Review - Field of Graves by JT Ellison

Published Release Date - June 14, 2016

Book Summary from NetGalley

With FIELD OF GRAVES, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison goes back to where it all began… 

All of Nashville is on edge with a serial killer on the loose. A madman is trying to create his own end-of-days apocalypse and the cops trying to catch him are almost as damaged as the killer. Field of Graves reveals the origins of some of J.T. Ellison's most famous creations: the haunted Lieutenant Taylor Jackson; her blunt, exceptional best friend, medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens; and troubled FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin. Together, they race the clock and their own demons to find the killer before he claims yet another victim. This dark, thrilling and utterly compelling novel will have readers on the edge of their seats, and Ellison's fans will be delighted with the revelations about their favorite characters.

My Review - 3 1/2

JT Ellison takes us back to where it all started and we get to meet characters who we already know for the first time.  I didn't enjoy this part as much as I thought I would because I have followed the journey's of theses characters and love both Dr. Samantha Owens (the medical examiner) and Lieutenant Taylor Jackson series.  I thought it would bring new information for us to know which I didn't really think it did and of course we get to have a case to follow which is the great part of her series.

I have read 4/8 of LT Taylor series and all but one of Sam Owens, they both appear in both series because they are an amazing team together. I will have to analyzing why I enjoy Dr. Sam Owens series more.

We get to see how Baldwin and Taylor get together which was interesting, a nice to know.  They found each other when they were put together on this case and their history and the support was a perfect match, more than the spark they initially felt. I like that they are still together and now show the dynamics of the balance of work and personal.

I am also a fan of Andrea Kane, and this story reminded me of one of hers, Twisted.  University students are going missing and found murdered, all but one who ended up being the chosen one.  I really like the style of letting the reader be a part of the investigation, guessing along the way, profiling the killer, agreeing or not agreeing with the detectives.

I did feel like it took to long to investigate one part of the story coming together, which I believe could have made the difference in possibly two being murdered.  The illness of the killer didn't sit well with me and so the ending wasn't climatic.

JT Ellison is one of my favourite authors and I will read all her new works while still catching up on the older ones.  I expected a different spin on this one since it was taking us back but it fits perfectly with the LT Taylor series.  I would put this as Book 1 maybe in the series. My expectation not being met and the investigation missing a key clue to get to the killer earlier makes it a 3 1/2 instead of a  4 or 4/12 on a favourite series, which I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for this read, they really help to keep me updated on her books.