story......preferably with a woman willing to pick out his clothes lol.