Ant Dens: A Suspense Novel

by Mary Coley

Rebecca Aldrich has a history of disappearing. But this time is different. The spirited college freshman simply vanishes, like several other young women from Las Vegas, New Mexico's Highlands University. When her stepmother, Jamie Aldrich, embarks on a desperate hunt for her missing stepdaughter, she discovers that the surrounding grasslands and foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are full of secrets, and that her recently deceased husband left behind a life enshrouded in mystery.

When loved ones go missing, only the truth can bring them home.

A startling and engaging mystery, Ant Dens will draw you into a shadowy world where good and evil are mirror images of each other -- and learning the truth means forgetting everything you know. In a series of stunning and unnerving revelations about love, loyalty, and the dark side of human nature, Ant Dens uncovers our primal fear of what happens when loved ones suddenly disappear.


About the Author

Award-winning author Mary Coley has been a life-long writer and has worked in the fields of journalism and communications as well as science education. A trained naturalist and interpretive guide, she lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 2, 2014

About the author

Writing - and reading - must be in my blood. I can't stop doing either one of them. I'm drawn to mysteries, but have discovered that most every type of book includes a mystery to be solved. Sometimes it is the mystery of why something happened, or who did it, or why they did it, but sometimes it is just the mystery of why two people were put together at the same place and the same time.
I'm a firm believer in coincidence - meaning, there is no such thing. I don't believe in predestination, but I believe that everything happens for a reason.
A warning: be nice to me, or you'll end up starring in my next murder mystery!

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you see an ant hill on the surface of the ground, are you aware of the possible miles and miles of tunnels below ground, commonly called ant dens?

The title of this follow-up to COBWEBS reminds us that not everything we see may not be all there is.

Ant Dens takes us to places we'd rather not know about. When Jamie's step-daughter, Rebecca, comes up missing, the first thought is that she had a tiff with her mom and took off for a few days to cool off. But Rebecca's mother shows up insistent that Rebecca would not do this.

Added to a hysterical mother and concerned family members, is the fact that other girls have gone missing in this area .... young college girls who have never been seen again. There are rumors of Human Trafficking but no proof. When Jamie finds research material on missing girls over the years, Jamie is scared that her husband might have known more than he was telling...but he is dead and the dead don't speak.

I thought COBWEBS was an excellent story ... I'm happy to find that ANT DENS is just as riveting. This is a story of love ... secrets....lies..... and the more you read, the deeper into the story you are drawn. The people we meet on this adventure are like ant dens ... what you see may be just an illusion, and the truth lies buried.

Note: Ant Dens is outstanding as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading Cobwebs first.

Mary Coley has risen to my top 10 favorite authors ... I sincerely hope there are more Family Secret books coming our way.

Many thanks to Mary Coley for supplying the book in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

[Brittany King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book to leave an honest review.

I did not realize orginally that this is a second book in a series. That completely doesn't matter. This book stands well on its own and gives any back story you might need.

Once I started this book I couldnt set it down. Literally!! I just had to know what happened to Becca. This is an extremely thrilling mystery. The ending was a huge twist.. Part of which I figured out in the first half of the book the second half I never would of guessed.

If your looking for a fast paced mystery look no further. This is your book. Now that I have read this I can't wait to go back and read the first book of the series.

Will definitely be following Mary Coley's work. I cant wait to read what she creates next.

[Sara Rupnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coley has a gift for transporting her readers into scenic, sinister places. We leave the intrigue of Oklahoma in her first novel, Cobwebs, to arrive in the starkly dramatic landscape of New Mexico, and yet mystery continues to follow our heroine, Jamie Aldrich. A great read for those of us craving suspense in new locales.

[Peggy Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Coley’s Ant Dens is suspenseful and emotional at the same time. Jamie Aldrich is a widow, mother, step-mother, and teacher. Her life is busy and she is still mourning the death of her second husband. Now that she is back home after taking care of an elderly aunt, her step-daughter has disappeared and Jamie is being threatened. She hopes once school starts, her life will get back to normal, but then what is normal these days? With a crazy neighbor next door and the not-so-subtle mother of her step-daughter coming to stay with her, life might never be the same. But there are women disappearing from the campus where her late husband taught and Jamie is afraid her step-daughter might be the latest victim.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Nancy K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ant Dens was an easy read that got better as it went on. There were a few too many red herrings for my taste that added nothing to the story. The descriptions bogged down the flow rather than setting the scene. It's one thing to say the character changed into jogging pants, but I don't need to know what the fabric or color is.

[Angela Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ant Dens did not disappoint. Just as good as Cobwebs. It is so hard to put the book down to go to sleep at night. I love the storylines and how in this book she refers back to Jamie’s time in Pawhuska and her new love Sam. I have loved her 2 books so far. Just starting on Beehives and I am sure it will not disappoint either.