Book Review: Hidden (A bone secrets novel) by Kendra Elliot

(Blurb): Eleven years ago, the Co-ed Slayer murdered nine female students on the Oregon State University campus. Lacey Campbell barely escaped his attack, but lost her best friend whose remains were never found. As the sole surviving victim, Lacey helped send the sadistic serial killer to prison for life.

Now a forensic odontologist examining teeth and bones for the state Medical Examiner, Lacey is devastated when she arrives at a crime scene and identifies the skeletal remains as her college friend’s.

The remains are discovered on the land of ex-cop Jack Harper. Sparks fly between him and Lacey, even as they realize that the prosecution’s witnesses from a decade ago are now being murdered one by one. All the evidence points to the Co-ed Slayer as the culprit—only, he’s long since dead. So who’s the new killer? And is Lacey next in line to die?


Golden Heart finalist Kendra Elliot combines chilling suspense and steamy romance in a gripping tale, uniting in-depth forensic knowledge with a passion for thrillers. Set in the snowy winter of Oregon, Hidden creates spine-tingling chills.


Book Information
Genre: Suspense, Mystery
Age: Adult
Length: 388p
Publisher: Montlake Romance (July 17, 2012)

Review

Wow! Rarely is that the first word that comes to my mind when trying to put my thoughts in some semblance of an order. I did not realize that this was Elliot's first novel. I found out after I had ravaged the book and continued on through the author's pages. The writing was phenomenal and she's definitely set the bar high for herself for follow-ups!

The research that went into the writing was EXCELLENT. I'm a science nerd. I know terminology across medical and forensic fields, and I know a good mystery/suspense/thriller when I read one. This one was excellent across all fronts. Dr. Campbell is trained in orthodontics but helps out her father, the state medical examiner, on dental screenings of victims. Because we all have a knowledge base that we like to tap into and try to call someone out on every now and then, I scoured those examination excerpts with a fine tooth comb and walked away pretty damn impressed. I figured if that passed inspection within the first few paragraphs of the book then I was in for a heck of a ride for the remainder.

The balance of mystery with thriller was perfect. At no point was there an information overload to where I lost interest in the book. If I had to pick one flaw that personally seeks me out in these kinds of books, it's when the detective dialogue is belabored and everything turns into such a headache it's a wonder the author could figure out an ending. For all of the book you rotate through various POV without being told whose eyes you're looking through. But the character voices are so well defined that you seamlessly transition between the voices without hesitation. That some skill, Ms. Elliot!

The romance was also in perfect combination with the other elements. At no point did I feel like the mystery or thrills were thrown in the sacrifice pile for hot and sweaty sex scenes. Although there were a few of those too!

I'm curious to but Kendra Elliot on my Author Watch list and I'm sure there will be plenty more reviews to come.