Buried Agendas

by Donnell Ann Bell

A devastating secret drove her from the man she loved. Will a secret equally as deadly lead her back to him? Diana Reid is an investigative reporter skilled at uncovering other people's secrets. It's her own that she works to keep buried. Eight years earlier, she promised to leave her fiancé and hometown of Diamond, Texas forever. That pledge vanishes when she receives a letter that people are going to die, implicating her hometown's largest employer, and making a veiled threat against her mother. With no other choice, Diana will return to Diamond, albeit in disguise, to discover the anonymous author.Brad Jordan moved on with his life after Diana left. Leaving his brother in charge of Jordan Industries, the family business, Brad pursued a law degree and is now mayor of Diamond. Just as he rebuilt his life, he plans to rebuild his struggling hometown. Those plans are jeopardized when he's notified that Jordan Industries is suspected of wrongdoing and may be sacrificing the public's health.Diana is the last person Brad wants to see, personally or professionally. Still, when she appears in Diamond, he is forced to accept that a woman he vowed to forget may be his only option to get to the truth.

Genres: Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Fiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2014

About the author

I grew up in the 4-Corners area, in the city of Farmington, New Mexico. I love New Mexico, and am influenced by its rich Hispanic and Native American culture, and will bring some of this knowledge to future work. I also love Colorado of which I was a resident for thirty plus years.

Since my debut in 2010, I've added five more books and am currently hard at working on number seven.

I'm passionate about suspense and storytelling. I hope you'll join me as I write around the theme *SUSPENSE TOO CLOSE TO HOME*

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what’s a sign of a good book to me – it’s when you talk to it as your reading it – Like “No that didn’t just happen” or “OMG” at those unexpected moments – where your rubbing your hands together in excitement to read the next chapter seeing what is going to happen next. I went through all of those things reading this book. Donnell is such a great story teller that you just get lost in her books. I’ve said this before in my reviews of her books that I am amazed how she writes suspenseful romance books but rarely is there any sex in them, but how she writes sexual tension and attraction you don’t even miss it. I think it takes a very talented author to pull that off and you still feel satisfied at the end of the book.

I think you can get the jest of the story from the synapses so I’m just going to say as with all her other books I loved this one and look forward to future books from her.

[Stephanie Calabrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buried agendas

Enjoyed immensely. Mystery and love, what more could anyone ask for. Third book from this author. This is a must read.

[Amber Foxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting is original and fascinating, with much of action taking place at a large chemical plant in a small Texas town. The lead characters are strong and engaging. The variety of enemies and risks kept the tension high, in both the main plot involving in questionable activity at the chemical plant and in the integrally connected romantic subplot. Bell achieves high suspense with minimal violence. The family relationships weave yet another layer of conflict into the plot. I was outraged by the patriarch of the Jordan family, by the rule-benders and rule-breakers in the industry, and this had me rooting all the more strongly for small-town mayor Brad and investigative reporter Diana to succeed. The secondary characters are outstanding, multidimensional and real. Bell is an author I can count on for a well-crafted page-turner.

[Kate Lansing · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I so enjoyed about this novel was that there was so much to it! On one hand it was a murder mystery, on the other a romantic suspense, but all the while there was this depth with the subject matter that reminded me of Erin Brockovich.

I loved the characters and their complex backstories. The family dynamic with the Jordan's was fascinating and felt very real, especially at the end with John's feelings toward his ailing father (a fantastic theme of forgiveness!).

The writing was so visceral that I felt like I could see every scene, and I never quite knew what was going to happen. I mean, I did not see Susan's involvement and subsequent arrest AT ALL!, nor was I able to predict whodunit. Always the mark of a great mystery.

The only reason I docked it a star was because I wish Diana had confided in Brad why she left him sooner, only because the reader learns early on what happened and I kept waiting for it to come to a head.

But ultimately, this was a great mystery. I could tell the author did A TON of research into chemical plants, and I'll definitely read another of Bell's books!

[Darby Karchut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from author Donnell Ann Bell! Buried Agendas is a perfect blend of deeply realized characters and a plot that had me racing through the entire book. The idea of an investigative reporter trying to uncover a mystery at a chemical plant hooked me from page one. The book opened with a bang and the tension just kept mounting. I held my breath the entire second half! And the characters! While I was rooting for Brad and Diana the whole time, I found myself also rooting for two secondary characters, John and Faith. To me, a sign of a great story is when you are emotional invested in all the characters, not just the main ones.

Donnell Ann Bell has become my go-to author when I need a romantic suspense with a tight, crisp plot and characters that keep talking to you after you finish the book. Highly recommended

[Kim Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of romantic suspense, read Donnell Ann Bell’s latest novel “Buried Agendas.”

I’ve read most of her novels and enjoy them all, but this book is by far my favorite. The storyline is entertaining, but it is the wonderful characters that kept me turning the pages late at night. Reading this book was like watching and worrying about friends. In Buried Agendas, reporter Diana Reid returns to her hometown to investigate a threat to her mother’s life, but the greatest threat Reid faces is confronting her ex-fiancé Brad Jordan who is now the mayor of the town. The book is a suspense and second-chance romance rolled into one. Enjoy!

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Threats, deceit, and murder build the suspense in Donnell Ann Bell’s latest novel. Diana, a reporter with a knack for uncovering the truth, makes a difficult decision when she receives a note threatening her mother. Is she uncovering her next big story or rewriting her past?

I was hooked by this story from the first page. There was tension in every scene, and everyone had a part to play. I was surprised to find I was interested in following the lives of the supporting characters as well as Diana and Brad.

If you like romantic suspense, this book is for you. Be prepared to read this one from front to back in one sitting!

[Kerri P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I am "hooked" on Donnell's books. We read Betrayed in our book club and we all loved it... so now all of us are on to reading all of her other books. I just finished this one and I did not want it to end.... would love a sequel. I got attached to the characters. You know when you are reading a book and then you have to go do life... but, in the back of your head you are wondering, "what is Brad doing right now?" That is the way I was with this book. I felt like I was right there in the chemical plant with them!

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This IS actually romantic suspense

So often when I pick up a book categorized as "Romantic Suspense" it is heavy on the romance and most suspenseful part of the story line is wondering when the two leading characters will end up in bed. I enjoy romance novels, but when I want suspense added in, Donnell Ann Bell always delivers and this book is no exception. Great storyline, great characters, great writing.

Both my husband and I enjoyed this book.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, twisting and turning,action packed with hidden agendas and family issues to keep you riveted and unable to stop reading until the last page has come. Excellent.

[Judi Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read of this author and I loved this one. Diana Reid is an reporter, but also on the front desk of a news program. But, she loves the investigative side of her work. She has been rebuilding her life after 8 years prior because she left the man she loved, Brad, with a lie.

Now she has been given a letter written to her telling her that she needs to go home and investigate what is going on with the local Chemical factory. The letter says people are dying. But, Diana, doesn't want to go back to Diamond, Tx. The factory is owned by the family of her former fiance, who she has never forgotten and still loves. But, knowing that her mother might be in danger, Diana, knows she has to go back. Can Diana hide her identity from everyone by wearing wigs and contacts changing her eye color! She needs to get a job at the factory and find out what is going on!

This one keeps you turning those pages to see what is going to happen and will Diana be willing to risk her life to find out all the secrets that have been hidden.

[Debbie Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

the storyline seems great and I may pick up the paperback some day, but I couldn't get over the horrible accent the narrator gave to Jon and everyone in Diamond. it's like nails on a chalkboard! stereotyping Texans much!?

[Moreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Love reading Donnell Ann Bell. So many twists and turns. Keeps you thinking.

[Karen S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure if this is really a 5 star book but it’s exactly what I needed to read right now. I’ll definitely read more by this author.

[Regina · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I’ve read. Full of cliches, predictable and the representation of Mexicans in this book is awful.

Oh my God the ending made me gag.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great mystery book that, in the end, grabs you. I never got this till the end. Well written book.

[ItsAboutTheBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review can be read at It's About The Book

3.5 stars

I don’t know quite how to approach this review. There were elements that I really enjoyed while others stretched the possibilities just a little too much, even for fiction.

The main plot line of the story revolves around Diana Reid’s investigation of Jordan Industries in her hometown of Diamond, Texas. She received an anonymous note from Diamond asking her to investigate Jordan industries before people started to die, indicating that her mother, who still lived in Diamond, might be in danger. This was a really good plot. It worked. While I would hope it never happens in the real world, in the context of the story it was beautifully written and completely plausible. Diana is presented as a smart, innovative and tenacious investigative reporter as she goes undercover to find the truth of what’s happening in the most important business in her hometown. There was mystery and danger of discovery at every turn of the page. Riveting.


Here’s where the story fell apart for me. How in the world did this smart, innovative and tenacious investigative reporter allow the threats of a prejudiced old man who didn’t want a woman of Native American ancestry in his family tear her away so easily from the man she professed to love! Nope. I didn’t buy it. I can suspend belief up to a certain point when reading fiction. It’s fiction! But I didn’t, couldn’t, believe that. And if Diana, who was so tough in every aspect of her career, could allow herself to be separated from Brad without a fight, just how much did she love him in the first place?

How much did Diana love Brad? I never felt any sense of connection between Diana and Brad. There were words on the page, but no real feeling of loss. Brad showed some justifiable anger, but he had moved on and was engaged to a woman he said he was committed to. Luckily for the end game of the story, she was involved with the bad guys, making it convenient for Brad to dump her. Convenient, but not convincing.

This book would have been much more satisfying for me if it had been a straight mystery with no “romance” at all. Diana’s investigation of Jordan industries was brilliantly plotted and wonderfully written, but the romance seemed flat and unemotional. The supporting cast of characters, especially Brad’s father, were likable and added nicely to the story.