Grave Secret

Sidney Becker #6

by Linda Berry

NEW RELEASE!Deep in the backwoods dark secrets lie hidden...When a decomposing body is found in the woods, it’s identified as an elderly woman who was buried in the cemetery weeks earlier. Who stole her body? Why? What is buried in her coffin? The discovery inside the coffin leads Police Chief Becker to interview an array of suspects, including a clown, a mortician, and a male stripper. Five orphan boys who live in a church have information about the dead woman, but they’re too scared to talk. Complicating her investigation, a young homeless woman is found murdered. The homicide investigation takes Becker into the backwoods, where she discovers vicious criminals are operating off the grid. Their crimes are spilling into Becker’s community, threatening the people she’s vowed to protect. To make matters worse, one of the orphan boys heads into the backwoods to avenge the young woman’s death. Becker needs to get these criminals into custody fast, before the young man becomes a killer, or ends up being a victim.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2023

About the author

Linda Berry is the author of nine Amazon bestselling novels in the categories of psychological thrillers, female sleuths, and murder mysteries.

What does Linda love most about her work?

"As a novelist, I love the creative process itself—the challenge of developing and constructing plots that include mystery, romance, and suspense, told in beautiful prose. Writing is both a passion and a compulsion, and the most satisfying form of escape I’ve ever experienced. My greatest reward comes from sharing my imaginary worlds with others who enjoy taking the journey. If readers talk about my characters as though they are real people, I know I did my job well."

Most notably, is Linda's Sidney Becker Mysteries series, set in the mountain community of Garnerville, OR. The seven-book series is perfect for readers who love small-town procedurals, strong female law enforcement leads, and psychological suspense. Linda does intensive research to ensure the themes of her novels are informative, her characters are unique, and the stories are captivating and original. One of her most trusted editors has twenty years of law enforcement experience, ensuring that the police protocol is accurate.

Before she was a full-time author, Linda enjoyed a twenty-five-year career as an award-winning graphic designer and copywriter. In Los Angeles, she provided design services for several magazines and movie studios. Later, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and Hewlett Packard and Fujitsu were among her many clients. Linda was also an award-winning Art Director for South Bay Accent magazine for six years.

Linda currently lives in Virginia with her husband and adorable mini poodle. A passionate animal and nature lover, her garden provides a safe sanctuary for a wide variety of birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. She also loves to cook healthy meals, visit historical sites, and walk in the forests by rivers and lakes.

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is a superior murder/mystery series by Linda Berry. It has captivated me from the very first book. Great characters involved in riveting mysteries. This is another outstanding addition to the series. I only wish we didn't have to wait so long in between books. I highly recommend this series. It's a winner.

[Randi Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would you do if you found a decomposed body in your compost pile? Ben Colby immediately called in Police Chief Sidney Becker. I have never read any of the Sidney Becker books but this one gave me enough background on the characters and town that I didn’t feel lost. The characters were all very real and believable. I loved the mortician named Morticia who dressed like Morticia Addams and staged funerals for the deceased according to their wishes. The decomposed body above was identified as an an elderly woman buried in her casket in the cemetery 2 weeks ago. How did she get out of her casket and who is in there now? There are plenty of suspects including Morticia and her assistant, a clown, a male stripper, and a young homeless boy living in a nearby church. The case becomes more complicated but I won’t spoil it for you. The story grabbed my attention with the grisly discovery of the body and kept my attention through the police work to the end. The story touches on several very real human conditions including loss, love, grief, greed, compassion, homelessness, and recovery. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to read the rest of the series. Thanks to the author for a copy of this book.

[Sharon Grow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, a new Police Chief Sydney Becker story! A fascinating police procedural for Sydney and her dedicated team of officers. A body is found on the property of a local resident and they discover that she was a wealthy, elderly woman who had died, been embalmed and buried. How did she end up here? The woman had a “staged” funeral with a party, performers and was buried with her jewelry. Opening the gravesite and coffin, they find the body of a missing homeless woman. She appears to have been murdered and her kidneys removed. Is someone abducting people for their organs or is this an isolated case? Sydney, a former homicide detective from Oakland, now has several cases that she needs to solve. Did the wealthy woman die of natural causes or was she murdered? Was the homeless woman targeted for her organs? A young boy has been bullied and two teens threatened and this leads them to a possible dog fighting ring and an informant that may be able to supply the lead they need to solve the cases. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had an interesting plot and it was nice to read about the usual characters, Selena, David, Anne. I just found this book to be slow moving and the ending to be anticlimactic. I really liked this series when it started but now it has become boring.
A dead body is found. The dead body belongs to an old woman whose corpse was stolen from the funeral home. When the coffin is dug up a homeless woman was placed in the old woman's coffin with missing organs. They then find out the old woman was poisoned. They are now looking for 2 possible killers. An orphanage with young boys plays a role in this plot. It was nice to read about the boys and get to know them.
However when I read a mystery I am looking for some excitement and shock. I found neither in this book. It was just ok. I would never recommend this book if it was just a stand alone. But because there are well known characters it might be worth the read. I have to consider if I want to continue this series or move on.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good story. Sidney, A lady Chief of police had a boyfriend David who had a young son. They kept their relationship fairly quiet. One day she got a call about a dead body in someone compost pile in the garden. How did the body get there and who was it. The next day a rich lady died and wanted to be buried with some of her fabulous jewelry. This funeral home was kind of bizarre in how the held their services. Totally different for sure. Can't say much more on this right now. The local church pastor had taken in a few young boys to help them survive the tragedies of their lives . They worked at farms and animal shelters as volunteers. The oldest one Rafe was a mentor to the boys and they all looked up to him. Then the story gets wild for all those connect to the dead womans bodies Also down the story line is about a bunch of men having dog fights. Sidney found out about them from a tip. Much more excitement but dont want to give to much away. Im sure you will enjoy this books as much as I did.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

NEW RELEASE!Deep in the backwoods dark secrets lie hidden...When a decomposing body is found in the woods, it’s identified as an elderly woman who was buried in the cemetery weeks earlier. Who stole her body? Why? What is buried in her coffin? The discovery inside the coffin leads Police Chief Becker to interview an array of suspects, including a clown, a mortician, and a male stripper. Five orphan boys who live in a church have information about the dead woman, but they’re too scared to talk. Complicating her investigation, a young homeless woman is found murdered. The homicide investigation takes Becker into the backwoods, where she discovers vicious criminals are operating off the grid. Their crimes are spilling into Becker’s community, threatening the people she’s vowed to protect. To make matters worse, one of the orphan boys heads into the backwoods to avenge the young woman’s death. Becker needs to get these criminals into custody fast, before the young man becomes a killer, or ends up being a victim.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave Secret is a suspenseful, fast-paced, and captivating book. The plot has plenty of twists, keeping the reader guessing until the end. There is also quite some action when Sidney, a small-town chief of police, ends up leading an actual SWAT team operation. A lively and captivating cast of characters surrounds Sidney. The personalities of the recurring ones become more defined, and their roles more substantial than in the series' previous books. The new ones are all well assorted; the local pastor and his flock of abandoned children will steal the readers' hearts. Finally, an animal sanctuary run by a Japanese man full of surprises completes the story setting.
Overall, Grave Secrets is an entertaining, intriguing, and often sweet book that results in a pleasant reading experience.

[Sheri Corriero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this detective story. Just the title itself brought my attention to the book. Police Chief Becker has a dead lady who was buried earlier but now her body is out above ground in the woods. As they work to find out why and who did it, they come across a number of people of interest and some orphan boys with information. Of course…another murder occurs. I enjoyed seeing how Chief Becker gathers information and talks to everyone to try to get to the bottom of things. It was a great story. I received an ARC copy from the author and this is my honest review.

[Anne G. Kasaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. The storyline is intriguing and the book is like the others in the series, well written. The mystery is well plotted with two distinct directions that intersect and build on each other until the the resolution. The characters are well developed with personalities that are diverse enough to have caused me to wonder how they developed relationships. This boon should definitely be at the top of your to be read pile.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her books are ones you enjoy reading. In this a small town and for the most part quiet , until the sheriff got a call on her day off.
A haunting story a respectable business having a side line that would scare almost anyone. For the sheriff and her team it was also a heartless thing. Who all is involved leds them on a chase, would this small town ever recover from it.
As to the romance nice that all is going well for the two sisters
Given ARC for my voluntary return

[Kenneth Lingenfelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced suspenseful novel. Police chief Becker is called to a site where a body is found. The body actually belonged to a woman that was already buried. Another murder complicates the investigation. The novel keeps you interested.

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific!

Great series! Each book has Bern outstanding and the characters are wonderful, fully developed people! This book has a very intricate, involved crime, with ever evolving problems and criminals! Excellent reading experience!

[Linda Collister · Rating 5 out of 5]

unraveling the clues

A dead body in the compost, missing jewelry, a stranger in buried in someone else’s coffin. Add in organ harvesting and orphans looking for homes and you have a story you won’t be able to put down. Oh and don’t forget the dog fights, abuse and drug dealers.

[Eileen Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

GRIPPING

Another incredible story from Linda Berry that keeps you guessing until she wraps up the adventure by putting all of the bad actors away and allowing the misguided youth to succeed while paying for their mistakes.

[Quanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

What starts as a body in a mulch pile morphs into a jewel robbery, dog fighting, and illegal organ harvesting. Throw in some orphan boys, two bullies, a Russian, and a talking crow - this story keeps moving. And it all comes together perfectly. I was gifted this from the author.

[Mickey Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and very entertaining!

This was a fantastic series! I love all the characters and their familial relationships. The plots are suspenseful, with lots of twists and red herrings. Well done!

[Carol Ueland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book in the Sidney Becker series. Interesting characters interact amid orphan boys, a rich old lady, a homeless old lady, backwoods bar brawling men, and of course Sidney’s police force. Another interesting read along with some really strange settings.

[Penny Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning was 5-stars and super suspenseful.

End felt anti-climactic, like everything was tied up but sort of a letdown.

I still love this series and these characters.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has almost too much going on in it, but Ms. Berry tied it all together nicely. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decomposing body in the woods, who’s in the coffin. Who committed this and why. Full of suspense, and secrets. Will Sidney Becker be able to solve this quickly. Didn’t disappoint.

[Robin Mattei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Absolutely awesome series. Hoping for more. I love these characters and the stories
Start at the first...helps storyline make sense

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the book instead of the typical plot twist at the end.

[Patricia Garske · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeah for Sidney Becker

Excellent book! It was hard to put down. Nice to know there are so many moral, loving and caring people in this world.

[Tiffanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good overall. Some action not much though. It reminded me of a James Patterson Alex cross book where you kind of know already exactly what’s going to happen.