Krista Reviews: Buried by Linda Joy Singleton

In a new school and determined to keep her secrets from being discovered, Thorn finds a mysterious locket that leads to a shocking discovery. Surrounded by new friends she barely knows, as well as the school’s famous former student, a smoking-hot musician named Phillipe, Thorn must investigate to find out if one of them is a murderer. 

Paperback, 257 pages Published March 8th 2012 by Flux
ISBN 0738719587 (ISBN13: 9780738719580)

Characters: Thorn is a Goth girl that is a little less emo and more upbeat and snarky. She has a preacher as a father, and she is morally a decent person, but she has an edge to her and likes her own style.

Her detective work and the people that she runs into during her investigation make for a really entertaining read. I enjoyed Thorn’s attitude and she’s pretty funny.

Story: In this story Thorn finds a locket; she is unsure why but something about the locket is calling to her. She needs to find out who owned the locket, hoping it will lead her to unravel the feelings she gets when holding/wearing it. You see, Thorn is a “finder” who has a psychic ability that leads her to special objects, and in turn those objects may lead her to something. The locket in this story leads her to bones… babies bones. By finding the owner she may be able to prove them innocent of a mysterious murder.

Originality: I have not read any other books by Linda, but have heard that this story takes place in the same world setting. There is also some mention from other reviewers that the characters overlap a little, and if you are familiar with her work you will recognize them and understand some of their back stories.

Writing: The story jumps around a lot. The mystery and investigation does not take center stage in the story as much as it should according to the summary. The reader may jump into the story fully intent on reading a good mystery. There are spots along the way that focus a little more on the activities at the school. The singing competition and it’s famous judge Philipe. There is also a prankster that likes to get revenge by bullying the bullies a little and calls himself the Grin Reaper. These side stories pull away from the main mystery plot, but are fun and interesting at the same time.

Krista’s Review: I think that maybe this book and I met at a good time. I was looking for something that was fun and entertaining, and I also enjoy mysteries with a little bit of the dark side mixed in. (It is more mystery than it is suspenseful or thrilling, although all of these aspects are included). I was very happy to have read Buried and will continue to find  more books by this author.