Graven Images

Garner Quinn #1

by Jane Waterhouse

Garner Quinn writes true crime - and very successfully. Her story of the moment involves a madman known as the Holy Ghost, a deranged serial killer who disfigures his victims. When Susan Trevett lives to tell about her encounter with the Holy Ghost, she picks a young farmboy out of a police lineup. But then Susan does a dramatic turnaround: she insists that the boy is innocent, and that she disfigured herself to repent for past sins. The jury delivers a not guilty verdict, and Garner is left with an ending to her book she fears might not tell the whole story. To compensate, Garner plunges headlong into another case. A media firestorm has erupted around celebrated sculptor Dane Blackmoor. Body parts have been found in his lifelike sculptures, and Garner, who has tangled with the enigmatic artist in the past, thinks she knows the villain's identity. As she becomes increasingly involved in the Blackmoor story, she realizes she's being stalked by a cold-blooded killer who knows her like a book. Garner suddenly understands that there's a small space between the words true and crime: make one mistake in judgment, and it may come back to haunt you - with a vengeance.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Jane Waterhouse is a scriptwriter, award-winning playwright and the author of four novels, including the critically acclaimed Garner Quinn thrillers.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Body parts of a murder victim being showing up in the lifelike sculptures of artist Dane Blackmoor. Best-selling true crime author, Garner Quinn, thinks she knows the killer ... after all, they have a shared past. A past, that she would like to forget.

Dane Blackmoor is being investigated and accused to dismembering women and hiding their body parts inside the sculptures that he is so well known for.

She's just coming off another investigation for another of her books and instead of being able to spend more time with her daughter, she's going to be spending time with another suspected murderer.

Blackmoor says he's innocent ... but Garner's not so sure. She's going to have to face her own past, her own contentious relationship with her father, an esteemed criminal defense attorney who helped a guilty murderer go free.

Her search for the truth leads her to her childhood .. the summer she was 12 years old. Her father's criminal case at that time is what led her to her present occupation.

I really got a lot out of this book! Love, hate, anger, mystery, suspense... and a cast of many who all seem to be hiding something .. even her own assistant ... and her daughter.

The ending was fast, brutal, action-packed ... and a shocker. Hang onto your hat when the ending begins .....

This is a 3-book series written in the 1990s. I will definitely be looking for Books 2 and 3.

Many thanks to the author and Brash Books who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a random find from Brash publishers. Sounded intriguing enough and it actually was. Garner Quinn, the best selling crime writer, finds herself to be front and center in her latest story with entirely too many men of questionable motives and equally questionable trustworthiness surrounding her. Solid read, well written, didn't wow me in any way (maybe not enough of an emotional connection, although the dramatic aspect of the story was done very nicely), but thoroughly entertaining with a nice (only slightly predictable) twist at the end. Brash is committed to putting out the best in thrillers and this one may not quite be all that, but it's certainly good, the quality is all there. Fun read, pretty quick too.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off well and the ending was fairly exciting, but for the rest, it was quite tedious

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting mystery/thriller. Detective is a true crime writer - interesting angle.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've commented before about how much I love Brash Books and its mission to "publish the best crime novels in existence." With the publication of Jane Waterhouse's Garner Quinn trilogy, beginning with Graven Images, Brash Books has exceeded (if that's possible) that lofty goal.

Garner Quinn is a female true-crime author. I have wracked my brain for another crime series featuring a true-crime writer, rather than the ubiquitous current or former cop or serviceman/private detective/thriller writer (not to mention the cooks and innkeepers of the cozy mystery world, of which I am not a part), and have been unable to come up with one. Waterhouse's choice of lead is inspired; the book blends the real-life reportage and legal wrangling of true crime with the mystery and suspense of crime fiction to create a novel and gripping point of view. Garner knows how bad her subjects can be, so when they invade her personal life, her fears are well-founded.

In describing Graven Images to fellow members of the Goodreads Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group, I said I "inhaled" the book, and that is an accurate description of the book's effect on me; it has permeated my consciousness to such an extent that other mysteries seem dull and their protagonists lacking in personality. Garner virtually leaps from the page, and her voice is dry but not cynical. Here she is, describing another character she meets at a costume party dressed as Shakespeare's Juliet (Garner, of course, is wearing a red dress):

She wasn’t quite the ingenue she’d masqueraded as at the museum gala. Elizabeth Rice had been around the block a couple of times. In the rain. During humid weather.

I can't wait to see who she skewers next.

Verdict: Be poised over the "buy now" button when Graven Images hits the shelves on May 23.

I received a free copy of Graven Images from Brash Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the blurb for this book had an intriguing premise. A serial killer hiding body parts in his sculptures. This actually turns out to be not a very big part of the story. We open up with Garner, the heroine, researching her latest true crime novel featuring Jeff, a young man who carves crosses into his victims. When Jeff is found not guilty, Garner goes back home and gets involved with the story of Dane Blackmoor, a sculptor, with whom Garner shares a past.

Much of the book is then told in flash backs. How Garner met Dane when she was a young teen. We also delve into Garner's dysfunctional family life with a father who is a superstar lawyer. By the end of the book, all the story lines come together in a climactic way.

I liked the character of Garner, but everyone around her seemed like a giant jerk. Even her teen age daughter is obnoxious, although you could argue that she is just being a teen. All the men in the story are horrible people.

[Philip Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sucks you into the plot. This is an author writing about an author, a bestselling crime writer. In so doing her attendance at the criminal trials involve her in an indirect way as she interviews the defendant and the witnesses. Having had somewhat of a rough childhood and facing some heinous crime scenarios her emotional being is jaded. It also gives her a sharp instinct regarding peoples’ characters and a dose of self-doubt. Eventually she goes from hunter of facts to being the hunted. With more twists and turns than an extreme roller coaster when finally, at the book’s end I just wanted it to keep going. This being book 1 of 3 I am hoping the publisher will soon offer “Shadow Walk” and “Dead Letter” in e-format.

[Jay Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding story with action taking place on many levels. It combines a mystery thriller with intense psychological development, several character studies and a little romance. Garner Quinn, a true crimes author, is the protagonist, but several other characters are treated in depth and add to the entertainment value of the book. Garner's father is a famous lawyer with no time for her. She suspects a famous artist is her real father at one point. She has her own daughter who feels left out of her mother's life, and a family caretaker who bridges three generations. All the loose threads and subplots come together in a suspenseful ending guaranteed to get your pulse pounding.

[J.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous writing, a flawed protagonist and a complex weaving of plot lines...not certain I completely understand Garner Quinn, who writes true crime novels by imbedding herself in the lives of her characters and then becomes a target, but Waterhouse has a unique voice for this character. I would read more of her work.

[anna Valenzuela Goldthwaite · Rating 3 out of 5]

The case

There was one themes many cases in this book. It left me with more questions than answers. And wanted to know more about the missing Mother and what reasons she had for leaving her child with a father that seemed to be incapable of love,,, hmmmm.17+

[Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in her series but had to read it last. It was great to see how Garner got started.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I thought I would really enjoy this book, having liked DEAD LETTER, I didn't find it as readable, and part of the plot was a little too far-fetched for me.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Tried to do too much for what it was.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book until about 2/3 of the way through, when the characters and plot became increasingly unbelievable.