A cold case murder, a grisly discovery, and a viper’s nest of resentment, betrayal, and dirty secrets converge in this mystery perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Jayne Ann Krentz.It’s been 12 years since Sandi Parkman went missing after being dropped off at home by her schoolmate, Nick Larson, now the Sheriff of Freeport, Michigan. When a construction crew unearths Sandi’s bones–along with … bones–along with Nick’s letterman jacket and one of his hairs–Nick becomes suspect number one in the murder.
Dr. Emily Hartford, the daughter of Freeport’s medical examiner, is called in to investigate, but the case is about to get personal. Nick was Emily’s high school love, and now she has to either clear his name–or contend that he’s the killer. As she delves into the case, a host of other suspects emerge: a coterie of Nick’s jock friends from high school; Sandi’s sister, Tiffany, now a dancer at a local strip club; and James VanDerMuellen, a trust funder who’s recently returned to Freeport.
As the autumn skies darken over Freeport and the holiday season looms, Emily must sift through more than Sandi’s brittle bones to solve the case. Can she exonerate Nick–and rekindle their long-smoldering romance? The race is on to find the truth.
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Dr. Emily Hartford returns home to take care of her father after his recent heart attack. Her father has served as a doctor and coroner for Freeport County for many years. Emily plans to return to Chicago to complete her surgical residency, but when bones are unearthed during an excavation, she steps in to assist County Sheriff Nick Larson. Nick believes he knows who the bones may belong to which will lead to a homicide investigation. Since Nick was a school friend of the victim and may have been the last person to see her alive, will he be considered a suspect in her disappearance and death? As the investigation continues, Emily will have to face unsettling news in her personal life from an event that happened years ago. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
Secret Remains reminded me of one of my favorite TV series—the long-running Silent Witness. When newly discovered remains strike a little too close to home, Dr. Emily Hartford works to solve a decades-old missing persons case to prove the innocence of someone she cares about. Jennifer Dornbush knows her forensics. Fans of forensic mysteries will love this top-notch, page-turning thriller. And those who root for happily-ever-afters will find the conclusion very satisfying. Armchair sleuths will enjoy Dornbush’s latest. —Lisa Carter, Carol Award-winning author of Under a Turquoise Sky
Good story. Engaging protagonist.
Book 2 was good in the Coroner’s Daughter series. I look forward to reading the next, because there has to be another. Surely, Dornbush wouldn’t leave us hanging.
In Book 2, Emily is put on another case, as she is trying to finish up her dad’s estate. He left her a surprise. Plus, on top of the case, she has some decisions to make. She has to call in a Dr. of Anthropology. He soon offers her a job at the U of M. Brandon wants to get back together and still have the wedding. Dr. Claiborne needs to know if she wants to finish her surgical residency. The town wants to know if she will take her dads’ place as coroner. Nick maybe involved in the body found. She may have to do more sleuthing.
What will she decide to do? Who is responsible for the body? Most of all, will you be surprised by the ending, like I was?
If you like, Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, or Jayne Ann Krentz, I think you’ll like this series. You need to read them. First one is The Coroner.
This was a book well worth the wait. I thoroughly enjoyed the first in the series, The Coroner and knew I had to read the sequel. It didn’t disappoint me in the least. Emily had dropped everything in Chicago, literally – left her surgical residency, her now ex-beau, everything – to return home when her estranged father suffers a heart attack.. She steps into his shoes and fills in as coroner figuring she will stay until he recovers and then she will go back to her life plans. As this mystery opens, her father has suffered a second, fatal heart attack. while in the ambulance racing to the hospital he manages to impart some very puzzling clues to their past. One about her mother’s fatal car accident and the other about a woman connected in some way to her father’s past. Emily is adrift, full of questions and then comes word of a skeleton unearthed by a construction crew, the remains of a young girl who went missing years ago. If that wasn’t enough, the prime suspect becomes Emily’s friend, the Sheriff Nick Larson . As coroner, Emily searches for the killer but knows that there is the possibility that Nick is the killer. If he isn’t then trouble will arrive in town as the real killer along with various other residents, work hard to keep their secrets hidden from sight.
The characters are people I wouldn’t mind having as neighbors. The mystery is well crafted, full of twists, turns and red herrings, very satisfying. Emily has a lot to juggle in her life beyond the murder mystery. She is at a crossroads in her life with so many questions that need her to find their answers. I raced through to the end and now I’m looking forward to spending more time with Emily in the town of Freeport, Michigan. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.
Secret Remains is the second book in A Coroner’s Daughter Mystery series by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush. In the first book of the series surgical resident Dr. Emily Hartford is called home from Chicago to her hometown of Freeport, Michigan, when her estranged father, Dr. Robert Hartford, doctor, coroner, and medical examiner, suffers a severe heart attack. As the second book begins, Emily’s father suffers a second heart attack, this one fatal.
As Emily is involved with her father’s funeral she is called upon by one time boyfriend and Freeport sheriff Nick Larson to take over as coroner/ME when skeletal remains are found in a new housing development. With help from Dr. Charles Payton of the University of Michigan, the remains are identified as those of a teen girl who had disappeared 10 years ago. When clues are discovered that link Nick and others to the crime, Emily pulls out all stops to clear him.
This is a well written mystery with many twists and turns to the plot. Just when you think you have it figured out you will find you’re wrong. In fact, it isn’t until the end that the last twist comes at you. This is a very good mystery and I did enjoy it!
I read book 1 in this series last year as an eARC. I rated it a 3 as I enjoyed it and thought the series had a lot of potential.
The author did not let me down (and I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it)!!!
Loved how the characters evolved from the first book … loved the story line … hooked from the beginning. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
This is definitely a series I look forward to reading again and again.
Thank you #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for the eARC.