Buried Evidence

Lily Forrester #2

by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

As a dedicated district attorney, Lily Forrester presents the perfect image of a defender of justice. Only she knows the dark secret of what happened six years ago, when a desperate crisis drove her to step outside the law and exact a horrifying personal vengeance. Now her ex-husband, faced with serious criminal charges, threatens to expose her unless she compromises her most cherished beliefs to help him. A violent rapist she put behind bars is back on the streets and looking for her. Her beloved daughter seems to be the target of a dangerous madman. And Lily must call on her deepest strength to face her accusers and ensure that the values she holds most dear will triumph. In this taunt new thriller, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg displays the brilliant legal expertise and dramatic flair that have made her books classics of suspense. This long-awaited novel, filled with her trademark intriguing, complex characters and explosive storylines is a surefire recipe for success. Both dedicated fans and first-time readers will be both thrilled and satisfied. This is Nancy Taylor Rosenberg at her nail-biting best. A selection of the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Legal Thriller, Legal, Crime, Mystery Thriller

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

With a BA in English and 5 years as a photographic model behind her, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg studied criminology. She served in the Dallas Police Department, New Mexico State Police, Ventura Police Department and as an Investigative Probation Officer in Court Services for the Country of Ventura where she handled major crimes. She lived in California.

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started off a little slow, gained momentum to the point you didn't want to put the book down till you finished.....

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I simply couldn't get past chapter 4 in this book. Although it's a series book and I don't normally read series books, this one was supposed to be able to stand alone. There seemed to be a lot of back stories and too many characters for me to get into. It took me a week to get this far and I wasn't interested in the story enough to force myself to continue. Sorry but this book fell flat for me.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great page-turner. I read Mitigating Circumstances many years ago and could barely remember the story, but didn't need to for this one as the flash-backs more than explained everything again. I have enjoyed all of Nancy's books that I've read so far and am seeking out the others now.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Loved the characters. Loved the timing. Loved the plot. Why not 5 stars? No idea. Maybe because it was too short (357 pages). But will read more of Rosenberg's books. (Note: this was published in 2000)

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author for me. Story was a little slow at times but worth the patience. Legal thriller.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buried Evidence started off with the main character, Lily, stressing out over her cases as District Attorney, and you hear her frustration with her young assistant and his perceived lack of interest in making sure he takes care of the tasks he's assigned. Then we swing to family issues, a case isn't working the way it should, and the reappearance of an old flame.

So there are multiple scenarios where Lily is stressing out, and as we read more, these areas overlap. In addition, unbeknownst to our MC, there is at least one police detective that has it in for her, for reasons that are valid - sort of.

All together, these issues keep Lily hopping and her mind from being as focused as it should be, leading to what I like to think a major oversight in a case (she is handling multiple cases). However, again, the cases are more related than it appears at first, and the oversight is the same in both, although with different principals.

A very good read, but unfortunately there will be no more of the spunky red-haired Lily or her bold daughter, as the author died in 2017.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

DA Lily Forrester has finally put her life back together, until she receives a call from her ex husband. He’s been arrested for DUI and vehicular homicide and is threatening to tell the police how she murdered the wrong man who raped her and her daughter 6 years ago unless she not only bails him out of jail, but pays for his legal fees.


The things I liked about this book: I didn’t have to read the previous book to know everything. It also mostly held my interest throughout the entire story. What drove me crazy was how it seemed like every time something went wrong, either Lily or her daughter Shana threw a tantrum or had some kind of panic attack. The ridiculous amount of sexism in the book was also quite ridiculous.

[Sherrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never have I read a book in such critical need of an editor. Misspellings. Horrible sentence structure. Florid, overblown prose that would have been more at home in a bodice-ripper. Stiff, unrealistic dialogue. And repetition--the word "barked" was used so many times describing someone talking that I almost thought I was reading a book about dogs disguised as humans.
Just awful. Without redeeming social value.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read. The second book, I believe, in a series. I haven’t read the first but there was a lot of backstory told. I would have hoped for more time spent on one story instead of dividing the telling into three crimes but it was still a page turner. However I like more crime and less family drama. Plus didn’t particularly like any of the main characters.

[Katherine Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just couldn't give this book a high rating. Everyone in this book needs psychiatric counseling. The husband is a totally repulsive character, the mother constantly tries to emotionally protect her 19-year old daughter in the most wrong-sided ways, the plot grinds on and on. Would never recommend this book to anyone ever. Not even a good beach read, which is saying something.

[Hans Brienesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It had a great storyline and a slick finish albeit a little bit predictable at times. The one theme in the book zigs and zags at will but remains fairly constant. A good read for legal story afficionados.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters, great plot. Thoroughly enjoyed Buried Evidence.

[Monique Lozano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book

[Michelle Shutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been a fan of reading but purchased this book a couple of days ago. I couldn't put it down. I just received the other 3 books in the "Lily Forrester" series and can't wait to start them.

[A.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a "romance" than what I usually read ...

[Catten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a skeptical reader, questioning the actions of every character (would someone really do that?), the plot (how likely is that?), and even the dialogue (does anyone actually speak that way?). It might come from reading too much high literature, but I doubt it. Could be a diet too rich in true crime and books on procedure. I don’t really know. But when I like a book, it's because the plot, characters, and dialogue either ring very true for me, or are so absurd, I can't help but dig it (read Christopher Moore for some of that).

In any case, I just finished Rosenberg's novel Buried Evidence. It's clear the author knows law enforcement; in fact her bio reveals a 14-year stint with the New Mexico State police and Ventura and Dallas police departments.

Buried Evidence is the sequel to Mitigating Circumstances(1993) but the book stands on its own just fine. Both novels are set in Southern California, feature spirited Lily Forrester, an assistant district attorney in the first book and a full-fledged D.A. in the second.

Rosenberg has an excellent eye for plot. She weaves the thing like deadlocks, twisting this piece over here, tightening that one over there. It's suspenseful, sure, but she does it with personalities, actions, and circumstances. It's impressive and aspiring writers of thrillers would be well-served to have a look at how she combines so many elements yet leaves nothing unexplained or forgotten.

I finished the book feeling fairly satisfied that it was time well-spent. Rosenberg's writing itself isn't by any means on the level of Elmore Leonard, but she makes up for her weaknesses in other areas. The characters are drawn very well. No one in the book is perfect or has one annoying supposed "character flaw" to redeem them. These characters are moody, snap at one another, show pain, fear, and love, just like you or me. Rosenberg explores the emotional elements of her characters with great (but not overpowering) detail and sensitivity.

So what's the book about?

Well… Lily Forrester, as I said before, is a D.A. That makes this book a legal thriller, technically, but since there's crime (and plenty of it!) I'm claiming it for Crime Stories.

Lily's ex-husband has few likeable qualities, yet one feels sorry for him. That is, until he decides to blackmail Lily by threatening to reveal that she once gunned a man down in his own yard. Say what? Well, yeah, I know. Read the book, though, it's perfectly plausible when you see that the dead guy was a really bad dude.

But wait, there's more. A violent rapist Lily put away is on parole now, back on the streets and stalking her and her daughter.

And a cop Lily once crossed now has the opportunity, thanks to her ex, to get her back.

It's a wild ride.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

train wreck but story was put together well

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily Forrester is a high powered district attorney who is not above suspicion. Mystery surrounds her case from six years ago where both she and her daughter were raped by a violent criminal. At the same time, another violent criminal who looks very much like her stalker winds up dead and the eyewitness seems to think Lily is the killer. But who are they gonna belive, a low-life druggie or a DA? Now Lily's husband is accused of killing a pedestrian and he throws it out there that Lily did indeed kill the other man to deflect suspicion from him. Lily finds herself at the mercy of the system she vows to uphold while her stalker has been released from jail and is moving in for the kill. Luckily, justice prevails in this suspense novel.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second installment of the Lily Forrester legal thriller series from Nancy Taylor Rosenberg series, Buried Evidence, it took place six years later from the first book in the series. Lily was now divorced, when her husband knew about her deepest secret and was now under suspicion. He would do anything to expose Lily. Her daughter Shana was now the target of a madman, when the rapist was still set free on the on the streets, walking and searching for them. Lily now had to protect her daughter and ensure her accusers of the truth of the matter.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Difficult read - material okay - just the way it was written. I had to force myself to finish it. There are too many characters and the development was poor - too much detail - then not enough - threads hanging - I asked myself was Rosenburg trying to write a TV script? I've read other Rosenburg books that were GOOD - but this one makes me want to avoid her...

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just grabbed this book from teacher's lounge. Will probably read it at odd moments over the coming week or two.

[Min · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book. Not excellent, not horrible.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned from this book to never tell my husband a thing because if we ever get divorsed he would sell me out in a heartbeat. It was a pretty good book for my first "legal" thriller.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily Forrester #2

[Lynn Calvin]

ereader ebook

[Nancy I · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, another legal thriller, but this one has a twist and Lily Forrester is a good character.

[Merwyn Mathias · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was quite intriguing. However, it would have been better if there was more suspense added at the end.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but something was missing, can't put my finger on it .

[Ary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting twists but sometimes I felt the storylines were forgotten at points and then rushed at the end.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much, the first of this author's I read, and therefore, I will be reading her again.