CWA Dagger Award - The Buried Girl

The Buried Girl is a standalone, intelligent psychological thriller from Richard Montanari, maintaining his trademark chills but telling a different story.

It was beautifully atmospheric, with some intriguing and highly engaging characters and as usual with this author a bit of a page turner.

Will and Detta, dealing with the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, make a sudden move to Abbeville, a small town with a dark past that still lingers in the present time. Through an old diary and ongoing events this dark past starts to come to light.

The Buried Girl works on more than one level – as a portrait of grief and an attempt to readjust, the Father/Daughter relationship is beautifully done. Then we have a creepy, intense mystery element that is unpredictable and fascinating with a rich history and mythology that is utterly gripping.

I loved Will, Detta and Ivy – as a trio of characters they all brought depth to the storytelling. The small town vibe is classically excellent and I was riveted by the events unfolding on the page.

I hope this ends up being more than a standalone, plenty of life left yet even as one part concludes in edge of the seat fashion. I want to know what else is buried in Abbeville, I’m sure there is more to be said and I for one will wait hopefully to find that out.

Overall absolutely excellent. One of my favourite thriller writers working today.

Highly Recommended.

I have read all previous Richard Montanari books and this lives up to the previous. This can be read as a stand-alone.
Dr Will Hardy and his daughter Bernadette move to the country town of Abbeyville after the death of his wife. The chief of police in Abbeyville is investigating a series of missing young girls which goes back decades.
Will had never been to Godwin hall which has been left to him by a relative but feels he has knowledge of this place. Is Will’s past somehow linked to the missing girls?
I loved how the story unfolded and chapters contained the diary of a girl who lived 100 years before. If you’re an avid Richard Montanari reader you will not be disappointed and if this is your first you will soon be going through his back catalogue.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sphere for an ARC.
#TheBuriedGirl #NetGalley

thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have not read anything from this author for a bit and shall be changing that. This is a standalone thriller and well worth a read

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book.

A stand alone Richard Montanari with a bit of a creepy twist.

I really liked it, although I did get a bit lost wondering where it was all going. However, all the plots and turns meld together and you end up wondering how you got lost in the first place.

I liked the way it went back and forth from different character perspectives.

Reading this has made me want to go back and read all his others again!

This is an amazing book, and one of very few I wish I could give more than five stars. It begins in the past which is returned to at intervals throughout its length.  The present day takes place in New York and Abbeville, two places as unalike as it's possible to be.

The three main characters, Will Hardy, his daughter, Bernadette, known as Detta, and Chief Ivy Holgrave are wonderfully written, they are likeable, troubled, engaging and believable from the start. The tragedy you know will happen grips you, drags you closer, even though you know you don't want to witness it and from then on you are complicit in everything that happens, experiencing it, wanting to work it out, to stop the inevitable outcome that moves ever nearer.

This could be a very complex and confusing story but the author succeeds in making each changing point of view or time frame clear with a few apposite words and you are almost immediately in the zone once again. The diary gives just enough assistance from the past and the obvious love of their history from the present day inhabitants of Abbeville helps put it all into perspective. I really hope there will be at least one further book with these characters in the lead. At least one loose end still needs a conclusion and there is definitely more mileage in the town and its residents.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers and would recommend this book highly. There is history, a murder mystery and a feel good factor which makes me a little sad that I've already finished it.

The Buried Girl is Richard Montanari's long-awaited new book. Taking a break from his popular Balzano and Byrne series this rather tangled tale nevertheless continues that series almost gothic vein as police procedural borders frequently on horror.
The book does take a bit of getting into as the first few chapters jump around from character to character and 2 time scales centuries apart. Once it gets going however and the various pieces fall into place it's a fast-paced and thrilling read.
After tragedy strikes criminal psychologist Dr Will Hardy is surprised to find he's inherited an old mansion from a distant relative and together with reluctant daughter Detta he ups sticks and leaves his New York Home for the small town of Abbeville. There they meet Chief of Police Ivy Holgrave who is investigating the disappearance of a young girl and outside of her duties trying to solve the riddle of several "cold case" disappearances over several years. All in Abbeville is far from how it appears on the surface and events quickly take a murderous and at times surreal turn.
A gripping read The Buried Girl does require quite a lot of concentration at first to keep track of the various characters and their situations until the various threads start to come together. The main characters are great and I'm sure they can carry as series,as is the town of Abbeville with it's rather unique atmosphere and disparate population of Amish,Rednecks and most other things in between. There is a suggestion of the supernatural,but then there might be another explanation,to say more would be a spoiler but Mr Montanari pulls it off beautifully.
While I really enjoyed it I also miss Balzano and Byrne and hope we catch up with them sometime soon.

This is a chilling psychological thriller with gothic elements from a favourite author of mine, Richard Montanari, who here moves in a different direction from his long running series. In the 19th century, Dr Rinus Van Laar, leaves Amsterdam to settle in Ohio in the US. In the present, 38 year old Dr Will Hardy is a forensic psychologist who has worked with the NYPD and as a consultant on TV and movies, and written a bestselling book. His wife, Amanda, a social worker is tragically murdered, and a traumatised and guilt ridden Will moves from NYC to a small village, Abbieville, in Ohio with his troubled griefstricken daughter, 15 year old Detta (Bernadette). An unexpected family inheritance, the shut down Godwin Hall, offers the possibility of healing and moving on. Will has never been to the village or his new home before so why does he keep experiencing past memories of the place? Incorporated within the narrative are details from a historical journal by Eva Claire Larson.

Abbieville Police Chief Ivy Lee Holgrove is the latest in a law enforcement career that runs in her family. Ivy is looking into the disappearance of Ohio girls between the ages of 12 and 16 who vanished without trace that go back years into the mists of time, characterised by elements of ritual and white ravens which she observes in the latest murder of a young girl in the present. Ivy and Will connect and a trusting relationship begins to build so she tells him about her thinking with regard to the missing and murdered girls. In the meantime, Will begins the task of renovating and repairing Godwin Hall and getting the requisite permits to open it up for paying guests. Detta has an almighty breakdown in Walmart but begins to emerge from her grief, albeit with the help of medication. She finds a volunteer position at the library and meets a beautiful boy, Billy, who she finds herself drawn to. He proves to be rather elusive, unforthcoming about his life, whilst Detta finds herself opening up about herself. As the Appleville festival opens, Will and Detta finds themselves in a danger rooted in a long gone past.

Montanari writes a terrifically atmospheric and compelling novel, tense and suspenseful, with multiple threads that slowly begin to connect, central to which is Godwin Hall and Pieter Bruegel sketches of the seven virtues and the seven vices. The well drawn characterisation is wonderful with all three main characters damaged, but beginning the process of recovering. Will and Ida prove to be a formidable team as they hunt down a horrifying killer and Detta and Ivy begin to form their own deep connection. I am not sure that there will be a sequel to this novel but I sincerely hope there is. This was a fantastic read which I recommend highly to those who love crime fiction and thrillers. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

I am a big fan of this author's Balzano & Byrne series so I was quite excited to get my hands on this standalone book from him.
It starts off a little slow but that is to build the foundations of what is to come and the pace also serves to build up the tension. Way back in the past, we follow Dr Rinus van Laar as he emigrates from his native Holland to the US; specifically Ohio. Back in the present and we meet recently widowed Dr Will Hardy, a forensic psychologist, who, together is daughter Detta are still trying to cope with the death of Amanda. Detta blames her father for Amanda's murder, a blame that Will shares. They struggle along for a short while but then Will unexpectedly receives an inheritance; Godwin Hall which is in a small village in Ohio. Thinking a fresh start will do them some good and allow them the time and space to heal from their tragedy, Will and Detta promptly plan their move.
In that same village, Abbieville, Ivy, the Police Chief is investigating the disappearance of several young girls, spanning many years. Shocked that no one has made any connection, she takes it upon herself to try to get to the bottom of things.
And then Detta goes missing...
This was wonderfully and intricately plotted. There is so much going on in the book - Will's tragedy, his efforts to rebuild both the house he has inherited and his relationship with his daughter who is rather reluctant. And all the way through, there's the story of Dr van Laar and the myth and intrigue that surrounds his travel and what he brings with him. I'd love to expand further but I don't want to spoil anything.
If you've read any of this author before you'll know that he doesn't pull his punches. This book is no exception and does get a bit gory and gruesome at times. It's also quite chilling, so much so, that I am glad I read it during the day! It's also a bit complex and convoluted and switches time and perspective often but it's done so skilfully that I was never in doubt of who and when.
Characterisation was excellent. As well as the main characters, we have a whole host minor ones who are just as well drawn and easy to connect to. I especially loved that Ivy asked Will to help her with her investigation and they went on to develop a pretty good partnership all told. Could this be the start of a new series featuring that duo? I do hope so!
All in all, a cracking read that hit the spot nicely for me and left me satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

#The Buried Girl#Netgalley
This is the first book I have read by Richard Montanari.. Will moves into Goodwin Hall with his daughter Bernadette, following the death of his wife, and mother of Bernadette. In a small town of Abbervale. The death of a young girl being investigated by Holdwin think it’s linked to previous murder from the past she seems to think there’s a connection to Goodwin Hall. It’s a brilliant psychological thriller that’s extremely well written with surprises and twists running through the book. I got to a point where I thought it was a particular person only to find another twist. That it’s not possible for the person I suspected. Reading further I am really convinced I know who the serial killer is again. Only to find a few further twists and turns to suddenly realises I was wrong again. To be honest I was glad that I had got it wrong a couple of times. More often than not when reading I get to a point where I seem to know who committed the offences. Quite often I am right. But if late recently there’s so many good books out there and it’s getting harder to work who is a perpetrator of the crimes. Which is far far better, that you don’t get it until almost the end of the book. I found this was a book that kept me on the edge of my seat, and genuinely didn’t want to put this book down, I sat up and read the entire book last night. Although I am so tired I have no regrets reading through the night.. It really is that good full of suspense and a tad creepy in a couple of places. One thing is for sure by 100% this being the first book I have read by Richard Montanari. It definitely will not be my last, I will go back to the beginning and read them all. With one exception if any are espionage. Only because I do read the odd book on espionage but it’s not really my genre. This is definitely my type of book. I genuinely do not understand how I missed Reading his books. I have seen a lot of books written by him but just never did. Well it’s my loss. So please don’t do what I did by not looking properly and having missed out so much. I will genuinely go back and read his books. I PERSONALLY ADVISE AND DEFINITELY RECOMMEND YOU DO READ HIS BOOKS. ESPECIALLY THIS ONE. I ONLY SAY ESPECIALLY THIS ONE ONLY BECAUSE HAVING NOT READ ANY OTHER OF HIS BOOK. I have nothing by this author to compare it with. However more to the point is is a absolutely genuinely a brilliant read one of the best reads in a long while. Richard Montanari I must apologise for sone bizarre reason I hadn’t read any if your other books but that’s soon going to be rectified. Definitely recommend you must read this book awesome.

I haven't read anything from Richard Montanari for a while but I think after reading the buried girl , I might have to go back and read the ones I'm missing. This story is a standalone novel but I think it could easily become a series. It jumps around a bit from the past to the future but at the end it all pulls together well. I don't like to give too much away but the story follows Dr Will Hardy who whilst trying to help a young lad unwittingly unleashes something devastating into his family life but because of this he ends up meeting Police Chief Ivy Lee Holgrove a police officer who has been trying to solve a baffling series of murders of young girls and ropes in Will because of his psychology back ground.
But really if you like thrillers with a creepy edge then this is the book for you.