02 Jun Tumbled Graves (Stonechild and Rouleau Mystery #3)

by Brenda Chapman
Reviewed by Judith Kalil

I enjoy this series so much and the third book does not disappoint. Mystery, suspense, true to life characters who feel like old acquaintances now. The story goes along at a really nice pace, not too slow and there is enough content and tension to keep the reader interested and invested in the characters and their fates. I also enjoyed the secondary themes as well, such as the love one might have among family or more interestingly, those one considers family. This theme is explored in different ways and all of them feel genuine.

Another great mystery novel from Brenda Chapman with enough twists and turns to keep it fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. I must now wait impatiently for the next installment. I believe that there are at least a few more to come. Woot-woot!

Why did it take me so long to finish this one if it’s so compelling? Because I did not want it to end!

A missing child. A dead mother. Kala Stonechild is about to discover what one betrayal can lead to.

A SUMMARY

When Adele Delaney and her daughter, Violet, go missing, Jacques Rouleau is called upon to investigate. However, struggling with the impending death of his ill ex-wife, he sends Kala Stonechild and Paul Gundersund instead. Stonechild has been trying to adapt to life as her young cousin Dawn’s guardian, and even though Gundersund has offered support, Stonechild is at risk of losing custody.

On the second day of the investigation, Adele’s body turns up, dumped on the shoulder of the highway with no sign of her daughter. Her husband, Ivo, denies any involvement with either his wife’s death of their child’s disappearance, but not everyone is convinced. As the investigation unfolds, Stonechild learns that Adele was once entangled with a Montreal biker gang and heads to Quebec to investigate further.

As Stonechild and Gundersund juggle personal troubles and a complicated, dangerous case, they find themselves piecing together a chain of disasters leading back to a single betrayal.