Mine: Untold Secrets

Mine #1

by William J. Davis

Laura Martial and her two daughters, Adrienne and June receive word that her estranged aunt Katie has died under suspicious circumstances, and Laura is her sole heir. Katie’s wrecked truck had been discovered by a young man from the Farmer’s Cooperative, but it takes a small group of searchers to find her body in the woods of her remote western farm. Unknown to Laura, Lloyd, a local hunter and poacher, aids in the search and is attacked by a strange primate species none of the other searchers see.

Laura and her children travel from their home in Seattle to the edge of the Rocky Mountains to settle the estate. They slowly discover Katie’s many untold secrets. Journals written long ago, when she worked as a zoologist in Brazil, introduce Laura to a strange primate species. Meanwhile, June, the youngest daughter, makes an exciting discovery of her own and turns up with an unusual new friend. Katie hadn’t returned from the Amazon alone.

The sheriff continues to investigate Katie’s death and looks for Lloyd, who has suspiciously disappeared. A persistent small-town reporter asks questions about Laura’s unexpected inheritance and family relationships. He makes some exciting discoveries, the most enticing of which is the untold secret of the Winston family’s wealth.

Back in Seattle, Laura’s husband Richard is facing a financial crisis and sees the sale of the remote western farm as an easy solution. Now that she knows why her aunt was so reclusive and the family’s relationship was so distant, she refuses to sell. Furious, Richard sends two of his shady associates to change her mind.

As various parties converge on the farm in pursuit of their personal interests, the creatures who call the farm home defend it. June goes missing in the chaos, and everyone and everything is looking for her. A body surfaces with horrific injuries prompting the police to investigate yet another suspicious death on the farm. The sheriff wonders if the reports of wild animal attacks near the remote farm over the years were true.

Richard’s men arrive to secretly assess the farm and find more than they expect. As the strange primates fight to defend their territory, paths cross, alliances are formed, and the question of what’s yours and what’s MINE is answered.

408 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2018

About the author

My family is full of story-tellers, but I think I'm the first one to become a novelist. Fortunately, I was raised in a loving, supportive family that encouraged me to express myself through art.

Outside of writing, I enjoy photography.

I love the solitude of writing, but when I'm out and about, I take after my Grandfather Frank and talk to everyone.

Writing thrillers is an intensely visual process for me. I see each scene unfold while listening to soundtracks. Also, the genre allows me to mix mystery with suspense and mix in creepiness, just for fun.

There are lots of novels out there for you to read, and when you sit down with one of mine, I hope you're entertained.

Reviews

[April eclecticbookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this in a Goodreads giveaway. I loved Katie so I was sorry we had so little time with her. There were errors that should have been caught such as calling a character by the wrong name. The second half got a bit rushed and several things were thrown in that were then cut off abruptly. At first, I thought it was because this was going to be a series but it’s a stand alone. 2.5

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mine is a difficult book for me to rate. I’ve read a lot of books similar to this one in terms of how unbelievable and cheesy I found some of it to be, but the difference with Mine is that the writing is actually very good and definitely keeps the reader entertained.

I think where the story fell down for me was a good portion of it felt very well thought out, but somewhere near the 75% mark things felt like they became very rushed and convoluted when it came to the action. Suddenly random characters were introduced then killed off, so many different dilemmas arose making it difficult to determine what the actual climax of the story was supposed to be, and some dialogue between characters left me scratching my head. I think the idea behind this story is a really great one, and I loved the relationship the author was building between June, Lucy and Pogo, but I think I would have enjoyed it all a lot more had all of the ideas in this book been given some more time to play out.

I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway so thank you to William J. Davis for my copy of Mine: Untold Secrets.<\b>

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish we'd gotten to know Katie a little more, she seems very interesting and I'd love to know more of her life story.
I liked this story, and I know part of it is supposed to remain unknown but I have so many questions!! I agree with what some others said about it feeling rushed at the end but I also think that might be because so much of the big action happened then. There were some characters we were just meeting that were killed off but for the most part they seemed to be pretty awful people so it wasn't a big loss.
I would really like to see a sequel, or something to tell us more about the Katie's farm and those who have lived there. I'll be watching for more from William J Davis.

[Tamara Namowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and mystery of this book. It was hard to put down and the ending was heart stopping.

[Mary McNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great first book from William Davis with another to follow providing the rest of the story. Laura Martial is married with two daughters living in Seattle. One day, she gets a call telling her that her Aunt Katy has died. Katy has lived alone on a farm for years and Laura hasn’t seen her since she was a child. This is where the untold secrets begin ...or at least the reader is lead to think so. The characters are all very well drawn. The plot and sub plots are detailed enough to to entertain and add flavor. Anyone who llikes Dean Koontz or Stephen King will enjoy this read; it has just the right mount of fantasy, science fiction and horror to satisfy. And, there are plenty of untold secrets.

[Charlotte Brackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

I struggled through this book. The writing was very good, but the plot lost me a little. As soon as I learned that these killings were being carried out by something non-human, my eyes glazed a bit. And that really could just be me, since I like my books to be more realistic.

If you’re a fan of the fantastical, I’d give this a try. Like I said, Davis is very well-written. And even with the struggles, I didn’t put the book down, as the author has a knack for keeping you drawn in.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept

I won a copy to read and write my unbiased review.
While I liked the premise of the book, and the characters, the dialogue got a little convoluted toward the end. I kept going back a bit thinking I missed something, but it just wasn't there. And it ended abruptly, without answering the questions never explained in the storyline.
A little tweaking and editing, and this could be a much better book.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent premiere novel from William J. Davis. Vivid details, engrossing story line. William writes with such an effortless fluidity, you feel like you're sitting on the front porch of your grandpa's house listening to him tell this amazing story that's been passed down for generations. If you're a 'King' fan -- then, you'll be a William J. Davis fan as well!! Highly recommended!!

[Elizabeth Perrillo-Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful read will catch you by surprise.

Ok, I never expected this in a book. But let me say I absolutely love it. So many surprises from page to page . I finished this book in just a couple hours. I highly recommend this book to anyone who like a little mystery.

[Heidi Van keulen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway. The book was well-written and the characters were engaging. The plot moved along at a good pace. The only fault I could find was that I wanted a little more information.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic read! It keeps you on the edge of your seat. The descriptive text makes the pages come alive. I could easily picture the world described by the Arthur. I’m very excited to buy the next book and find out more about Katie’s background.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable suspense novel from a new author. I liked the premise of the novel, and the descriptions are vivid, striking and unusual. I particularly enjoyed the characters Katie, June and Pogo. Parts of the book, especially the last chapters are real nail biters. The book left me wanting to know more about Katie’s, now Laura’s “secret”, and who will become it’s steward. Reminiscent of Dean Koontz and Michael Crichton. I understand the author is working on a second book. I look forward to reading it, too!
This review is also posted on Amazon.

[Jessica Vogler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommend a read

I enjoyed this book and I'd recommend it if you like the supernatural genre. It was well written and interesting. The ending was good until the last few paragraphs, I kind of felt that with what was going on it felt too easy. You would have to read it to understand, and I'd still would.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful new author, can not wait to read more works from him. keeps you intrigued.