It's been five years since Rose's mother Kathy went missing and, after recent events, all Rose wants to do is get on with her life. Which means taking a break from her complicated stepbrother, Joshua.Then police officer Henry Thompson comes calling with bad a body has been found buried in the garden of Rose's old house. A body that has lain undiscovered for five years. The body of a missing teenage girl.With Kathy and Brendan implicated in her death, Rose and Joshua have one last chance to clear their parents' names. But if they fail, the consequences will be deadly . . .
2.5 stars. I'm so glad I'm done with this series. This last book wasn't terrible, but I didn't particularly like much about it. For the starters, while the editing wasn't as bad as in the previous book, it wasn't the greatest in this one either. I also spotted an inconsistency that would have come down to poor editing. Another thing I'm not the biggest fan of is the plot. I thought it was so unbelievable and couldn't believe that the main characters (Joshua in particular) couldn't just but out. I really struggled to enjoy the storyline and, once again, I couldn't believe what was going on. The ending was also way too convenient. Lastly, I really didn't like the characters, especially Joshua, because they were just so annoying and frustrating. I wasn't comfortable with the romance and thought it was kind of wishy washy anyway. Not a bad ending to the series, but there wasn't a whole lot I can say I liked.
In the final book of the series, reunions after much tracking down of certain people finally take place as they're forced by Josh to face them and explain to them the truth at last.
Between what should be a good time though, things soon turn for the worse after a dead body is found in the garden of their old family home which sets their family up for turmoil over whom murdered the dead and whom can they really trust?
There's shootings, identity issues and corruption uncovered in this heart stopping finale. It had me hooked between the latest murder uncovering and finally finding out the whole truth as well as the pair's developing relationship and Rose's grandma having a change of attitude toward Josh too it was great to see the reflection between the first and final novels and how much happened for the better.
Not my usual read but am enjoying thrillers at present. This story had potential, but it's the last in a series of 4 which I hadn't realised, and this gave it a kind of "winding-down" feeling. Not exactly a thriller, more a tying up of loose threads. It didn't feel authentic and the main characters were young people with attitude which was somewhat boring. The background characters were more interesting and more realistic than the main ones. I am definitely not the target audience, which was Young Adult, but I'm not sure they would like it either.
Really liked the series, easy to follow and to read. Lots of unexpected twists! Only downside was that on the back of book3&4 there were pictures of the books displaying all 4 books in the series and I assumed they were in order but they were 1, 2, 4, 3 so I ended up reading the start of book 4 before I read number 3 so I spoiled a bit for myself! Order was correct on inside front cover, will only be using that in the future to check order of books.
Dead and Buried is the 4th and final book in The Murder Notebooks series.
Rose and Joshua finally found out what happened with their parents but when the authorities find a dead body in their old backyard, the suspicion is on their family.
I just wanted to finish the series, the suspense wasn't as great as it was easy to figure out the story. Rose and Joshua were quite stupid and kept pursuing their parents when they knew it will be dangerous for them.
The book was non stop action. The secret of their parents disappearance is finally solved. All the storylines are completed. I'm a little disappointed at the ease with which Josh and Rose find out the plans. The bad guys spilled their plans just a little too easily.
Like the rest of the series, the quality of the writing weak yet this doesn't stop the exciting mystery from hooking you from the first page. There are twists and turns in every page and more than one mystery and murder in this book...
Interesting novel. I am reading the end of the series first, so I have an excuse for reading the rest of the series. As a stand alone, it is a good novel with plenty twists to keep you reading. It was a bit dry at the start, and then the action come later.
Quite enjoyed this one, took me a long time to fully get into it but at the end I didn't want to stop reading. It is just what I thought the ending would be like, so no big surprise. A good finish to the series.
Overall this was an really good read. I have pretty much read all the series, except for one. The down side was that it wasn't properly edited. When you read it, it missed quite a few commas or the words for in the wrong places and didn't make sense.
Eh, this was kind of a disappointing conclusion for me. There were several chances for something big or interesting to happen, but everything was anticlimactic. The ending was abrupt, it didn’t feel to me like Rose and Josh really had any real development between each other even though they’re still friends (or in love?) and it just seemed vague at the end. I also didn’t like that policewoman who basically threatened Rose but it was just glossed over. It was also a little too convenient that . I think it would’ve been more interesting if . Would’ve made for a far more complex, thought-provoking tangle of grayness in all of this. And the idea of taking justice into one’s own hands. Finally, I don’t like how Josh treated Rose as if she was less important than Skeggsie, and how Skeggsie was basically still the center of everything even though he’d always treated Rose like shit.
Started off a strong series, but the ending for me was weak.
After enjoying the previous three books in The Murder Notebooks series--DEAD TIME, KILLING RACHEL, and BUTTERFLY GRAVE--I was really looking forward to reading the conclusion to Rose and Joshua's story.
It's been five years since Rose's mother (Kathy) and Joshua's father (Brendan) went out to dinner and never came back. The event changed both of their young lives, and as they got older they started wondering about the disappearance of their parents. Neither believed they were dead. Actually, when Joshua gets in touch with Rose to meet up again after not seeing each other for years, they get caught up in a personal investigation. Yet, the more they found out about what happened to their parents and what they were really up to, the farther they seemed to get from finding them.
But the two teenagers know too much now, and Joshua has become obsessed after losing his best friend. Rose, however, has decided she wants to distance herself and get on with her life. After all, she's doing good in school and wants to plan her own future, plus she's starting to get along with her posh grandmother.
No more looking back for Rose. Except, life has a way of disrupting plans and she soon gets dragged back into the past when the house she lived in with her mother, Brendan and Joshua reveals a secret in the back garden.
The new owners start renovations and when the work begins the body of a teenage girl called Daisy is discovered. Now the police are asking them questions and as the clues surface, they all seem to point to Joshua's father. So it doesn't take long for the investigators to put the girl's murder and their parents' disappearance together.
But that's not the only threat chasing them, because Kathy's and Brendan's sins are shadowing their children...
Wow. This book was great! Not only does it present a new and quite awful mystery to drag Rose and Joshua back into the secretive life their parents were living on Brewster Road, but it ties in with the rest of the series. I loved that! It was also good to see Rose find out that her mother wasn't perfect, and that life wasn't as fantastic as she remembers it.
I'm also glad that we finally got to meet their parents, and found out exactly why they decided to forfeit their lives and leave their young children behind. Because at the end of the day, now that I have all the relevant details, information, and understand their motivations, I think that their actions were unfair on Rose and Joshua. As much good as Kathy and Brendan think they did by eliminating bad people and saving other potential victims, it was at the expense of their children.
It's strange how they disappeared so that Rose and Joshua wouldn't be in danger but that's exactly what happens anyway. I guess you can try to outrun your past and pretend that the ends justifies the means, but the truth is everything catches up with you eventually. It's just too bad that for this family, it cost them so much. By trying to save their children's future, they actually ruined their connection with them. Because seriously, whenever they interacted with Rose and Joshua it felt so cold and distanced, almost as if they'd been undercover for so long that they forgot how to be themselves.
Sad, really.
Dead and Buried is an amazing conclusion to this thrilling series. The new mystery at the heart of the story tied up a very important loose end, and the overall mystery was solved very well. I was once again on the edge of my seat, hoping that Rose and Joshua would make it out of this alive. Or at least minimally scarred.What these teenagers go through because of their parents is quite terrifying. But I loved their fighting spirit and the way they found strength in each other, even when they were frustrated by the situation.
The end of a series is always an exciting, yet sad experience. So when the last book is done well and leaves the reader satisfied, it's a wonderful experience.
I hope Rose and Joshua have an awesome, successful life together.
I have enjoyed reading this series from the very first book, and I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Dead and Buried, wanting to know if we get our questions answered, if Rose and Joshua find their parents, and if they finally get closure. My review for Dead and Buried will possibly be vague as I try to avoid spoilers from the series and from this book itself. Dead and Buried picks up a short while after Butterfly Grave, with both Rose and Joshua still struggling with what transpired, and also Rose's decision to get some space away from the entire investigation that seems to have gone off track. Rose and Joshua are not on very good speaking terms, while he is off investigating a few villages, Rose is back at school trying to continue with her life. Suddenly all of their questions and belief in their parents are shattered when a body is discovered in their old house, and an investigation is quickly started, bringing in Rose and Joshua to try to jog their memories about events in the past. Dead and Buried follows Rose and Josh as they come to terms with this new revelation and as they try to make sense of it all and once again pick up their investigation in the hopes they find the answers they are looking for.
While I enjoyed Dead and Buried I don't think it was filled with as much suspense as previous books, but you can definitly see how everything they have gone through is starting to affect the dynamics between this duo. Old faces from the past make appearances wanting answers themselves, which means Rose and Joshua both experience the wrath of revenge from these old faces. Added with that the pressure, and I think stalking, of a police officer in charge of the investigation this duo have their hands full. When you factor in that they already know a lot of information that could be dangerous for all involved if the police find out what is going on, it's not easy for Rose and Joshua to keep their motives a secret.
Dead and Buried gives us a lot of answers to the questions that were left unanswered throughout the series, and a few more were asked near the beginning of the book, but thankfully were also answered. When the body was discovered there was some incriminating evidence left on it, and even I had doubts over what really happened, luckily for me we get this answered for us near the end of the book so I wasn't left hanging over what really happened. Dead and Buried is the final instalment in this series and I think it ends perfectly, everything is all wrapped up nicely with all questions answered and explanations given for why things happened.
Wow! A brilliant book and one of those rare but remarkable things when the series simply gets better and better with each book! This was a brilliant read! All the questions and build up of mysteries that have been nagging at us throughout the last three books finally come together beautifully in this epic conclusion! I am IN LOVE with Joshua and Rose! They are soooo cute and I loved the moments between them! The ending was truly satisfying and wrapped up nicely! I love it when a series has a good ending because it makes me think..."ah that was really good...will have to read those again sometime!" And I definitely came to this conclusion when I reached the end of the final page of this series! I also liked how Anna and Rose's relationship developed over the series and how Anna came through for Rose in the end! She really started to act like a grandmother and you could see how she cared about Rose. There were lots of twists and surprises which Cassidy threw in to throw me off the trail and has me hooked from the first page! They were extremely sneaky however I could not be fooled because... I was surprised by Rose and Joshua's parents...they really have changed and aren't completely the people they used to be...only fragments of their old selves remain. There were a few things that annoyed me which was Rose's attitude about certain situations...I didn't like how she kept trying to assume that it was Brendan dragging her mother into it and her mother was the damsel in distress victim! That her mother was innocent! No no! Me no likey that part. I also didn't like her reluctance to find out more just because her mother wasn't the halo-around-her-head angel that Rose always believed her to be. It did annoy me and found it saddening because it often led to arguments between her and Joshua! However...I came to accept this about her and by the last book I could actually understand and imagine I would feel the same way if i were in her shoes! I did really like Rose and I love Josh too! Did I mention they are soo cute?!! The way they found strength in each other and how Josh returned Rose's feelings were just ADORABLE! Haha Really enjoyed this book! And am very happy with the ending!
Overall, I did really enjoy this series. I totally shipped Rose and Josh, however slightly wrong it may be [and really, it isn't! haha]. However, it was totally frustrating how dumb they were. I mean, I get wanting to find out what happened to your parents and finding out the truth and everything, but my god! Once they found out that EVERYTHING HAD HAPPENED FOR A REASON and that their CONSTANT MEDDLING WAS PUTTING THEM, THEIR PARENTS AND EVERYONE IN DANGER and that ALL WOULD BE REVEALED SOON, they totally should've backed off! So many people died unnecessarily because of them! Namely Skeggs!!! Like seriously. They could've just been like, "Ok. We'll take a break for a month, two months, and see what's what." BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I liked the twist in this particular novel about how much of a scumbag Monroe was. However, jfc, as it all these murders and things were related to Rose and Josh! >_<
Anyways. Woo. I enjoyed this and how it ended. I just wish Rose and Josh could've been less infuriating >_< haha
This YA series was so good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were interesting, the multiple plot lines running alongside the main story were suspenseful and tense and carried you through the four books seamlessly. Josh and Rose were so realistic and easy to relate to. Their story after they are re-united evolves dramatically, with their personalities clashing as they both struggle with the deaths they come across when researching the disappearance of their parents. Characters whom you think you can trust turn out differently than expected and the books are at times a little dark and disturbing as Josh and Rose find out what has happened since the night their parents did not return home. I loved how Rose's relationship with her Grandmother Anna developed over the series and how much they come to rely on each other by the end. I would highly recommend this series to any reader who likes mysteries, thrillers or just good satisfying reads!
This book is really interesting as the layers of plots unfold whilst the story is being told by Rose (the insecure character in the book who doesn't know if she should cling on to the past or move on). The story line is gripping and this may be because I am totally obsessed with the other precious books. I really love the thoughts of Rose and the questioning of her life. It seemed like I expected so much because of having read the other books. It was amazing - The amazing you have when you realize something happened when it wasn't supposed to. After realizing you just get filled with excitement and you just won't stop reading it.
Last book in a series of four. Glad I didn't bother reading the others. Nothing really wrong with it as a teenage thriller, but would have been tedious to go through them all. Plot line fine, I guess, though it all seemed a bit thin. The story is about a step brother/sister whose parents are missing and involved in some kind of policing where they make their own justice. The children are against it and don't trust everyone involved. The ending was adequate.
I love this book because there is a great sense of adventure and lots of suspense is built up which will not let you put the book down. I was very unhappy when the book finished because the descriptive writing and the mystery was so gripping which meant that once you had got to the end, it was a horrible feeling. I really wanted the book to continue but I guess something good can't last for an infinity.
My god, Anne Cassidy knows how to write a series. I love her stand alone books but the Murder Notebooks has become one of my new favourite series. I hung from her every word, every plot twist and was so enveloped in the book I couldn't put it down. She makes the scenes and characters come alive and breathe. I was so sad to finish the series but I'm looking forward to what else Cassidy has to offer in the future. From the author who inspired me to read and write, I tip my hat to you!