What do you think?
Rate this book
Uncovered
When Randi realizes the job she once loved doesn’t fit her anymore, she heads home. This time for good. Little does she know her new life in Boca will be anything but quiet.
While working with an elite Palm Beach customer, a small bronze statue ignites an unexpected mystery. Since the figure is tied to a seventy-year-old double homicide cold case and the theft of all the sculptor’s work, Randi sets out to uncover the whereabouts of the stolen pieces. Shrugging off anonymous threats to stop snooping into the past, she plows ahead only to discover her zeal places her in the unknown person’s crosshairs.
To further complicate things, the man who murdered Randi’s parents is discovered to be part of the Mexican drug cartel and is now after Connor who is in Texas. As well, Seth, now single, heaps fuel on the fire in his quest to secure Randi’s heart.
Can Randi recover the missing statues without putting her life in jeopardy? And can she resolve her love interests while not getting her heart broken along the way?
While working with an elite Palm Beach customer, a small bronze statue ignites an unexpected mystery. Since the figure is tied to a seventy-year-old double homicide cold case and the theft of all the sculptor’s work, Randi sets out to uncover the whereabouts of the stolen pieces. Shrugging off anonymous threats to stop snooping into the past, she plows ahead only to discover her zeal places her in the unknown person’s crosshairs.
To further complicate things, the man who murdered Randi’s parents is discovered to be part of the Mexican drug cartel and is now after Connor who is in Texas. As well, Seth, now single, heaps fuel on the fire in his quest to secure Randi’s heart.
Can Randi recover the missing statues without putting her life in jeopardy? And can she resolve her love interests while not getting her heart broken along the way?
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Sally J. Ling
30 books3 followersSally J. Ling, Florida’s History Detective, is an author, speaker, and historian. She writes historical nonfiction, specializing in obscure, unusual, or little-known stories of Florida history and mysteries with a Florida connection.
As a special correspondent, Sally wrote for the Sun-Sentinel newspaper for four years and was a contributing journalist for several South Florida magazines.
Based upon her knowledge as well as excerpts from her books, Sally has appeared in three feature-length TV documentaries—“Gangsters,” the National Geographic Channel; “The Secret Weapon that Won World War II,” and “Prohibition and the South Florida Connection,” WLRN, Miami. She served as associate producer on the latter production. She has also appeared in and served as a production consultant for several short documentaries on South Florida history produced by WLRN, Miami.
Sally has been a repeat guest on South Florida PBS TV and radio stations, guest presenter at the Lifelong Learning Society at Florida Atlantic University, and guest speaker at numerous historical societies, libraries, organizations, and schools.
As a special correspondent, Sally wrote for the Sun-Sentinel newspaper for four years and was a contributing journalist for several South Florida magazines.
Based upon her knowledge as well as excerpts from her books, Sally has appeared in three feature-length TV documentaries—“Gangsters,” the National Geographic Channel; “The Secret Weapon that Won World War II,” and “Prohibition and the South Florida Connection,” WLRN, Miami. She served as associate producer on the latter production. She has also appeared in and served as a production consultant for several short documentaries on South Florida history produced by WLRN, Miami.
Sally has been a repeat guest on South Florida PBS TV and radio stations, guest presenter at the Lifelong Learning Society at Florida Atlantic University, and guest speaker at numerous historical societies, libraries, organizations, and schools.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 2, 2021
Hello readers! Once again, I am going to begin this review with my disclaimer that I was gifted an advanced copy of this book by the publisher, Flamingo Press. My thoughts, notes, and opinions are all mine. Book 1 in the series, FRAYED ENDS, really got me excited as a reader! I am newer to the world of cozy mysteries, but this story is one of my new favorites.
From this section onward, be wary of possible spoilers.
Book 2, UNCOVERED, picks up right where we left off - Randi has left Boca Raton to return to her job in DC, Connor has left for Texas on a new assignment, her parents killer is still on the loose, and I'm left to wonder WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THIS BLOOMING ROMANCE!? After realizing that her life is no longer in Washington, she moves back to Florida and ends up in the middle of the Lazzari case (which is completely real! Sally has written a book on her research!)
The start of the story was a little slower for me. I think, because we were building up to the heart of the mystery that Randi finds herself wrapped up in, that the story lacked action for a bit. By the middle of the book, the digital pages were flying, the action was happening, the romantic sparks were returning and I was completely engaged in the story. Kester is one of my new favorite characters so hopefully he will be back in the next installments. Since the book is written in Randi's POV, we can ONLY imagine what kind of daring rescue he made towards the end of the story.
While it was interesting to see more of how Randi interacts with Seth and their relationship - past and present - I really couldn't get myself to like him. He seems like a nice guy, but way too clingy and was so hung up on his lifelong love for Randi.
I am REALLY excited for book 3 because we are going to learn more about Connor and get closer to solving the question: Who killed Randi's parents and Why?
From this section onward, be wary of possible spoilers.
Book 2, UNCOVERED, picks up right where we left off - Randi has left Boca Raton to return to her job in DC, Connor has left for Texas on a new assignment, her parents killer is still on the loose, and I'm left to wonder WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THIS BLOOMING ROMANCE!? After realizing that her life is no longer in Washington, she moves back to Florida and ends up in the middle of the Lazzari case (which is completely real! Sally has written a book on her research!)
The start of the story was a little slower for me. I think, because we were building up to the heart of the mystery that Randi finds herself wrapped up in, that the story lacked action for a bit. By the middle of the book, the digital pages were flying, the action was happening, the romantic sparks were returning and I was completely engaged in the story. Kester is one of my new favorite characters so hopefully he will be back in the next installments. Since the book is written in Randi's POV, we can ONLY imagine what kind of daring rescue he made towards the end of the story.
While it was interesting to see more of how Randi interacts with Seth and their relationship - past and present - I really couldn't get myself to like him. He seems like a nice guy, but way too clingy and was so hung up on his lifelong love for Randi.
I am REALLY excited for book 3 because we are going to learn more about Connor and get closer to solving the question: Who killed Randi's parents and Why?
October 9, 2021
Thanks once again to Sally and Flamingo Press for the free copy!
I argued up until the very last page about whether to give this two or three stars, so keep that in mind as I give my review. At the end of the day, though, I had more complaints than praise, so that had to sway my decision.
The story started out incredibly slow and stayed that way for a bit. The recap of the previous story felt way overexplained. I’m all for some good exposition, but it felt a bit much for me. So many details of the story were obvious before they were actually revealed. The characters don’t talk like real people; so much felt fake. This is also the third book that the author has written about the Lazzari case, and there were times in the book where it felt like it was written for south Florida natives/locals alone. I didn’t feel a part of it; it felt too specifically branded. However, writing about your passions is the most important part of being a writer, so while it didn’t necessarily work for me, that’s entirely excuseable.
Now to delve into the parts that were frustrating but that very well could have been the point—but I’m not sure. One is how Randi is a very intelligent and likeable woman but lets so many little and obvious clues pass her by. Again, this might be for the benefit of the reader being in frustration and suspense, but it was just so strange that she could be so clever and still miss the obvious details. I’m much more annoyed, however, with her relationship with Seth. To me it was all too obvious (spoilers spoilers spoilers) that she did not care for him, she just had a hole in her life to only be filled by a man, and the man she actually loved was not around. It’s incredible to me that she dragged Seth along for that much time, and that it was a genuine conflict for her. However, that again could be for the benefit of my frustration.
Saving the best parts for last. The characters are adorable, and the carefree tone of the books is quite romantic, comparable to a Hallmark movie. I was almost shocked by how happy I was every time Connor made an appearance, and how much I liked his and Randi’s relationship (which I of course liked from the previous book already). The story is interesting and gripping during its highest moments.
I had a lot of issues with this book. But at this point, I’m invested in the story. I’m going to stick around with this series and see how it ends.
(PG-13 rating)
I argued up until the very last page about whether to give this two or three stars, so keep that in mind as I give my review. At the end of the day, though, I had more complaints than praise, so that had to sway my decision.
The story started out incredibly slow and stayed that way for a bit. The recap of the previous story felt way overexplained. I’m all for some good exposition, but it felt a bit much for me. So many details of the story were obvious before they were actually revealed. The characters don’t talk like real people; so much felt fake. This is also the third book that the author has written about the Lazzari case, and there were times in the book where it felt like it was written for south Florida natives/locals alone. I didn’t feel a part of it; it felt too specifically branded. However, writing about your passions is the most important part of being a writer, so while it didn’t necessarily work for me, that’s entirely excuseable.
Now to delve into the parts that were frustrating but that very well could have been the point—but I’m not sure. One is how Randi is a very intelligent and likeable woman but lets so many little and obvious clues pass her by. Again, this might be for the benefit of the reader being in frustration and suspense, but it was just so strange that she could be so clever and still miss the obvious details. I’m much more annoyed, however, with her relationship with Seth. To me it was all too obvious (spoilers spoilers spoilers) that she did not care for him, she just had a hole in her life to only be filled by a man, and the man she actually loved was not around. It’s incredible to me that she dragged Seth along for that much time, and that it was a genuine conflict for her. However, that again could be for the benefit of my frustration.
Saving the best parts for last. The characters are adorable, and the carefree tone of the books is quite romantic, comparable to a Hallmark movie. I was almost shocked by how happy I was every time Connor made an appearance, and how much I liked his and Randi’s relationship (which I of course liked from the previous book already). The story is interesting and gripping during its highest moments.
I had a lot of issues with this book. But at this point, I’m invested in the story. I’m going to stick around with this series and see how it ends.
(PG-13 rating)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2022
Randi and her friends are on a search to find Leno’s statues!!!! But there are a lot of people who don’t want them to succeed, aren’t there??? I enjoyed this story and recommend the book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews