The Empty Bed

The Burial Society #2

by Nina Sadowsky

Catherine excels at helping desperate people disappear. But now she must use her unique skill set to find a missing woman in this electrifying novel from the author of The Burial Society.

Eva Lombard is being followed. Or so she suspects. . . .

Eva and her husband, Peter, are in Hong Kong on a romantic getaway from London when Peter wakes up in their hotel room to an empty bed, his wife gone without a trace. His worst fears are confirmed: Eva wasn't imagining things. Suddenly, he finds himself the number one suspect in his wife's disappearance, trapped in a foreign country with no one to turn to. He calls his boss, Forrest "Holly" Holcomb, who enlists the help of Catherine, his ex-flame and the enigmatic operator behind the darknet witness-protection program known as the Burial Society.

As a favor to Holly, Catherine sends her team of highly trained Society members on a dangerous chase through Hong Kong to find Eva--while she takes care of pressing business at home. Not only is she tasked with a mission in Mexico City, protecting a family that knows too much from a vengeful pharmaceutical company, but an FBI agent tracking down the missing wife and child of a charismatic businessman is about to come dangerously close to exposing the Society's secrets.

In these intertwining story lines that converge in unexpected ways, not everyone is who they appear to be--and not everyone who is lost wants to be found.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Contemporary

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 2020

About the author

Nina R. Sadowsky's eclectic career has spanned work as an entertainment lawyer, a producer, a film executive, a screenwriter, a director and a film professor. She has written numerous original screenplays and adaptations and done rewrites for such companies as The Walt Disney Company, Working Title Films, and Lifetime Television.

She is currently serving as adjunct faculty at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts program, teaching both script development and producing. She has also served as adjunct faculty at Syracuse University's Semester in L.A. and has been a frequent guest lecturer at Columbia College Chicago's semester in L.A. program. Sadowsky is also proud to be serving as a mentor for the Humanitas Prize's New Voices initiative. She is also excited to be newly accepted into International Thriller Writers, Inc.

She is recently married to businessman Gary Hakman, with whom she shares two children and two stepchildren, living proof that a second marriage is a trumph of optimism over experience.

Reviews

[Katie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it's hard to jump into a series without reading the previous book(s). I might have liked this one a smidge better had I read the first one in the series. The book starts off with promise but by the second half there were just too many characters and storylines and my interest level plummeted.

This is the second book in the Burial Society series. Catherine and her team of people help people escape from bad situations. They use their abilities for good such as coming to the aid of a wife who wants to leave her abusive husband. The Burial Society would help this woman "disappear" so she can start over and have a better life. However in this book, Catherine is enlisted to help find a missing wife. Eva was on vacation with her husband, Peter, and after he goes to bed, she goes missing. Catherine is also trying to protect a family that knows a little too much about a pharmaceutical company and to top it off, an FBI agent might be hot on the Burial Society's trail. Hey, just because you are trying to do something good, doesn't always mean it is entirely legal, right?

Having not read the first book, I didn't know much about the Burial Society and I really hope that book does a better job in showcasing Catherine and her team than this one. The major criticism I have with this book is there are just too many characters and storylines and it feels like there is no real focus. Do things come together by the end? Yes, but the journey to get to that point was not a ton of fun. Eva and Peter's storyline did captivate my interest for quite awhile, but because the action kept switching back and forth between so many characters, eventually I didn't care anymore what happened to any of them. The potential for a good story is here but I found the execution to be disappointing.

Thank you to the publisher and LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in The Burial Society series finds its founder Catherine juggling a variety of "cases," so-to-speak. When Eva Lombard and her husband Peter take a trip to Hong Kong to celebrate their anniversary, Peter wakes in their hotel to find an empty bed. Eva has vanished without a trace. Eva thought she was being followed, and now Peter wonders if she was right. As he quickly becomes a suspect in her disappearance, he turns to his boss, Forrest "Holly" Holcomb, who recommends Catherine (his old lover) to assist. Catherine sends two of her associates to Hong Kong while she tends to other work--mainly, protecting a family in Mexico City whose father knows too much about a pharmaceutical company. Meanwhile, a determined FBI agent is working on tracking down a missing mother and child of a wealthy businessman and threatening Catherine's secret agency.

I enjoyed this book. It's told in short chapters from varying points of view--Eva, Catherine, and Jake and Stephanie (Catherine's associates), etc. The result is a story that moves at a brisk pace, with almost a cinematic-type feel. This is no surprise, considering Sadowsky's background in film and as a screenwriter. The three stories intertwine somewhat--with Catherine as the center--and while a lot of information flies at you, I never found the book confusing.

I really like Catherine, and I enjoyed learning even more about her crew in this one. It's fun seeing some of the proteges interact. The novel kept me guessing and putting together the pieces was quite enjoyable. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged.

Overall, this is an interesting thriller. The whole idea of the Burial Society fascinates me, and I liked the quick pace of this book, along with its twisty and engaging plot. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books and Librarything in return for a honest review.

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[Laurie Tell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I want to thank the publisher and netgalley for the chance to read the advance copy. This did not affect my review.

This book was fun and full of intrigue. I really liked the characters and was drawn into their worlds.

There were a few intertwined stories. Each one was fascinating, with well drawn characters. With each chapter, the story and/or point of view changed. I admit it did take me a bit to get into the rhythm and remember who each person was. But as I got drawn into their stories, it became easier to remember.

I kept the pages turning, and needed to know what happened next. I'm now disappointed that I may have a long wait until the next story with these characters. And I assume there will be a next story. These characters are too good for there not to be.

[Coni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eva Lombard is not loving her new life in London where her husband works all the time and she is bored out of her mind. He surprises her with an anniversary trip to Hong Kong, but it might be too little too late for these two. They end up in a fight on the way to their hotel and while checking in. Eva goes to take a bath and her husband, Peter, takes to Ambien to get through the jet lag. He wakes up in the middle of the night to find his wife missing.

This is just one of three stories told in this book. I felt like that was the main one, but while reading it, I wasn't so sure. Out of the other two stories, the one involving the disappearance of a mother and son was interesting, while the other one about a family going into hiding was a bit on the boring side. I could have done without the boring story, but they all tied together by the end of the book, so I guess it had to be there.

Unintentionally, I also read the second book in a series. I don't know if it was necessary to read the first one because I was fine following along with what was happening in this book. Every once in a while it hints at events that might have taken place in that first book, but it didn't interfere with this one. I am guessing the first book does go into more explanation about The Burial Society which appears to be an organization that can make someone disappear off the face of the earth for their own safety.

I did like learning about the two operatives that worked for the Burial Society. They had only worked on their own until this case where their boss threw them together for the first time. They were a definite odd couple, but their interactions were entertaining. I would be interesting in reading more so I might check out that first book.

This book fulfills the Book with a Kidnapping challenge in A Book for All Seasons group.

[Cornmaven · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine for providing an ARC of this psychological thriller through NetGalley.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book. This actually is my first non-recommend. The premise of the book is really good: a clandestine operation run by a woman, who does "extractions" of people who are facing retaliation for revealing truth. Sort of like a private witness protection program. Now, I did not realize until looking on GoodReads that this is the second in the series. I am not sure at this point if the "extractors" were featured in the first. My guess would be that one of them wasn't, because so much time was spent on her character back story.

The problem is the structure of the book and the writing. Here's my list of issues:
1. The randomly placed philosophical opines did nothing to advance the story. I actually felt they were meant to appear to be intellectual, but were almost incoherent.
2. Two stories meant to intersect is a nice device when executed properly. The problem here is that the intersection doesn't occur until very late in the novel. And, each story contains a multitude of characters so much so that it was extremely difficult for me to keep track of who was in what story. While you're trying to get to know the extractors and how they tick, as well as the extractees and how they tick, you're also faced with a story of an FBI SAC and her world/contacts. It was too much for the average thriller reader. The stories went back and forth in an irregular rhythm, increasing the difficulty.
3. I felt the author needed a better editor. Way too many adjectives and adverbs to describe things. A couple of examples: "black, fathomless pools set in yellowing whites stare at him blankly." and "A rush of gratitude hits him as he greedily breathes the moist night air. He turns furtively to see the building in which he'd been held." These types are not infrequent; indeed, the word "furtive" is overused. I just felt there were better ways to describe atmosphere and advance the story. Less is more in my opinion.

Anyway, when I finished I felt I had read a story that would have been much more interesting if it had flowed more smoothly, written more tightly, and didn't have so many characters all at once.

[Carla Suto · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE EMPTY BED by Nina Sadowsky is the gripping second book in the Burial Society series. I really enjoyed the first book, THE BURIAL SOCIETY, so I was excited to reconnect with Catherine and her associates in another compelling mystery. Although THE EMPTY BED could be read as a stand-alone novel, there is a lot of background in the first book that helps to understand the motivations of the characters and the reasons behind the secret Burial Society. Catherine’s dark net society helps “rescue” people in highly dangerous circumstances and ensures they land somewhere safe and untraceable. Peter Lombard schedules a surprise getaway to Hong Kong so that he and his wife, Eva can reconnect. Eva becomes very uneasy when she feels a stranger has been following her from their London home all the way to Hong Kong, but Peter insists she is imagining things. That is, until he wakes up to an empty bed and soon learns that Eva has actually gone missing. In another part of the story, a couple and their children are extracted by The Burial Society from a volatile situation where a powerful corporation threatens to harm them. At the same time, FBI agent Maggie Guzman is investigating the disappearance of a prominent businessman’s wife and son. These three separate storylines end up intersecting in unexpected and complicated ways. I was kept on the edge of my seat from beginning to end trying to figure out what would happen next. The drama, suspense and intrigue of THE EMPTY BED definitely did not disappoint and I hope there will be more books in this series in the future. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

[Sunshyne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book left me very confused. It seemed to have 2 or more stories going at once. I don’t really like first person books much anyway. And this one was very odd.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Catherine and her mysterious network to be impressively connected and intriguingly motivated. I thought the plot line that the Burial Society rescues people that find themselves in dangerous situations was fascinating and the author has build on this theme to produce an exciting, well done story. Catherine herself is an outstanding character that excels in empathy and efficiency. The short chapters make for easy reading and the action defies logic. It’s a whirlwind adventure through Hong Kong. I understand this is book#2 in the series so I will be looking for book #1. Some of the background from the first book would have gone a long way in aiding with understanding some of this one.

I received an advance copy of this book from Chronicle Books in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are entirely all my own.

[Lee Husemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I was afraid I would not be able to keep track of all the characters and their intertwining story lines, but that was not the case. The author did a superb job keeping the story lines and the characters flowing in the right direction. This book is full of mystery and intrigue and this is #2 of the Burial Society. I had not read #1 and I had to trouble knowing what was going on. Catherine head up the Burial Society and helps rescue people in danger and helps disappear. Magali "Maggie" Guzman works for the FBI and is getting read to begin their undercover program. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view which made this book very interesting. Thank you NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the ARC of this fantastic book which I think deserves more than 5 stars. I was so impressed with this book, I ordered the author's previous book, The Burial Society. I very highly recommend this book if you are looking for a very well written mystery/thriller.

[Aimee Dars · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in Nina Sadowkys’ Burial Society series, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘥 finds Catherine, the founder of the underground witness protection organization, occupied with protecting whistleblowers against vengeful pharmaceutical company who will stop at nothing to quiet them.

While on her mission to keep the Harris family safe, Catherine receives an SOS from a former flame, Forest Holcomb, who is one of the few people Catherine trusts. He enlists the Burial Society’s help to find Eva Lombard, wife to Peter, one of his key employees. Peter and Eva moved to London from the United States; since then, Eva, a former journalist, has felt isolated and adrift, her only friend Baxter, a loyal Burmese Mountain dog and her drinking become problematic.

To rebuild the shaky foundation of their relationship, Peter plans a surprise anniversary trip to Hong Kong. Despite their best efforts, they fight during the long flight, with Eva claiming she’s being followed and Peter attributing it to paranoia. After checking into their luxury hotel suite, Peter takes sleeping pills and falls into heavy slumber. When he wakes, Eva is gone. Two days later, she still hasn’t returned.

Catherine dispatches her agents Jake and Stephanie to Hong Kong as a favor to Holcomb—there, they find a tangled web of deceit embroiling them in a conflict between rival gangs. Without untangling the mystery, not only are Eva and Peter in danger, they too are in the crosshairs.

Meanwhile, New York-based FBI agent Magali Guzman herself is on the trail of a missing mother and son, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she comes to dismantling the Society Catherine has worked so hard to establish.

While I liked the basic premise of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘥, the various strands of the narrative never meshed completely for me, and I think the book would have been stronger if Magali’s story had been eliminated, especially since the denouement seemed rushed and slightly contrived. I also wish the philosophical interludes, perhaps from Catherine, perhaps an omniscient narrator, had been eliminated. Some of the dialogue, particularly the arguments between Eva and Peter, rang false. Additionally, at no fewer than five points, Catherine referred to “stories for another time.” In my mind, these stories should either be told or not referenced at all. Finally, Catherine seemed omnipotent in her abilities and intelligence network but the mechanisms were assumed in a way that I wish had been outlined more directly.

I did, however, like the Hong Kong setting and the growing sense of paranoia and chaos afflicting Eva, and Stephanie was a scrappy and fun character. The book was a quick read, and I was compelled to give it my attention to find out what happened to the characters and how the different plot strands converged.

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕤 𝕥𝕠 ℕ𝕖𝕥𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤/ℝ𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕞 ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕕𝕧𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕠𝕡𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕖𝕩𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕟 𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Empty Bed (2020) is Nina Sadowsky's third novel, the second in her "Burial Society" series. The Burial Society is an organization formed by Catherine (no last name) to provide detective and protection services for women and their families. It's a small company with two operatives—Stephanie Regaldo and Jake Burrows. Both are young and both have had their families murdered, bringing a special sensitivity to their work. The Burial Society serves high-end individuals and companies that provide extensive resources.

The case in question centers on a scandal at Knox Pharmaceuticals, a company that has pushed a drug that has significant adverse side effects that are hidden from the public. Anyone who had access to inside information is a possible witness against the Knox management, The news is getting out and those employees who might become witnesses against the company are in danger. Catherine's Burial Society has been hired by an unknown client to track down everyone in that loop and ensure their safety. The three key families are Knox scientist Leslie Virgenes and her college-age son Steve; Knox scientist Steven Harris and his wife Lisa, daughter Dakota and son Finn; and businessman Robert Elliott an his wife Betsy and son Bear.

The U. S.

The book opens in Phoenix, Arizona, where Catherine and Stephanie are entering the apartment of Leslie Virgenes and her college-age son. Leslie was a researcher at Knox who, along with coresearcher Steven Harris, was involved in developing the problem drug. Catherine's job is to protect Leslie and Steven and their families. As they enter they find good news and bad news: the good news is that Leslie's son seems to be at college, not at home; the bad news is that Leslie is home with a plastic bag wrapped around her neck. OK. That takes care of the Virgenes family. Catherine and Stephanie decide it's time to get out of the house, and as they drive away they hear sirens approaching. Someone has set them up, but who?

The scene shifts to New York City where Maggie Guzman is an FBI agent about to be reassigned to undercover work, a plum job and a welcome change from working with her partner, Ryan Johnson, a man known for his psychological abuse of women. An example of Ryan's depravity is that he started a rumor that Maggie was assigned to undercover after giving a blow job to the agent interviewing her. But before she leaves she and Ryan are assigned to a kidnapping case: Betsy and Bear Elliott, the wife and son of a well-heeled businessman named Roger Elliot, have disappeared. While Maggie interviews Roger Elliott, the Burial Society is already on the job and all the Elliotts except Roger are moved to a second safe house.

The third family, the Harrisses, are located in Oklahoma and transferred by Catherine and Jake to yet a third safe house.

London

Peter Lombard, a hedge fund manager newly transferred from New York, is working 24/7/365 in London'd City. Eva, his wife, feels abandoned and is taking to drink. Eva's feelings of alienation are compounded by a silly incident if a street cafe. She is quietly having tea when she sees an attractive blonde woman arrive with a Pomeranian in her arms. The introduces herself to the woman and asks if she can take their picture. The exchange goes as follows:

Eve: Hi. I'm Eva Lombard.
Blonde: How nice for you. But it doesn't make you even a bit interesting to me. Bugger off!

Eva is pissed so she takes a picture, to which the woman responds

Hey! I said no, you stupid twat.

Finally Peter notices his marital problems and arranges a romantic anniversary dinner and a surprise trip to Hong Kong where she had lived for a while after college. Strange things begin to happen. The night before their departure someone tries to break into their house. The next day Eva sees the same man several times, first on the London streets, then in the London airport, and finally in the Hong Kong airport. Peter shrugs it off as a case of female paranoia.

Hong Kong

Peter and Eva land in Hong Kong where Eva again sees the stalker—he must have been on the same plane. They arrive at their hotel in the afternoon. Peter is exhausted and takes an Ambien, sleeping though the evening and most of the night. When he awakens Eva is gone, leaving an empty bed behind. Unknown to him, Eva has gone on a walkabout that turned into an adventure when she was attacked in a Hong Kong park by her stalker. Fortunately, she knows the old knee-in-the-nuts trick and escapes, but with a serious knife cut on her hand.

Eva can't imagine why these attacks are happening, but she knows Peter will shrug them off, and she begins to think that Peter is somehow part of the stalking and the attack. After the attack she goes to the house of a former lover from her previous time in Hong Kong. He takes her to one of her old friends, Yuan Dai, who is a restauranteur and plugged into the Hong Kong crime scene.

Meanwhile Peter has called the CEO of his firm, who hires the Burial Society to find Eva. With their connections she's easily found and Stephanie and Jake are sent to get her safely back to her hotel. Once there they find that Peter is gone, the room has been ransacked, and there is a blood-soaked towel in the bathroom. Now, it seems, Peter is the missing Lombard.

Peter has his own problems: while he is out looking for Eva , he is attacked and beaten by two men, who leave him with a bit of advice:

Get your bitch under control

He doesn't know what this means, but he senses it's not good. Peter gets back to the hotel and the police are called. Peter ends up being interviewed by Inspector Tsang, who writes it all down in his little green notebook. Peter leaves to continue searching for Eva, missing Eva's return.

Now all the parties are in sight, but what and who was behind the kidnappings on one hand and the stalking and the attacks on the other hand? Were they related, or were they independent? Well, if you're interested, read the book. And keep the Burial Society number on your refrigerator door.

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Burial Society series. Having not read the first, it was a while before I figured out what that is. It turns out to be a service, run by the main character, Catherine, to hide people when they are in danger. It’s a wonderfully fast-paced thriller that takes us globetrotting between exotic locales—a fun read.

The main thread is the story of Eva and Pete Lombard. They are Americans in London temporarily for his job. They’ve been trying to get pregnant and Eva thinks this will happen while they’re there. Pete, however, works incredibly long hours and Eva, frustrated, takes to day drinking. Pete says he’s going to take her to Paris, which delights and sobers Eva. However, at the last minute, Pete announces that they’ll go to Hong Kong instead. Furious at the change in plans, Eva commences drinking as soon as they check in. Pete, disgusted, takes Ambien and conks out. He’s been ignoring Eva when she tells him a sinister man is following her. But when he wakes up and she’s gone, he starts to think she hasn’t been paranoid at all.

Another thread involves Maggie Guzman, an FBI agent paired with a new partner, Ryan Johnson. A man named Roger Elliot has reported that his wife and son are missing and Maggie and Ryan must find them.

Meanwhile, Catherine whisks a family away to Mexico to protect them until the man of the family, Steve Harris, can testify in a federal case.

The stitches running through these threads and connecting them might wrap around a powerful man named Forrest Holcomb, who is completely different things to various people.

With all these seemingly separate story lines to keep straight, and so many characters, you might want to keep a chart. The chapters bounce around among the people and places, but they are clearly labeled, so you can read it straight through without taking any notes. Yet the story is so compelling, you might want to anyway.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an exciting follow-up to the first book in the Burial Society series! Using a team of people with dubious marketable skills, Catherine and her shadowy organization exist to help those who need protection or other types of favors that allow them to vanish from dangerous situations. This thriller takes the reader from the USA to London to Hong Kong to Mexico City while Catherine juggles her latest clients. There is a very complicated operation involving many different characters who are desperate for the assistance of the Burial Society. NO SPOILERS.

Told in alternating points of view, this features a couple of the same characters from the first book, but is set three years after those events. I think it essential to have read the previous one before starting this just so you have all the history and backstory. There's lots of action and many different story lines going on simultaneously that eventually come together in a very satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed this and hope that Ms. Sadowsky is planning on a third installment. Catherine is a very interesting protagonist and we are still learning bits and pieces of her past and I'm eager to see what cause and clients she takes on next. This would make a fabulous adaptation to film or TV show.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

[Joyce Stewart Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Empty Bed: A Novel (The Burial Society Series)
Author : Nina Sadowsky
293 pages
3 ⭐⭐⭐

First off this is the second book in the Burial Society series. The Empty Bed picks up where The Burial Society left off. I have not read book one so I was missing a lot of background which would have made it more understandable. It was not til I got to the end of the book did I realize it was the second book in the series.

While the story was interesting there was a lot of unbelievable parts to it. I also found it hard to keep up with everything. There was way too many characters and three storylines going at the same time. This caused me to be confused and just not caring about ANY of the characters. So my advice if you are interested in this book would be to read the Burial Society first.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for a paper ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

#BallantineBooks
#Theemptybed

[Raidene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this even more than the first book in the series, The Burial Society, that introduced Catherine, the founder of an organization with the same name as the title which helps women and sometimes entire families disappear depending on the trauma, violence or abuse they have been subjected to. Moving from NYC, London, Mexico City and Hong Kong, Catherine’s people use whatever means are necessary to bring people to safety. This is definitely not a domestic thriller!

[Authentikate]

Not going to review this book because I don’t think I can without having read the first in the series.

As a stand alone it’s a one star.

As part of a series? Who knows 🤷‍♀️

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book right after I read book #1 and I find it was as good as the first one. The author has a way of telling the story not has a 'have to turn page right now' but still writes it to where you want to know what happens and want to finish the book as soon as you can. I love how the chapters are very short and it makes me feel good that I can finished on quick and get other things done at work and then jump right back at it.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the oft-quoted lines for J.R.R. Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS is: "Not all those who wander are lost". This phrase played continually in my mind as I was enjoying the latest novel from Nina Sadowsky entitled THE EMPTY BED. This new novel continues her intriguing Burial Society series.

When reading the Burial Society novels from Nina Sadowsky I could not help but draw comparison to the TV series Scandal --- before it went off the rails. Catherine is the leader of the Society and THE EMPTY BED covers three separate assignments that she and her team are involved in. The most impressive of the cases involves a British couple that travels to Hong Kong for a romantic getaway. That is until the husband, Peter, wakes up in the hotel room after their long flight to find his wife, Eva, missing.

It seems strange that Catherine and the Society should get involved with missing person cases, especially when their expertise often lies in making people disappear from situations. However, she is acting at the request of her friend Forrest 'Holly' Holcomb, a British gentleman who is also one of the most powerful people in the world. Peter works for Holly and that is why Catherine is called into this situation.

Catherine decides to send two of her best Society members to Hong Kong to deal with the Peter and Eva situation. They are complete opposites who, initially, do not see eye to eye on much of anything. There is the stoic and serious Jake Burrows, who is in Hong Kong under the name John Bernake. His partner in this mission is the young and brash Stephanie Regaldo, aka Stevie Nichols. Stephanie is a woman with a sketchy past, but

there was something Catherine saw in her that told her she could be a useful Society member with the right mentoring and coaching. The fact that Jake and Stephanie are placed on such a high-profile assignment shows just how much fait Catherine has in them.

There are two other narrative story-lines in THE EMPTY BED which will eventually converge in unpredictable ways. One is in New York City where a Federal Agent named Magali Guzman is hunting for a man named Roger Elliott who claims his wife and son disappeared suddenly. In reality, Catherine is working with the Elliot's using her Society resources for situations that they are best at --- helping people to disappear. Catherine has them in Mexico City, Mexico, and is trying to take care of them while keeping Guzman off their trail.

Meanwhile, Jake and Stephanie are involved in a situation that feels like an episode of Mission Impossible and quite different than their usual work. One of the first things they discover is that Eva may not want to be found. It turns out she had lived for a bit in Hong Kong well before marrying Peter. Another interesting tidbit is that her ex-boyfriend and near fiancée, Alex, still lives in Hong Kong and she may very well be looking to get back together and make up for lost time. It turns out that Alex got married and has a family, but is overjoyed to see Eva and is willing to help her out in any way as the flame still burns for his ex-girlfriend.

Jake and Stephanie also find themselves immersed in a situation involving Peter Lombard. It seems he has made enemies of a Hong Kong gang known as the Triad and they are not going to let these two American interlopers keep them from snatching Peter to settle some scores with him. Hong Kong is a tricky place to navigate and the action sequences that take place there definitely are reminiscent of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne novels. THE EMPTY BED is a quick and entertaining read and Nina Sadowsky's creation of The Burial Society sets her up for continued novels and adventures involving them. Sadowsky also ends things with a cliffhanger involving Catherine and Magali Guzman that will definitely have readers eager for more.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Not all those who wander are lost." This oft-quoted line from LORD OF THE RINGS played continually in my mind as I was enjoying Nina Sadowsky’s latest novel, which continues her intriguing Burial Society series.

When reading these books, I could not help but draw comparisons to the TV series “Scandal” before it went off the rails. Catherine is the leader of the Society, and THE EMPTY BED covers three separate assignments in which she and her team are involved. The most impressive of these cases concerns a British couple who travels to Hong Kong for a romantic getaway. That is, until Peter Lombard wakes up in their hotel room after a long flight to find his wife, Eva, missing.

Although the Society’s area of expertise is making people disappear, Catherine is acting at the request of her friend, Forrest “Holly” Holcomb, a British gentleman who is also one of the most powerful people in the world. Peter works for Holly, which is why Catherine gets the call.

Catherine decides to send two of her best Society members to Hong Kong to deal with the Peter and Eva situation. They are complete opposites who initially do not see eye to eye on much of anything. There is the stoic and serious Jake Burrows, who is in Hong Kong under the name “John Bernake.” His partner in this mission is the young and brash Stephanie Regaldo, aka Stevie Nichols. She has a sketchy past, but there was something Catherine saw in Stephanie that told her she could be a useful Society member with the right mentoring and coaching. The fact that Jake and Stephanie are placed on such a high-profile assignment shows just how much faith Catherine has in them.

There are two other storylines here that eventually will converge in unpredictable ways. In New York City, Federal Agent Magali Guzman is searching for Roger Elliott, who claims that his wife and son disappeared suddenly. In reality, Catherine is working with the Elliotts using her Society resources for situations at which they are best --- helping people to disappear. Catherine has them in Mexico City, Mexico, and is trying to take care of them while keeping Guzman off their trail.

Meanwhile, Jake and Stephanie are involved in what feels like an episode of “Mission: Impossible” and is quite different from their usual work. They discover that Eva may not want to be found. She had lived for a bit in Hong Kong well before marrying Peter. Her ex-boyfriend and near-fiancée, Alex, still lives there, and she very well may be looking to get back together and make up for lost time. It turns out that Alex got married and has a family, but he is overjoyed to see Eva and is willing to help her out in any way he can as the flame still burns for her.

Jake and Stephanie also find themselves immersed in some more drama involving Peter. It seems that he has made enemies of a Hong Kong gang known as the Triad, and they are not going to let these two American interlopers keep them from snatching Peter to settle some scores with him. Hong Kong is a tricky place to navigate, and the action sequences that take place there are reminiscent of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne novels.

THE EMPTY BED is a quick and entertaining read, and Sadowsky's creation of the Burial Society sets her up for continued adventures with them. She also ends the proceedings on a cliffhanger that will have readers eager for more.

Reviewed by Ray Palen

[BookwormishMe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Empty Bed picks up where The Burial Society left off. Catherine, an operative for said Burial Society, makes a practice of helping people escape their lives. Mostly women who are in bad marriages - and by bad, I don’t mean unhappy, but truly bad, marriages where they are beaten or threatened or living with monsters. Catherine helps them escape and become whole new people. New names, new identities, new lives. What she does is dangerous, and sometimes deadly, but she believes in it wholeheartedly. ‘

In this novel we meet two new operatives, Stephanie and John. Catherine is training them to work on their own, and in their own way, they are teaching her a thing or two. Both are coming from tragedy in their own lives. Perhaps that is what leads them to want to work for the Burial Society. Perhaps in a way they are adrenaline junkies. Regardless, they have chosen this path.

Peter and Eva are a thirty something couple living in London. Peter works in high finance. Eva has given up her journalism career to start a family, only she can’t seem to get pregnant. So now Eva spends her days walking her dog Baxter and shooting photos of whatever she fancies. Peter finds time for her when he can. So when Peter proposes a surprise trip to Paris for their anniversary, Eva is a bit skeptical. She’s just not sure what to make of his sudden attentiveness.

Magali is an FBI special agent. She has worked her way up the ranks and is about to depart for undercover training. But she has one last case to clear off her plate, the disappearance of socialite Betsy Elliot and her son Bear. Of course the husband is the prime suspect, but Magali definitely doesn’t see it that way. How does a prominent wife and her six year old son just vanish off the face of the earth with no trace? Magali is going to make it her mission to find out.

Just as with The Burial Society, I couldn’t put this one down. I stayed up way past my bedtime two nights in a row to finish it and find out what happens to all these people in this crazy, twisty, turny novel. Sadowsky is a master of suspense, taking you to the brink and then switching the story to an alternate point of view. Each character has layers to unpack, each layer bringing new revelations.

I couldn’t wait for this follow up to The Burial Society, and as with some sequels, you often don’t know if they will meet your expectations. Not this one. Sadowsky surpassed all expectations I had for book number two. Now I have to wait, anxiously, to find out what happens with Stephanie, John and Catherine, and what “burials” they have in store next.



4.5 stars


This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 14 January 2020 .

[Barb Lie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Empty Bed by Nina Sadowsky is the 2nd book in her Burial Society series. I did not read the first book in this series, but once I got used to the multiple POV’s, it did read well as a standalone. As noted, in each chapter, it was a different POV, which was a bit confusing early on; but about a ¼ of the way in, I knew the characters., though I was a little stumped as to where this was heading.

Catherine is the lead in this series, as she runs The Burial Society, who help rescue people in dangerous situations, and helps them escape to sort of a witness protection system. She has a group of trained members, whom she sends to various missions; in The Empty Bed, some of these missions will tie in.

The story starts with Eva and Peter Lombard going on a vacation to Hong Kong to fix their failing marriage, which Peter surprised his wife with. Eva notices a strange man seemed to be following her, and when she tells Peter, he just brushes it off as her imagination. The following morning, when Peter wakes up, with his wife not in the hotel room; after trying to call her, he decides she is playing hardship with him, and goes out on his own. Along the way he gets mugged, and when he gets help, he realizes that Eva was right, someone must have been following her and now she is missing.

When Peter calls his boss for help, Catherine, who is a friend of the boss, is notified and sends a team to Hong Kong. Stevie and Jake (not their real names) try to work with Peter to find Eva, as well as protect him from those chasing him. We learn that Eva has old powerful friends in Hong Kong who are helping her, as she has no idea who is after her and why. As they get close to finding each other, the danger escalates for all of them, as the villain has ties to someone closer to Peter, and Eva might have a picture on her camera that they want. While Stevie and Jake protect them, it is Catherine who realizes her old friend may have something to do with whatever is going on. Can she trust him?

Catherine is also working with a couple of other members to help a woman and her child escape an abused relationship from and powerful enemy. There is also another POV of an FBI agent who is trying to find the woman and child that are missing.

The Empty Bed is an intriguing, exciting, action filled and intense mystery that had three storylines going at the same time, with two tying in. There were some twists and surprises along the way, though I will say it at times it was difficult to keep up with. With that being said, The Empty Bed had an excellent premise written very well by Sadowsky, and interesting society protecting those in danger and lots of action.

Barb
The Reading Cafe

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Burial Society. I was able to pick this one up without reading the first book, but I am sure I would have enjoyed this one even more if I had read the first book in this series. I thought that Nina Sadowsky did a wonderful job keeping all of the story line straight with all the characters that she introduced to us. Well thought out and well written.

Peter has planned a trip for he and Eva, his wife, to try and rekindle their marriage. When they get into an argument on the long flight because Eva claims that she is being followed by someone, things just keep getting worse instead of better. When Peter and Eva get to their hotel, they argue in the lobby in front of everyone. Little does Peter know, but that will come back to haunt him later.

When Peter and Eva finally make it to their room, Eva decides to take advantage of the bath tub and locks herself in the bathroom to enjoy her bath without Peter. Peter decides that he just needs some sleep so he take two of his sleeping pills and is dead to the world when Eva gets out of the bath. When Peter finally does wake, Eva is gone. Peter doesn't really think anything of it at first and he goes shopping to get some new clothes since his bag has gotten lost on the flight over. Peter begins to worry when after two days Eva hasn't returned to the room at all. Now he knows that he has to report her missing and it is going to look bad that he waited so long to report it, especially in a foreign country.

Eva is not a stranger to Hong Kong. She had stayed a stint in Hong Kong before she and Peter married. When Eva decides to go out on her own, she never dreamed that the guy from the airport that she thought was following her would show up. Guess what, he really was following her! Eva knows that she has to do something because if he is following her then there are others out there that are looking for her as well.

Peter ends up calling an old flame to get some help finding Eva. Will they be able to track her down or is Eva really able to go off the grid even for some of the most well trained trackers, the Burial Society? You will get lost in this book and it will be over before you know it. I enjoyed going on this adventure with Eva and the Burial Society!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

[Joyce Rawlins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Empty Bed by Nina Sadowsky is about a woman named Catherine who excels at helping desperate people disappear. But now she must use her unique skill set to find a missing woman in this electrifying novel from the author of The Burial Society. I found this book confusing as it jumped back and forth between two stories. If you like espionage, you may really enjoy this book. The characters were well written but the intertwining story lines occasionally pulled me out of the story.

Eva Lombard is being followed. Or so she suspects. . . .

Eva and her husband, Peter, are in Hong Kong on a romantic getaway from London when Peter wakes up in their hotel room to an empty bed, his wife gone without a trace. His worst fears are confirmed: Eva wasn’t imagining things. Suddenly, he finds himself the number one suspect in his wife’s disappearance, trapped in a foreign country with no one to turn to. He calls his boss, Forrest “Holly” Holcomb, who enlists the help of Catherine, his ex-flame and the enigmatic operator behind the darknet witness-protection program known as the Burial Society.

As a favor to Holly, Catherine sends her team of highly trained Society members on a dangerous chase through Hong Kong to find Eva—while Catherine takes care of pressing business at home. Not only is she tasked with a mission in Mexico City, protecting a family that knows too much from a vengeful pharmaceutical company, but an FBI agent tracking down the missing wife and child of a charismatic businessman is about to come dangerously close to exposing the Society’s secrets.

In these intertwining story lines that converge in unexpected ways, not everyone is who they appear to be—and not everyone who is lost wants to be found.

[Gloria Cangahuala · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book had so much potential, and instead it was just a disjointed mess.

Catherine is the head of the Burial Society, a witness-protection program. As a favor to an ex-flame, she sends Society members Stephanie and John to Hong Kong to investigate the disappearance of Eva Lombard, whose husband Peter works for said ex-flame.

A secondary plot about Catherine's attempt to protect a family in Mexico isn't sufficiently developed and stays frustratingly half-intriguing through the entire book.

Meanwhile, FBI agent Magali Guzman is trying to find two missing people and inadvertently crosses paths with the Society in her investigation.

These are 3 separate plot lines that are never tightly interwoven. I simply could not get sufficiently interested in any of the plot lines. The book keeps jumping back and forth across the different plot lines, with each chapter told from the point of view of a different character: Catherine, Stephanie, John, Magali.

The entire book felt very disjointed. It had the potential to be intriguing -- elaborate underhanded plotting by the Society to achieve their goals, etc., but these moments were too few. Instead, there was insufficient character development and sketchy plot development. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more if I'd read book #1 in the series first, but nonetheless I was frustrated the entire time I was reading this book because I wanted more - more depth to the plot and characters, more action, more everything.

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must have set this book aside at least a dozen times in the course of reading it, which is a shame because I loved the premise. It's kind of like a free-lance witness protection program, or maybe that should be a witness relocation program. Whichever, I ended up liking the thought of this one much better than the reality of it. It started off well enough, but it quickly becomes convoluted and confusing. The best way I can think to describe this one is that it was just too much. Too many characters, way too much flowery prose, too much going on. Just too much and it ended up being more trouble than it was worth, at least for me. That's not to say that I couldn't keep up. It's just that with so much going on, and so much back and forth between characters, I didn't feel like there was enough time to settle, to get a feel for the characters and become invested in their story. As far as the descriptive, or flowery as I call it, language, I'm all for a thorough description to set a scene or even to give a picture of a character, but really, some things can be left to the imagination. Adjectives and adverbs are important, no doubt about it, but there is such a thing as overkill, and this one had a healthy dose of it. I will admit that I didn't realize this was a series until I'd already started reading, and I honestly don't know if that would've made a difference for me. I can say that if the writing style and flowery language are the same, and since it's the same author, I suspect they are, then I probably wouldn't have made it to this second book.

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, I was not sure if I was going to like this book. The author starts out the book by introducing three separate storylines that do not seem to have any connection, which makes the book feel very disjointed. The main storyline, the disappearance of Eva Lombard, has only a tenuous connection to the other storylines, as some of the characters in the other storylines -- Catherine, Stephanie/Stevie, Jake/John -- help find and rescue her. However, the other storylines, especially involving FBI agent Magali (Maggie) Guzman, are there to set-up a future book. If/when the next book in the series comes out and I read it, I will appreciate this plot development. While there are some books where introducing characters and plotlines for future books works well within the overall storyline of the book, the intermittent switches to other storylines in this book felt disruptive. Also, Eva Lombard, the woman who goes missing and is the main subject of the book, is not a very likable character. However, the storyline involving the disappearance of Eva Lombard and the search to find her was well done. I thought the characters were creative and well-developed. I liked the evolution of Stephanie and Jake as a team. There were some good twists and surprises in the story. Overall, a decent read.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is the second book in the Burial Society series but it’s not so intertwined with the first that if you start here you’ll be lost. That said, there is SOME background in the first book that I think makes this book more enjoyable.

There are really two different stories in this book but I think that fleshed put a little bit more they both could’ve been their own book. The main plot about a woman missing in Hong Kong was very entertaining and if it had been the only plot I probably would’ve given this book a higher rating. The subplot about a NYC FBI officer working a missing persons case seemed out of place in this book. It didn’t really tie in to the story until the very end and even then it seemed like an after though. That said, I think that whole storyline could’ve been a really good book on its own.

Other than that the writing is pretty basic and the plots are somewhat predictable but for me that made it enjoyable. Not every book needs to be a complex psychological thriller with a million different twists.

Overall, this is a solid 3 star book. Pair it with a rainy Fall day and a cup of coffee and I think you’ll enjoy it.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a real page turner! Eva is struggling with her new life in London when her husband Peter surprises her with a trip to Hong Kong where she spent time after college and everything goes off the rails for them there. Catherine is trying to relocate a family where the dad is a whistleblower about a failed pharmaceutical. Maggie is an FBI agent searching for a woman and her child who have gone missing without a trace. These three threads feel random but trust that they will come back together in this carefully plotted tale. Great characters in Eva, Peter, Stephanie, Jake, and Eva's friends in Hong Kong - I found myself rooting for all of them, especially Betsy who we never meet. If I have a quibble it's with the repeated references to "a story for another time" (does this mean I've forgotten something from the first novel or that it will appear in a subsequent novel?) in the first half of the novel. I loved the Hong Kong setting (if you've been there, you'll be reminded of some of the locations such as the aviary). It's fast paced and plot driven and while I realize there are some plot holes, that didn't matter to me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Excellent thriller.

[Kailee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter and his wife Eva are in Hong Kong for their anniversary. What is supposed to be a romantic getaway turns into Eva’s disappearance from their swanky hotel room. Recovering from a tiff the evening before, Peter assumes that Eva is out blowing off steam. When she doesn’t return, he goes to the police, who are immediately suspicious of Peter’s timeline. Meanwhile, there are two other stories intertwined in Eva’s disappearance and connected to two crucial players (I won’t divulge who!) as the clock races to figure out what happened to Eva.

I love a good thriller adventure and this one did not disappoint in the slightest. It was everything that I love about a good story - fast paced, but easy to follow, relatable characters with the backdrop of a beautiful setting like Hong Kong. Now, I may be biased. I did grow up in Hong Kong and Nina took me down nostalgia road, so forgive me for not diving into the other two stories because the one centered in Hong Kong was hands down, my favorite. There was even a mention of the Aberdeen Marina Club, where my sister and I had several bowling birthday parties, where I learned how to ice skate and had many dinners with my family. Now I want to book a ticket to Hong Kong!

[Sharon C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me feeling dazed and confused until I got to the end and discovered that it is the second in a series about a group that goes by the name of The Burial Society. Knowing this helped address a lot of my confusion, but it also compels me to recommend not reading The Empty Bed until after you have read The Burial Society. The Burial Society is apparently a mysterious group that helps people in need to disappear in order to keep them safe. In The Empty Bed there are three storylines: one about a family being protected by Catherine (apparently, head of the Society), a second about the disappearance of a rich man's wife and child being investigated by an FBI agent named Magali, and a third about a woman who goes missing in Hong Kong while on vacation with her husband. The latter storyline is the primary plotline.

The book was well written and interesting, but without knowing more about the Burial Society, it was impossible to become immersed. I'm sure I'd have a different opinion if I had read the two novels in order of publication, but it is what it is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.