The Grave Truth

The Leafy Hollow Mysteries, Book 6

By: Rickie Blair

Narrated by: Petrea Burchard

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A shocking revelation. A long-buried secret. An old mystery reappears....

Verity Hawkes' new life as Leafy Hollow's resident landscaper and part-time sleuth is just about perfect. She has a new love interest, a new home - even a new pet. The last thing she needs is a reminder of her troubled past.

So, when her estranged father shows up with a plea for help, her first instinct is to throw the cad out. Until he reveals scandalous new details that threaten to tarnish the memory of her deceased, and beloved, mother.

To solve the decades-old cold case, Verity must confront a surly detective, a bungling helper, and a lethal paper shredder. But when the trail leads to murder, she soon becomes the prime suspect. To clear her name, Verity must solve the most baffling mystery she’s ever faced - one from her own life.

The Grave Truth is the sixth installment in a series of charmingly funny cozy mysteries. If you like picturesque Canadian villages, endearingly weird characters, and high-stakes whodunnits, then you'll love Rickie Blair’s Leafy Hollow series.

Buy The Grave Truth today to dig up a long-buried mystery!

©2018 Barkley Books (P)2020 Barkley Books

A TRULY ENJOYABLE READ

I DISCOVERED THIS SERIES LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AGO, I AM SAD TO SAY I AM NOW CAUGHT UP. EACH BOOK REVEALED A BIT MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS AND ADDED A NEW MYSTERY. I FOUND MYSELF LAUGHING OUT LOUD, AT TIMES, PUZZLING THROUGH CLUES, AT OTHERS, FEELING A TOUCH OF SADNESS OR ANXIETY WITH VERITY. I DO HOPE BOOK 7 IS ON ITS WAY.

4 and a half stars

The Grave Truth is action packed with several twists and turns and interesting mystery. The characters are engaging and has just enough humor without making the story silly. I took away half a star because it was frustrating for me when characters evaded answering a question directly. The mystery involves both the past and the present and gives information about Verity's parents. This is an entertaining book and was well written. I look forward to the next book.

This book was given to me for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

As good as the others in the series! This is the first one I have listened to as an audiobook but have read others by this author. I enjoyed it as much as I did the ebook format. Very good mystery series. The narrator was great and nailed the voices well. The characters are well rounded and relatable for the most part. The world is built wonderfully and the author is able to spin a great tale which keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Great story

I didn't expect Verity's father to show up. All in all I really enjoyed this story and the characters. The author did a really great job keeping me interested in the book and the narrator brought the book to life for me. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A Great Listen

Verity is patiently waiting for spring and just enjoying her life, when her deadbeat father walks back into her life. Her father stirs up all kinds of memories and feelings that Verity thought were long gone and a whole bunch of questions about her mother. Verity has a 20 year old missing person mystery to solve that seems to rotate around her mother and she attracts the wrong type of attention. A very enjoyable series, the characters are unique adding to the suspense filled plot in this action filled, humourous tale. I will be checking out more books in this series. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and have voluntarily left this review.

Do you really know why someone leaves?

The Grave Truth is the sixth installment of this charming series. It’s kind of Get Smart meets Andy Griffin. I love the weird characters and the silliness of Chaos.
After a 20 year absence Verity’s biological father shows up claiming that her mother left him something. This leads to a very interesting mystery, many revelations, and Verity reassessing her feeling towards her father.

I enjoyed the audio and the narrator really sells the story.

Pretty Good

This is the first book i have read in this series. I most definitely go back and read the first 5. Verity Hawke, is the town landscaper. Her estranged father comes looking for something he claims her mother left for him. She is very cautious of him and his motives. However, when she starts to investigate, it leads to muirder, past and present.

This book kept me entertained throughout the story. Love the story and the characters. I was gifted this book in exchange for a?an honest review.

The narrator did an excellent job.

Highly Recommend This Cozy Mystery

Verity Hawkes’ father unexpectedly shows up in Leafy Hollow, claiming there’s something hidden in Rose Cottage that Verity’s mother wanted him to have. Why has he traveled from Australia now? What is the mysterious object he won’t tell Verity about? And why hasn’t he had any contact with Verity since she was 8 years old?

Since her father won’t answer any questions, Verity undertakes an investigation on her own. She learns that her now deceased mother, as a graduate student, assisted on an archeological dig that’s somehow related to the mysterious item hidden in Rose Cottage. There’s something fishy about the conflicting answers she gets when she asks questions about the dig and professor who was in charge of it, leading Verity deeper still into her investigation.

Having listened to a couple of audiobooks recently with poor narration, I really want to thank the narrator. The story itself combined with the narration make the Leafy Hollows series very enjoyable to listen to. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Quite a pleasant listen...

It's 3.5 rounded up to 4 for the story...
It's my first book in the series and my first by Rickie Blair so I didn't know what to expect, and I have to say it was quite a pleasant listen and a series I would probably go back to.

The plot was OK; there were some twists and turns I liked, there were some mysteries to solve and some secrets to unravel... It wasn't very fast, but it also didn't feel too slow most of the time. Some situations felt a bit artificial, some behaviours illogical or irrational at this or that particular moment but as a whole, the case got a plausible conclusion so I can overlook the few inconsistencies...:)
The main character is... well, I got irritated with her quite a few times in the first half of the book, I warmed up to her in the second but I still think she is too insipid... I can't tell you if I liked her or not - she left me indifferent, really, and what is worse, it's been a few days since I finished the book and I can't remember much about her other than the fact that her boyfriend is a police officer... I just wish she had a stronger personality to make a longer-lasting impression on me...

The narration by Ms Burchard, however, is excellent. She does a great job with the voices, the pace of her reading is right, the emotions ring true. It definitely rises my overall rating for this particular cozy mystery:)

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The Grave Truth

Verity is settling into a relationship with the police detective, Jeff. Then her long lost father appears demanding the momento her mother left him. Verity is not happy about his reappearance and when her aunt finds out a volcano had nothing on her attitude. Now Verity unwittingly becomes embroiled in a 20 year old mystery and murder. She must use all her wits to gather clues and survive not only physically but also emotionally.
Peters Burchard is a fantastic narrator who brings Verity to life!!
Fantastic audio and story.