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Timothy and Wyatt Mysteries #1
Buried Secrets
Teen detectives Wyatt and Timothy are determined to find out what happened to a group of boys who disappeared years ago—but surviving the mystery might be as challenging as solving it.
To make ends meet, Wyatt works construction instead of attending school, and it’s in an old house he’s gutting that he finds a collection of articles about a missing boy. Wyatt knew Bobby LaFleur before he disappeared, and this new clue stirs up Wyatt’s old memories.
Sheriff’s son Timothy Mitchell can’t resist a challenge—or the chance to show his dad he’s more than capable of working in law enforcement. Together with Wyatt, he investigates the disappearance and learns Bobby isn’t the only victim—and that Wyatt and Bobby were more than friends. As the case grows darker and more twisted, the connection between Wyatt and Timothy deepens. But the secrets they uncover could get them killed.
To make ends meet, Wyatt works construction instead of attending school, and it’s in an old house he’s gutting that he finds a collection of articles about a missing boy. Wyatt knew Bobby LaFleur before he disappeared, and this new clue stirs up Wyatt’s old memories.
Sheriff’s son Timothy Mitchell can’t resist a challenge—or the chance to show his dad he’s more than capable of working in law enforcement. Together with Wyatt, he investigates the disappearance and learns Bobby isn’t the only victim—and that Wyatt and Bobby were more than friends. As the case grows darker and more twisted, the connection between Wyatt and Timothy deepens. But the secrets they uncover could get them killed.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 22, 2022
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!
i am a fan of John R. Petrie as a human person, so when he asked me to read his first book, The Quarterback's Crush, OF COURSE i did, despite it being a YA m/m romance (so, probably more accurately b/b romance?) and me being pretty consistently romance-averse regardless of the genital combos of the characters. it didn’t turn me into a fan of romance, but i found it goofily charming and sweet, bringing a little ‘awww’ to my dried-corncob of a heart.
but now, after reading his second book, i am a fan of John R. Petrie as an author. because this one, although it does contain romantic elements, is a genuinely well-constructed mystery novel, which manages to squeeze MORE THAN ONE mystery into < 200 pages without feeling rushed.
it’s still YA, so it’s not explicit in its violence or romance elements, and there’s a real wholesomeness to it, particularly in the relationship between the protagonist timothy (NOT ‘timmy’ or ‘tim,’ tyvm) and his parents. they are super-supportive of his being gay, which is wonderful to read, and timothy doesn’t have a sullen-teen bone in his body, so their frankness with him and his willingness to spend time with them and share his thoughts and feels is very sweet and loving and could come across as unrealistic, but the fact that his mom is cool enough to crack grindr jokes saves it from hallmark channel feel-gooderie. it feels…nice.
Timothy wanted to be annoyed at what his brain thought of as his overprotective father, but his heart was grateful for a dad who watched over him so closely.
but it ain’t all pleasantville—teenagers in smalltown south carolina aren’t all as accepting as timothy’s parents, and as both the openly gay new boy and the son of the sheriff, he’s had to stand up for himself against some local bullies to earn his classmates’ respect.
there’s also something else, something more shady n’ sinister marring the idyllic smalltown facade which local broody chain-smoking teenhunk wyatt courtland discovers when, while broodily-hunkily working a construction gig, he finds a box hidden in the building’s wall whose contents relate to his friend bobby—a boy who’d gone missing four years earlier. although they aren't buddies, wyatt brings the box to timothy, asking for his help in looking into the matter—to find bobby or at least find out what happened to him. timothy, who wants to work in law enforcement despite his father’s attempts to dissuade him, agrees to investigate—hoping to prove to his dad that he's got what it takes. what the boys uncover brings them closer to the truth about bobby and several other missing teens, and also—you guessed it—closer to each other. which would be awwww, but because of all the danger, it's also aaaahhhhhh!!!
it's a solid YA romantic suspense, and a first-in-series title, so i am very much looking forward to reading more about these two teensleuths.
come to my blog!
i am a fan of John R. Petrie as a human person, so when he asked me to read his first book, The Quarterback's Crush, OF COURSE i did, despite it being a YA m/m romance (so, probably more accurately b/b romance?) and me being pretty consistently romance-averse regardless of the genital combos of the characters. it didn’t turn me into a fan of romance, but i found it goofily charming and sweet, bringing a little ‘awww’ to my dried-corncob of a heart.
but now, after reading his second book, i am a fan of John R. Petrie as an author. because this one, although it does contain romantic elements, is a genuinely well-constructed mystery novel, which manages to squeeze MORE THAN ONE mystery into < 200 pages without feeling rushed.
it’s still YA, so it’s not explicit in its violence or romance elements, and there’s a real wholesomeness to it, particularly in the relationship between the protagonist timothy (NOT ‘timmy’ or ‘tim,’ tyvm) and his parents. they are super-supportive of his being gay, which is wonderful to read, and timothy doesn’t have a sullen-teen bone in his body, so their frankness with him and his willingness to spend time with them and share his thoughts and feels is very sweet and loving and could come across as unrealistic, but the fact that his mom is cool enough to crack grindr jokes saves it from hallmark channel feel-gooderie. it feels…nice.
Timothy wanted to be annoyed at what his brain thought of as his overprotective father, but his heart was grateful for a dad who watched over him so closely.
but it ain’t all pleasantville—teenagers in smalltown south carolina aren’t all as accepting as timothy’s parents, and as both the openly gay new boy and the son of the sheriff, he’s had to stand up for himself against some local bullies to earn his classmates’ respect.
there’s also something else, something more shady n’ sinister marring the idyllic smalltown facade which local broody chain-smoking teenhunk wyatt courtland discovers when, while broodily-hunkily working a construction gig, he finds a box hidden in the building’s wall whose contents relate to his friend bobby—a boy who’d gone missing four years earlier. although they aren't buddies, wyatt brings the box to timothy, asking for his help in looking into the matter—to find bobby or at least find out what happened to him. timothy, who wants to work in law enforcement despite his father’s attempts to dissuade him, agrees to investigate—hoping to prove to his dad that he's got what it takes. what the boys uncover brings them closer to the truth about bobby and several other missing teens, and also—you guessed it—closer to each other. which would be awwww, but because of all the danger, it's also aaaahhhhhh!!!
it's a solid YA romantic suspense, and a first-in-series title, so i am very much looking forward to reading more about these two teensleuths.
come to my blog!
January 23, 2023
I don’t know why, but when I first started this, I thought it would be a lot lighter in tone. You know like that one Hozier song? The one that goes, “we'll steal a Lexus / be detectives / ride 'round picking up clues / we'll name our children / Jackie and Wilson / raise 'em on rhythm and blues.” Instead of fun, I got a pretty dark mystery where homophobia is stitched into the fabric of the story. Still interesting, just not exactly what I was expecting or maybe even ready for.
I think the harrowing nature is somewhat at odds with the cute romance between Timothy and Wyatt, which caused some serious mood whiplash. And I don’t know if it was a lack of reading comprehension on my part, but some of the back-and-forth dialogue between them was a bit hard to follow. For example, both Timothy and Wyatt would be talking normally, then abruptly start arguing about how they aren’t working as a couple. This was before I even knew they had become a couple, mind you. They were barely even friends before they started saying their “I love you’s.” It was like there were missing chapters or something.
Oh yeah, there were also multiple pov’s, but they’re not evenly divided, so you’d spend a hundred or so pages with Timothy, then switch to Wyatt… mid chapter! There’s no real purpose for this either because they only investigate the mystery when they’re together. I think there’s literally one random paragraph where Timothy’s dad is the pov? I guess his name is Benjamin because it swaps to “Benjamin’s” perspective and I was like, “who the hell is Benjamin?” Don’t worry, with the power of context clues, I figured it out eventually. Personally, I like it best when every pov gets one chapter at a time. Wait your turn, you know? Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I hope there’s a sequel somewhere down the line, but it thankfully works as a standalone.
I think the harrowing nature is somewhat at odds with the cute romance between Timothy and Wyatt, which caused some serious mood whiplash. And I don’t know if it was a lack of reading comprehension on my part, but some of the back-and-forth dialogue between them was a bit hard to follow. For example, both Timothy and Wyatt would be talking normally, then abruptly start arguing about how they aren’t working as a couple. This was before I even knew they had become a couple, mind you. They were barely even friends before they started saying their “I love you’s.” It was like there were missing chapters or something.
Oh yeah, there were also multiple pov’s, but they’re not evenly divided, so you’d spend a hundred or so pages with Timothy, then switch to Wyatt… mid chapter! There’s no real purpose for this either because they only investigate the mystery when they’re together. I think there’s literally one random paragraph where Timothy’s dad is the pov? I guess his name is Benjamin because it swaps to “Benjamin’s” perspective and I was like, “who the hell is Benjamin?” Don’t worry, with the power of context clues, I figured it out eventually. Personally, I like it best when every pov gets one chapter at a time. Wait your turn, you know? Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I hope there’s a sequel somewhere down the line, but it thankfully works as a standalone.
October 1, 2019
When Wyatt Courtland skips school to work construction, he finds a lockbox containing a series of articles about Bobby LaFleur, a student who went missing four years ago and someone he knew. He enlists the help of sheriff’s son Timothy Mitchell to learn what happened to Bobby. Timothy wants to go into law enforcement, even if it’s against his father’s wishes. He figures solving this case will convince his dad he can handle police work, but as he digs deeper, he uncovers a string of missing boys. As Wyatt and Timothy grow closer, they realize the mystery is far more sinister than they imagined—and it’s a secret someone is willing to kill to protect.
This is a story about being yourself, family issues, coming out, murder, and more. It might be a difficult story for some to read as it does contain references to alcoholism, bullying, homophobia, brutality, and more. But… it also contains friendship, a growing love story (sweet—no sex), and family acceptance.
At first I was a little put off by the similarity of some of the names as it became confusing to keep straight who was who, but there was a reason for most of it, so a non-issue. The story itself is a bit dark as Timothy and Wyatt chase down clues in a cold case that’s not so cold. They put themselves in danger, but there’s a satisfying ending that makes it all worthwhile.
What I liked: The characters. Timothy is a small person, but with a background in Karate, he doesn’t take bullying from anyone. Wyatt is the opposite—large, strong, quiet. But also protective and he’s big enough to pull it off. Timothy’s parents are accepting and caring. Wyatt’s alcoholic, abusive mother, not so much. I also liked the mystery in the story and the ending. Nicely done.
What I didn’t like: The heavy smoking of Wyatt (and the drinking). But…that being said, it does fit the character and the setting.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a decent murder mystery based on a cold case and don’t mind the boys being gay, this is a good one. I would recommend it.
Thank you to Dreamspinner Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about being yourself, family issues, coming out, murder, and more. It might be a difficult story for some to read as it does contain references to alcoholism, bullying, homophobia, brutality, and more. But… it also contains friendship, a growing love story (sweet—no sex), and family acceptance.
At first I was a little put off by the similarity of some of the names as it became confusing to keep straight who was who, but there was a reason for most of it, so a non-issue. The story itself is a bit dark as Timothy and Wyatt chase down clues in a cold case that’s not so cold. They put themselves in danger, but there’s a satisfying ending that makes it all worthwhile.
What I liked: The characters. Timothy is a small person, but with a background in Karate, he doesn’t take bullying from anyone. Wyatt is the opposite—large, strong, quiet. But also protective and he’s big enough to pull it off. Timothy’s parents are accepting and caring. Wyatt’s alcoholic, abusive mother, not so much. I also liked the mystery in the story and the ending. Nicely done.
What I didn’t like: The heavy smoking of Wyatt (and the drinking). But…that being said, it does fit the character and the setting.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a decent murder mystery based on a cold case and don’t mind the boys being gay, this is a good one. I would recommend it.
Thank you to Dreamspinner Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 30, 2019
Well I must this book blew me away with the twists and turns it took. I am still sitting here reeling from what just happened. And then to pull the book up to review it and find out this going to be a series, I am now overjoyed because this is definitely a series I will be following as the books come out. I do believe this is the first book by John R Petrie that I read but it will definitely not be the last, not after reading this book. If his book is any indication of what John writes, I will definitely be reading more of his books in the future, especially this series!!!
Timothy is an out and proud high schooler in a small town. His dad is the sheriff so that helps some but Timothy had to make his own way with the small mindedness in his school. One thing that is to his advantage is he knows how to defend himself so this helps with bullies and such. But Timothy has never been one of those people that hides who he is and he stands up for himself and what he believes in. Another advantage for Timothy is when someone wants information dug up, Timothy is he one they come too. Timothy is good at looking at situations and putting pieces together. That is why he wants to be a cop even though his dad is totally against it.
When another student named Wyatt comes to Timothy for help on a four year old disappearance, Timothy interestes are sparked. Timothy agrees to help Wyatt look into the disappearance of a boy named Bobby. Themore information that Timothy and Wyatt uncover, the more they are convinced that something bad happened to Bobby. Not only that but Wyatt and Timothy start to grow close as well.
Wyatt has always hid his sexuality because he knew his mom would never accept it. But after spending time with Timothy he knows he cannot hide it or his attraction to Timothy from him so he admits it. At first things get kind of awkward between them but soon they figure out how to navigate a new relationship together, all th while trying to uncover exactly what happened to Bobby and now the other missing boys they have uncovered as well.
Things start getting very dangerous for these two the more information they uncover and if these two are not careful, they may unwittingly alert the person behind all the disappearance to their investigation. Can these two figure out what happened to these missing boys or will they have to break down and get some outside help from Timothy’s dad? What will happen if and when Wyatt decides to come out? Is this thing between Timothy and Wyatt only temporary or can these two make it long term together?
This was such an incredible read!!! I really enjoyed this book and I am sooooo looking forward to the next book in this series when it comes out. John R Petrie has a definite winner on his hand!!! Can’t wait for future books.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
Timothy is an out and proud high schooler in a small town. His dad is the sheriff so that helps some but Timothy had to make his own way with the small mindedness in his school. One thing that is to his advantage is he knows how to defend himself so this helps with bullies and such. But Timothy has never been one of those people that hides who he is and he stands up for himself and what he believes in. Another advantage for Timothy is when someone wants information dug up, Timothy is he one they come too. Timothy is good at looking at situations and putting pieces together. That is why he wants to be a cop even though his dad is totally against it.
When another student named Wyatt comes to Timothy for help on a four year old disappearance, Timothy interestes are sparked. Timothy agrees to help Wyatt look into the disappearance of a boy named Bobby. Themore information that Timothy and Wyatt uncover, the more they are convinced that something bad happened to Bobby. Not only that but Wyatt and Timothy start to grow close as well.
Wyatt has always hid his sexuality because he knew his mom would never accept it. But after spending time with Timothy he knows he cannot hide it or his attraction to Timothy from him so he admits it. At first things get kind of awkward between them but soon they figure out how to navigate a new relationship together, all th while trying to uncover exactly what happened to Bobby and now the other missing boys they have uncovered as well.
Things start getting very dangerous for these two the more information they uncover and if these two are not careful, they may unwittingly alert the person behind all the disappearance to their investigation. Can these two figure out what happened to these missing boys or will they have to break down and get some outside help from Timothy’s dad? What will happen if and when Wyatt decides to come out? Is this thing between Timothy and Wyatt only temporary or can these two make it long term together?
This was such an incredible read!!! I really enjoyed this book and I am sooooo looking forward to the next book in this series when it comes out. John R Petrie has a definite winner on his hand!!! Can’t wait for future books.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
March 8, 2022
Great story but where's book 2??
October 30, 2019
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Buried Secrets is a young adult novel which local teen Wyatt, asks the Sheriff’s son Timothy for helping in finding out what happen to his friend Bobby, who disappeared 4 years prior. Timothy wants to be a cop and agrees to help Wyatt try to solve the mystery and also hopes to impress his Dad.
This story mixes teenage romance and mystery well and also deals with the family lives of these two young teens. I loved the family dynamics we see with Timothy’s family. Timothy is openly gay and he has accepting and supporting parents. Wyatt’s home life is the complete opposite with a drunk neglectful mother who is full of prejudice.
On the mystery, as a reader, with a few clues I figured out what had likely happened early on but I enjoyed seeing Timothy figure it out and watching the story unfold. There is a good helping of danger and suspense to keep you a bit on edge right through the story. On the romance side of things, I liked the age appropriate romance. These guys are smart enough to realise they are still young and they don’t go rushing into things they might not be ready for.
I really enjoyed Buried Secrets. It has a good fast past and I had a good time reading it. A solid 3 stars from me.
Buried Secrets is a young adult novel which local teen Wyatt, asks the Sheriff’s son Timothy for helping in finding out what happen to his friend Bobby, who disappeared 4 years prior. Timothy wants to be a cop and agrees to help Wyatt try to solve the mystery and also hopes to impress his Dad.
This story mixes teenage romance and mystery well and also deals with the family lives of these two young teens. I loved the family dynamics we see with Timothy’s family. Timothy is openly gay and he has accepting and supporting parents. Wyatt’s home life is the complete opposite with a drunk neglectful mother who is full of prejudice.
On the mystery, as a reader, with a few clues I figured out what had likely happened early on but I enjoyed seeing Timothy figure it out and watching the story unfold. There is a good helping of danger and suspense to keep you a bit on edge right through the story. On the romance side of things, I liked the age appropriate romance. These guys are smart enough to realise they are still young and they don’t go rushing into things they might not be ready for.
I really enjoyed Buried Secrets. It has a good fast past and I had a good time reading it. A solid 3 stars from me.
January 25, 2020
A great YA mystery with likeable MCs and at least one set of supportive parents. I'm looking forward to more Tim and Wyatt action in future. 3.5 stars
June 22, 2021
A very well written gay mystery novella, with a decent amount of suspense and mystery. Admittedly, I felt the main plot twist was very obvious from the start, but the end had a nice 'right under our noses' twist the made it feel less predictable. Definitely worth the read for those who enjoy a dark twist with some sweet romance between two emotionally supressed boys.
** It should be noted that the book briefly, and not in depth, discusses sexual assault of minors. It's certainly nothing graphic and only a few sentences are dedicated to this, but I felt it might be worth pointing out for those who might need a bit of warning about that kind of subject manner. There is also homophobia (some minor instances of name calling and unaccepting families; and a bigger plot point that briefly focuses on conversion and sinning), typical of a small country town. However, this book is far from tone-deaf on these manners.
** It should be noted that the book briefly, and not in depth, discusses sexual assault of minors. It's certainly nothing graphic and only a few sentences are dedicated to this, but I felt it might be worth pointing out for those who might need a bit of warning about that kind of subject manner. There is also homophobia (some minor instances of name calling and unaccepting families; and a bigger plot point that briefly focuses on conversion and sinning), typical of a small country town. However, this book is far from tone-deaf on these manners.
April 6, 2020
A solid 3.5 stars. I’ll definitely read the next when it comes out.
July 24, 2025
This is a nice light read. I'l probably read it again and look into the others in the series.
February 11, 2020
I thought this book sounded good, but I could never get into it. I felt like romance between Timothy and Wyatt felt rushed and lacked depth. You could figure out the mystery and the big twist easily and fairly early on. Timothy's best friend only showed up when she had to say something witty or to be used as a sounding bored so I felt like she didn't really serve a purpose. Not a fan of this book at all.
February 5, 2020
The writing was not memorable, however, the plot was pretty simple so I can't say it's bad. It could have been made better with more mystery elements.
October 16, 2019
Review to come!
October 22, 2019
I loved this!!
February 1, 2020
3.25*
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