A gothic murder mystery filled with suspense, Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black brings something new that I’ve never seen before. The twisted mystery is at the front and center of the novel, along with a brilliant love triangle subplot that enhances the mystery rather than taking away from it. This is Teri Bailey Black’s debut novel and I am always impressed when authors decide to write murder mysteries as their debuts because it really puts authors out there.
Girl at the Grave is about Valentine, a teenage girl whose past consistently haunts her. When she was six years old, her mother was hanged for murder and the two of Feavers Crossing turned their backs on her not wanting to be tarnished by her reputation. People she trusted or called friends didn’t hesitate to push her away or insult her so she remained in her own private world. Valentine and her father are poor, but she goes to an exclusive school as a mysterious benefactor paid for her whole education.
She attends this school and tries her hardest, but she only has one friend, Sam. His family also has a terrible reputation and that’s probably why they are so close, however, they have both accepted each other without fear of judgement.
Our main character Valentine is a self-reliant and mature teenage girl despite being in an age when girls were told more frequently they were so much less than boys. She is courageous and determined to figure out the truth about her mother’s death. She doesn’t crack under the pressure that everyone puts on her and instead digs up the truth that everyone around her has buried. She and the reader discover the town’s secrets and lies that will explode if they take the wrong step or route. She has no idea who to trust or if she can trust anyone so she keeps most of this to herself like she always has.
Valentine has no time to be smack dab in the middle of a love triangle and yet that’s where she finds herself. Sam, her best friend and someone who she loves unconditionally is sure that they will get married one day and is determined to make that a reality. But Rowan, a boy who’s hardly ever noticed her before this, steps into her life with his charm and high rank in society. Both of them were super sweet and totally in love with Valentine.
Girl At The Grave is a murder mystery that will make you second guess everyone’s intentions and look for the solution yourself. This book managed to pull many aspects from other good murder mysteries and incorporate them into an original novel that surprises and satisfies.
Girl At The Grave is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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SYNOPSIS | GOODREADS
Early Libba Bray meets Stalking Jack the Ripper and William Ritter’s Jackaby series in this richly atmospheric Gothic tale of murder and romance in 1850s New England
Valentine has spent years trying to outrun her mother’s legacy. But small towns have long memories, and when a new string of murders occurs, all signs point to the daughter of a murderer. Only one person believes Valentine is innocent—Rowan Blackshaw, the son of the man her mother killed all those years ago. Valentine vows to find the real killer, but when she finally uncovers the horrifying truth, she must choose to face her own dark secrets, even if it means losing Rowan in the end.
Debut author Terri Bailey Black unearths the long-buried secrets of a small New England town in this richly atmospheric Gothic tale of murder, guilt, redemption, and finding love where least expected.
