Touched by Death

By Death #1

by Dale Mayer

Digging up the dead isn’t the best way to lay ghosts to rest …

Anthropologist Jade Hansen had been touched by death once before. While in Haiti one year ago, she’d lost her unborn child, and the devastation nearly took her sanity in the time that followed. Getting back to work means facing the grief that’s all but destroyed her. Determined to be strong, she returns to Haiti with a mortuary team to recover the bodies of an American family from a mass grave, following a devastating earthquake.

Dane Chester is an independent contractor, who willingly puts his life on hold to help rebuild the sleepy town of Jacmel, after the natural disaster all but razed it. He’s staying with his sibling while Dane volunteers his services in the group effort, but finds himself put off by his brother’s pregnant wife and her relatives. Wanting to do good for those who lost so much from the quake creates a tug of war within him, given the unexpected family strife. Selfishly he wants nothing more than to go home, … until he meets Jade, who, at first sight, makes him realize what’s been missing in his own life for so long.

Jade’s mortuary team begins work, but, from the start, everything that can go wrong does. As anthropologists, they’ve all faced the very human horrors of situations like this before. But something else is at work at this mass grave site—something malevolent that none of them can explain—yet equally can’t shake the communal disquiet. Rather than laying her ghosts to rest where she suffered such loss, Jade finds herself confronting death all over again. This time her grief is mingled with an unnerving dose of terror—and this incredible man Dane, who unexpectedly awakens her heart to love again, is somehow right in the middle of it all.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Contemporary, Ebooks, Contemporary Romance, Mystery

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 2012

About the author

Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It's a Dog's Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

She honors the stories that come to her - and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.

To find out more about Dale and her books, visit her at http://www.dalemayer.com. Or connect with her online with Twitter at www.twitter.com/dalemayer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dalemayer.author. If you like Dale Mayer's books and are interested in joining her street team, sign up here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/40238...

Books by Dale Mayer

Psychic Vision Series
Tuesday's Child
Hide'n Go Seek
Maddy's Floor
Garden of Sorrow
Knock, Knock...
Rare Find
Eyes to the Soul - fall/winter 2014

By Death Series
Touched by Death - Part 1 - Free
Touched by Death - Part 2
Touched by Death - Full book
Haunted by Death
Chilled by Death - fall/winter 2014

Second Chances...at Love Series
Second Chances - Part 1
Second Chances - Part 2
Second Chances - Full book

Novellas
It's a Dog's Life- romantic comedy

Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy
Broken Protocols #1
Broken Protocols #2
Broken Protocols #3

New adult/adul crossover Books
In Cassie's Corner
Gem Stone (a Gemma Stone mystery)

Design Series
Dangerous Designs
Deadly Designs
Darkest Designs

Family Blood Ties Series
Vampire in Denial
Vampire in Distress
Vampire in Design
Vampire in Deceit
Vampire in Defiance

Non-Fiction Books
Career Essentials: The Resume
Career Essentials: The Cover Letter
Career Essentials: The Interview
Career Essentials: 3 in 1

Reviews

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blood-curdling story!

It started simple: a woman, Jade, an anthropologist that went on a humanitarian mission to help after the destructive Haiti earthquake and remained traumatized by the horrors witnessed there, returnes to Haiti after a year on another mission; this time funded by a wealthy businessman who wants to recover the bodies of his wife and child from a mass grave where victims of the earthquake were burried.

At first she doesn't want to go, but her brother convinces her to and, once in Haiti, she begins to heal. First through the friendship of her co-workers and soon she begins falling in love with Dane, who's there to help his brother and his pregnant wife recovering from the disaster.

But soon things are getting macabre: women's skeletons with manacheles atted to their bones start popping up in the mass grave. Some of them are older than other earthquake victims and the team start suspecting murders from the past.

Unfortunately the situation in Haiti is hectic: the crimes are rampant, the poverty is great, the people, even if they try to react to tragedy, are dispirited, there're still riuns...
So the authorities are not interested in old crimes when they have so much to do with the actual situation.

The actions in this book is not physical, but psychological. I constantly had the feeling of dread that crept steadily up and up. It was subtle, but very effective. The MCs and all the other characters act very logically and everything is describes in an almost dry way, but ... it gave me shivers!

And when the culprit or to better say: culprits! is brought in the open I was like: WHAT???!!!!!!!
It was so unexpected! But when I thought about it, it was also so very clear! Great job!

Now I'll go and read the second book in this series! I really hope it will be as good as this one! :D

[Jonel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hard hitting novel. It’s hard to imagine living through even one of these events, even though it does happen much more often that we like to admit. Mayer takes these very controversial topics and turns them into a captivating suspense novel that will leave you thinking.

Mayer uses her fluid, well written style to create scenes and communities that you can’t help but picture in your mind’s eye. She has the ability to lay everything out in graphic detail without dwelling on it. Each and every description works its way directly into the storyline creating a cohesive whole, without any gaps or stutters.

The characters in this novel were fairly well developed. There were a couple that I would have liked to know more about as they played fairly important roles in the novel but were basically names on paper. But as a whole, the cast of characters was awesome. They were developed in such a manner that they seemed quite real and very realistic.

As a whole, this novel kept me interested throughout. There were times when you had to cringe, times when you were on the edge of your seat, and times where you felt for the characters.

Please note that I received this novel free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy R · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a story. I was tired at the end of this one (in a good way). Jade is asked to join a team to travel to Haiti to look for the remains of a family from the US that were buried in a mass grave after an earthquake in order to send them back for a proper burial. The problem is Jade is suffering from depression caused by events that happened in Haiti the last time she was there. She has also been grieving over her ex-fiancé that left her and a miscarriage six months before. Her brother Duncan thought it would be good for her to get out of the apartment, find some closure, and help her move on with her life. Once down in Haiti, Jade finds the camaraderie with the other six members of the team to come easily and she is able to take her mind off of her own situation. They get to work on extracting remains and trying to find the ones to send back to the US. While doing this they uncover some questionable bodies that lead them on a journey that involves the authorities. People start to go missing and their days of simply looking for three bodies to send back to the US changes to struggling to stay alive amidst the craziness they stumble upon. During this experience, Jade meets and falls in love with Dane, another US citizen who is down in Haiti with his construction business building a hospital. He gets caught up in this mess as well and it hits closer to home than he would like. I found this story to be interesting since I have never read anything like it before. There were so many things going on in this book that you had to keep reading to get to the bottom of it all. I enjoyed the relaxed friendship of the mortuary team and their dialogue. I also really like Dane. He wasn’t the typical, overbearing alpha male you tend to read about yet he wasn’t afraid to step in and make decisions or take the lead in something if it was necessary. He was gentle with Jade, who he could see was struggling with some things in her life but he was also not backing off too much, forcing her to go after what she wanted and allow herself to feel again. This is my first book by Dale Mayer and it won’t be my last! I recommend this book to anyone that likes to be taken outside of the everyday reality and who is up for a little adventure, suspense and romance!

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

TOUCHED BY DEATH by Dale Mayer

TOUCHED BY DEATH is the June 2012 contemporary suspense/mystery novel by Dale Mayer. Anthropologist Jade Hansen’s life has been a world of depression. Following a trip to Haiti (the previous year) to help victims of an earthquake, Jade returned home to the loss of almost everyone she cared about and quite possibly her mind. When a wealthy American businessman wanted to recover the bodies of missing family members, Jade would find herself back in Haiti helping to excavate a mass grave of victims buried after the disaster. And to the teams utter shock and horror they found more than just victims of the quake.

Along with a team of doctors and pathologists, Jade’s adventure into the heat and quake ravaged island of Haiti brought back many memories from the previous year. Along with a suspicious feeling that they were being watched, Jade was also intrigued by the attentions of fellow American, Dane Carter. Dane is an independent contractor helping to rebuild the local hospital, but a call from the team working the sight, would bring Dane and his construction machinery to help with the recovery. But trying to keep the discovery a secret was placing more pressure on the team then they had fully anticipated. When the man overseeing the finances threatens to pull the team, they begin to wonder if it is all worth the cost.

The discovery within the pit amped up everyone’s morbid curiosity, but the locals were not accustomed to outsiders interfering with the dead. Old voodoo traditions, myths and stories would surface and the local inhabitants would begin to suffer with the knowledge that the outsiders were disturbing the dead. But the bigger problem that would surface was that the authorities didn’t care. The details and information the team were unearthing were falling on deaf ears and the police were refusing to cooperate with any investigation. People disappear all of the time and now one of the retrieval team is missing.


Family life for most of the locals is difficult. As one of the poorest islands, the Haitians could barely feed or clothe themselves. And Dane’s brother had married a local woman, whose current mental health was getting worse as the excavation continued. And to add to the already stressful situation, his brother’s extended family where giving Dane cause for concern. Something wasn’t right.

Dane and Jade’s relationship is slow to build as each is in Haiti to work. But slowly over a few weeks, Dane gets up the nerve to ask Jade out, but life has a way of surprising everyone, when rumors about family members and missing team members are more important than one’s love life. But a warning from a voodoo woman would put Jade on edge and Dane needing to find a way to protect the woman with whom he was falling in love especially when most of his extended family were missing or dead.

TOUCHED BY DEATH is a fascinating storyline with several twists. Although I had an idea as to the person or people responsible, I was still surprised that I was intrigued with the build up and revelations. The storyline flows smoothly, the characters are real and I was definitely impressed with the direction of the story.

see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dale Mayer liked to put her poor characters through some pretty tough things. This time around it's post-traumatic stress and a whole lot of dead bodies. I wish I could say that the dead bodies were the hardest thing that Jade ends up facing, but... well, I can't. She's got some baggage. She's forced to work through it and she's ending up stronger because of it but it's a rough road at first.

I liked the dynamic between Dane and Jade. They spark. Sparking is good. Sparking leads to unstoppable conflagrations that can only be tamed by large amounts of time rolling around in bed. Sparks: not such a good thing when you're in a forest, but outstanding when it's between two people.

The mystery itself ended up being a little more complex than I originally thought. There are layers here, guys. Layers! And you have to uncover those layers. It's a process. It's very similar to how Jade and her team uncover the bodies and do their thing. Okay, now, I want to say more but I feel like I'll give something vital away and I really don't want to do that.

Suffice to say, I enjoyed this book. It was just the right amount of gruesome mixed in with a main character who has to find herself again. And there might have been some sweet, sweet lovin' thrown in for good measure. *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW this book has to so many twist and turns, I never saw the end coming. Was so surprised when I found out who the killer was. I still don't fully understand the why. Jade had been through so much it was nice to see that she found her man and things were working out. Poor Dale trying to help a brother through some bad times. John has a many things go wrong in his life, he just couldn't get a break. His wife and family are nuts or are they?

Death all around due to a grave that was from an earthquake. But more is found in the grave. Who killed these women? Where they slave, kidnap? Are they after more?

This I promise you, you won't see the end coming.

The book started out slow for me, I almost didn't finish reading it. I stick it out and by the time I was in the middle of the book I had trouble putting it down. This is well worth the read.

[Kylie Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, did that throw a wicked curve ball or what! Wonderfully written. It was interesting, full of mystery and action, left you guessing right to the very end. The blossoming romance was beautiful and sweet, while there was an instant connection, the growth of the relationship wasnt rushed.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many things wrong with this book. I was excited to read a romance with humanitarian aid workers. However, this book doesn’t give any background into the socio-economic or political climate in Haiti. Basically, the author tells you it’s very poor, the people have strange customs, it’s dirty, the police are corrupt, and the only solution is for white saviors to come in and fix everything.

I swear, there is not one competent Haitian person featured in the entire book. The author often refers to the people as “the natives.” All of them are superstitious and practice “voodoo.” She calls the voodoo totems creepy and disgusting. One of the men talks about how he’s never had a “white woman with silvery skin.” It’s constantly described as completely poor with rampant crime but then the author says it’s a paradise and a tourist locale. I understand how a place can be both, but the prose did not paint me picture of this juxtaposition. It just felt like she was talking about two different places. For being written in 2012, the book is racially insensitive and condescending.

Which isn’t to say that Haiti doesn’t have problems with corruption, violence, and poverty. It’s the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. But there is no nuance in her words. No research to explain why there is stunted development other than an earthquake. No dignity in her descriptions.

There’s no background into Haitian Vodou, which isn’t a “wicked” practice. In fact, it’s a mix of Catholicism and traditional African folk religions brought over by slaves. Like any belief system, there are some that engage in rituals and mysticism, but it’s not an evil religion. No mention that Haiti was brutally exploited and colonized only to become independent after an uprising by slaves.

And then to the main character, Jade: she works in a lab but we have no idea what she actually does for a living. People are getting murdered and kidnapped and she wants to go to the beach. And she loves to eat, but she’s very skinny. It’s mentioned in nearly every chapter. The group all joke around like they are “family” but then they all say really passive aggressive things to each other. And the dialogue is awful. Sometimes one character says something and the other responds with “hmmm.” Like what does that mean? There’s no context! At first I thought maybe this book was written in something other than English and I was reading a translated version, but I’m pretty sure the writing is just terrible.

In one part, as they are uncovering bodies from a mass grave, they find a skeleton with chains wrapped around the feet. The protagonist mentions it could have been a victim of sex trafficking which she says is a huge problem in, and I quote: “Asia and Malaysia.” Well, Malaysia is in Asia but okay. It’s a huge problem all over the world! Then on top of that, all the other scientists and anthropologists are stunned she would say something so macabre. Someone actually says, “why would you say something like that?” And then throughout the rest of the book they talk about how the protagonist has a dark and vivid imagination. Of all the ludicrous and outrageous things our main character says, her theory about sex trafficking after finding a female buried with manacles around her feet in a mass grave in developing country is surprisingly rational.

The love story is meh. And the author likes to mention how the women need to feel secure around manly men. There’s a romantic date on a yacht, even though we are supposed to believe that the place is literally a slum. There’s a character that has the flu and it’s foreshadowed that it’s something more sinister, but then no, it’s just the flu.

I enjoy reading suspense books with romance set in different locales. I love geopolitics and learning alongside the adventure of fiction. This book is not that. It’s garbage and I’m embarrassed anyone would publish this.

[JigsawGirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing I can say about this book is that I didn't peep the identity of the serial killer until the very end.

I would have enjoyed the narration more if there had been a male and female narrator. There were times when I wasn't sure who was speaking at first. This book moved very slowly. I was able to gain my speed up to 1.4 with no problem when I usually listen at 1.2.

I have never been to Haiti, and I found the way it was described to be off putting. On one hand Haiti was poor, destroyed, filthy, with inhabitants who were smelly, dirty, crazy (Pepe), crazy and increasingly unkempt (Tasha), and Emil (who seemed to be a little off, timid and incapable of holding a direct conversation with the group). Not to mention the woman who warned both Jade and Dale who was dismissed again as crazy or running a con or trying to increase her profits, etc.

At the same time, Haiti was described as a beautiful country, a paradise, a tourist attraction. What? This crew was working around a mass grave yet they weren't far from a hotel, shopping, and a yacht conducting tours?

I knew Dale was in construction, but I wasn't sure about Jade's profession. I heard all about her trauma that pretty much evaporated on her return to Haiti. That about face seemed to be the result of her attraction to Dale. I was thinking you were working on a mass grave in which you discovered bodies that had manacles attached to their ankles, but being there helped you with your trauma? Again, confused. Why was everyone shocked when Jade mentioned the possibility of sex trafficking? One of the few things said that made sense.

Why the continual mention of the "voodoo" dolls or paper mache dolls and strange herbs all around John and Tasha's house, but no one attributed any of the Haitian rituals or religious practices to Tasha, Pepe, Emil, or even John's behavior? Why mention the lady having the flu as if it is something more and then suddenly, she is better? Or, the obsession with Jade's eating habits?

And why were all of the Haitian people in the book portrayed as sketchy? The police were either incompetent or indifferent. The residents in the book all seemed to have something "wrong" with them other than the people conducting the yacht tour.

This book was entirely too long and I spent to much time having too many questions. Something felt off in the descriptions of the characters and locations. My advice is to read it or listen to it and make your own determinations.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthropologist Jade Hansen had already been to Haiti once before dealing with unexpected death which had cost her an unborn child, a relationship and almost her sanity. However, after a year she was determined to face her issues and was returning there in a mortuary team to recover the bodies of an American family out of a mass grave. Dane Carter was an independent contractor and had put his own life on hold while he visited his brother and was working on rebuilding Jacmel after the quake. He had really had enough of his pregnant sister in law and her crazy family and so was thinking about how he could leave and go home until he met Jade and realised what his own life is missing. As the mortuary team starts to work it almost feels as if malevolence has been released from the earth and that it is not putting Jade's ghosts to rest but putting Dane right into the middle of it. Can they work out what is going on and will everyone come out of it whole?

This was one hell of a mystery/suspense story with multiple layers and multiple potential people involved. No matter which way you think it is going to end, it won't finish that way and will have different twists that you hadn't even thought of. Entwined into all of that, there was the love story between Jade and Dane slowly developing which became central to it as it neared a conclusion. Well written and easy to read, I definitely needed to find out who had done it (and was wrong in my guess too).

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touched by Death by Dale Mayer
By Death Series Book One
Dane Chester is helping in Haiti. His brother and his Haitian family are there, and after the devastating earthquake a year ago, and now smaller ones, he wants to do what he can. John is the only family Dane has. He’s ready to head back home to Seattle, though. That is until he meets a beautiful blonde. And trouble hits again.
Jade Hansen had been to Haiti a year ago, helping after the earthquake. She hasn’t been the same since. Mostly just not living anymore. But Duncan, her brother and the only family she has left hasn’t given up on her and convinces her to return to Haiti for another job. Who knew that returning could help with her healing? And meeting Dane isn’t so bad, either.
A page-turning romance thriller as weird things start happening. And the Magrim, the older woman at the market that predicts things Jade doesn’t want to hear, doesn’t help. Another well-written story that keeps you guessing to the end.
**Sexual content and language
https://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com...

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book in a Romance Super Bundle. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. The novel is well-written and has interesting and dimensional characters. The plot is developed and clearly presented.

[Gerri Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the first book of Dale Meyer I've read. It was extraordinary! It did run on in parts but always made up for the lapse. Two people who come together in the strangest of circumstances and the craziest of people. I think I will read another one his books!

[Hope Gerhardstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit morbid when you consider that they are identifying bodies that have been in a mass grave for over 1 year! Slow beginning to the point of being boring. Took 1/3 of the book to become interesting. Sorrow. Death. Some romance and a possible serial killer.

[Bogormen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

[Anne Blyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy Dale Mayer books though this one seems to be quite different from her previous books and took me a lot longer to get my head around it.

[Falicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One awesome read

Old dead bodies. New dead bodies. Murder. Intrigue. Kidnapping. Romance. This book has it all. Loved reading this book. Looking forward to more.

[Julie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when I thought I had it all figured out (about halfway through) the twists started coming. I liked the insight into the Haiti situation during the immediate aftermath of the big quake and the glimpse of the recovery efforts. It made that whole situation more real than it ever had been for me since I am no where near Haiti. Jade's personal story is heart breaking. To have been so affected by what she saw and did that she couldn't find her way back into her every day life is sad. The treatment she received from her ex-fiance and the loss of her baby made me feel for her in a way that surprised me. I could feel her disgust with him and her anguish over the loss of her child. I suffered alongside her as she began to open up and deal with the memories more. Jade makes the comment that the team is all a family after a few short weeks in Haiti. That's how I feel about Jade. She resonated with me in a way that I feel like she is family. That seems strange to me because I've never had a character become that real to me. Dane and John's relationship was interesting and hard to figure out the whole time. I couldn't believe that someone as strong and capable as Dane had ever spent any amount of time with a weak little nothing like John. I was blown away by John's comments alluding to Dane's charmed life. He was disgusting to me in that moment and remained that way until the end. All in all I found John and his entire Haitian family to be awful people. Peppe for what he did before he lost his mind. Emile for his treatment of his father and what he was planning to do. Tasha for her neglect of her father and the emotional terrorism she heaped on everyone around her. I know they all had their reasons for being the way they were but their offenses are not forgivable in my mind.

I absolutely LOVED the twist ending. As I said previously, I thought I had it and boy did I not have it! I don't think I have been tricked that well by a book in years! It was GREAT! So thank you, Dale Mayer, for giving me an experience that I will not forget any time soon!

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jade Hansen has enough troubled memories to last a lifetime, yet she finds herself accepting a job filled with even greater heartache once she returns to Haiti.

Dane Carter puts his construction firm on hold to fly to Haiti to help his brother with the aftermath of another earthquake. After meeting Jade, he wishes to stay and help with the ordeal.

Jade realizes she faces depression, especially after arriving in Haiti again after another earthquake strikes the suffering people. The memories of the last earthquake, with the overflow of dead bodies along with her own heartache, had cost her much in her life. After Dane receives the call from his brother to lend a helping hand with the aftermath, he is at first hesitant, then agrees to offer help. Upon meeting Jade, he knows he wishes to stay. After making his acquaintance, Jade feels a close attraction to him and Dane feels the same. Yet as they work together to unlock one buried grave, there is danger that stands in their way as they try to make right a wrong, but will they be able to locate the answers they seek?

Touched by Death is a story that keeps the reader tightly glued to the pages. Jade displays an epic sweep of emotions as she overlooks the damage the earthquake has left among the injured people. Death, sadness, and much grief attach themselves to Jade, as well as Dane. It was practically real; the way Ms. Mayer paints the scene, even with the children over the dead bloated bodies, as if the reader were there at the scene. It was quite gripping. She gives her characters depth, sincerity, compassion, and adds a touch of suspense along the way to make this book an exceptional, engaging read.

Cherokee
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

[BooksandBeyondFiftyShades · Rating 5 out of 5]

*5 Star Review* Book #9

Touched by Death
By: Dale Mayer.
http://amzn.to/1lPkGmV

Jade Hansen, is a shell of the person she once was. Tragedy has touched her life in more ways than one and more than once. A year ago she was engaged and in Haiti after the first devastating earthquake hit the area. Jade was broken by all the devastation and death that surrounded her in Haiti.

After returning to the states she lost her fiancé and death of her unborn child drives Jade within herself. After much prodding from her brother, Jade decides to return to Haiti with a team, on a mission to find the remains of an American family and return them to the US for a proper burial. Dane Carter is also in Haiti trying to help the rebuilding efforts. He is visiting his brother and his sister-in-law, trying to bring revitalization to the country.

The moment he sees Jade sparks begin to fly and neither one of them can ignore the connection any longer. Dane and Jade’s romance is clouded by missing team members, and old voodoo woman’s warning and missing loved ones. Can Dane protect Jade? The ending (no spoiler here) is not what you would expect. Riveting!

Having lost a dear friend due to the earthquake in Haiti, this touched a nerve with me. My friend was a doctor who had just arrived to the island and was getting settled in at his hotel. He had been there for 30 minutes when the earthquake struck. It took 3 months for his body to be recovered. Yes, this book hit home. The romance was a lovely diversion and Dale hit the nail on the head with the details of Haiti.

This book will have your attention grabbed from the very beginning. You’re going to love it!

[Beth Cutwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's the second I have read of Dale Mayer and she certainly can spin a fine story! Her words built a tension within me as I read and usually I am very good at knowing what the resolution to a suspense/mystery is long before the final pages. But I did not catch on until the author revealed it, even though I had trouble accepting it myself.
It was set in Haiti, after the big Earthquake when Jade Hansen returns to Haiti to reclaim her life and the healing that she so desperately needed. She joined a mortuary team to return an American family buried in a mass grave after that earthquake. What the team encountered, was the suspicion and superstition of the locals and a prophetic warning from the Magrim " danger surrounds you" to Jade personally. Their task is daunting, their findings haunting as they encounter one set back after another! One of the best mysteries I have read in awhile. I may have to add Dale Mayer to my favorite author list.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic suspense novel by the fantastic author Dale Mayer. In this book we find anthropologist Jade Hansen has not been having a easy time of it since coming back from Haiti a year ago after helping with the aftermath of a earth quake.

One year on and she as been asked to join a team to get back the family of a wealthy American who will do all he can to recover his family bodies from the mass grave they are in.

There are lots of twists and turns and every page keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next.

This book is well worth the read and I would recommend it to anyone.

[Sherry Haynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this through the collection of WTRAFS Gemstone collection. I haven't the slightest idea why it was included in the collection since BDSM is involved. That maybe the reason I am giving this book a 3 star instead of a 4 since I had really not wanted a pyscho suspense book.

Here is what I think;

The book is a good for a suspense type book or even a psycho killer book. It does have issues of voodoo, abuse, and death. If any of those type things are trigger issues then you may need to avoid this book. Like I said, it is a good suspense book and I probably would have rated it closer to a 4 star if I had not read it through a book collection that was suppose to be erotic in nature.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Anthropologist Jade returns to Haiti to join a team of specialists to uncover a mass grave and indentify the remains that are found. While there the team stumbles into something extra and has to find a killer while completing the work they were assigned to do as well. I thought the book was well written and the ending was well done. I've read Dale Mayer's Psychic Visions series before this and was quite pleased with this stand-alone book.

I received this title from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Gitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this in a ten book romance bundle on my kindle for 0.99 $ and didn't expect anything speciel.
So much better than I thought. A good book with good details on both the destruction on the island as well as the reactions of all involved. I think Jade is very well written. Especially her depression after her first trip and the year following.
I will be looking for other books from Dale Mayer.

[Katie Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. It took a bit to get into it and was slow going at first The mystery itself was interesting, but there were too many plot pojnts of "something was off" and "I felt someone watching me" An ok read with a good mystery but I just didnt like the author 's writing style and pace.

[Jo Notary]

342pgs, anthropologist lost an unborn baby and her sanity in Haiti, she goes back with a team to recover the bodies of an american family in a mass grave, following an earthquake. She meets a contractor there to help rebuild, and he realizes she is what is missing in his life. when they open the mass grave, she finds herself confronting death and terror again.

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like I'd been put through the wringer by the time I finished this one! It had lots of twists and turns. The main character, Jade, had endured much before heading to Haiti to recover the bodies of an American family. While there, she meets Dane, who is their to help rebuild after an earthquake. As they begin to get close to one another, danger and terror are at their door.

[Chinarose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love this series! Each book in the series can be read as a stand alone novel. However, if your an avid reader like me, once you've read one book, you'll fall in love with the whole series and asking for more.

[hugsandcookies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure whether I liked it a lot or just okay for me.

I like the characters but I didn't like the dark side of the story. I mean I'm not one for reading these kind of thriller or horror or whatever but I tolerated it and the read was good.

Who knew the twist to this story.