What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold reminded me of the reason I am a fan of the author’s work and also of her character Detective Madison Knight.
Madison struggles with guilt surrounding her sister’s kidnapping, while stressing over the fact her boyfriend has yet to propose. However, despite these issues, she never wavered in carrying out her job. Besides, her tenacious, zealous and caring personality wouldn’t allow her to. So, when her realtor called her regarding a dead body found in the garden shed of one of her client’s property, I knew in no time she would find herself buried knee deep into the investigation while trying to manage her personal life.
This story did not disappoint. It had everything I have come to expect from this series, and the case was no different. It raised several questions, who was the murdered woman, who wanted her dead, and why was she murdered? The more Madison dug; the more questions came to light and she would find herself embroiled in a web of deceit and lies. Tying the clues together for the primary investigation proved challenging for both Madison and the reader. This is one of those stories where the reader and character solves the case together.
Meanwhile, her obsession with bringing the Russian Mob down and ridding the police department of corrupt cops seems to be spiralling out of control. It places her in danger, affected her personal life and has the potential to destroy her relationship with the man she loves.
I admired Madison for her independence, tenacity, intelligence and the extra mile she would go to find justice for victims. Madison struck me as a self-assured individual, but in this installment her insecurities and doubts came to light. At this point I saw a side to her I didn’t like, which revealed her personality flaws. It showed no matter how much someone may appear to have their lives together, something or someone can come along and shake it all up and, in the process, whittle away at their self-confidence.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Arnold delivered a fast-paced mystery, which will delight fans of police procedurals. Overall, I had a good time with What We Bury, and can’t wait to see if Madison will finally achieve her goal by taking down the Russian Mob.