Neither fish nor fowl

The blurb for this m/m romance story described the content very aptly when it stated it has bits and pieces of and with elements of this, that and the other. It led you to believe the police procedural aspect would get some substance along the line since it was the framework for the story but it never got going. The Detective Drake Lewis is working the case of murders connected to construction sites where he reconnects with Liam Walters, a site foreman and a past hook-up. This leads to renewed steamy encounters that begin to evolve into them starting to get to know each other better. Their evolving relationship gets entangled in the murder investigation which isn't described at all apart from repeated descriptions of mounting pressure and how hard Drake is working with his team, who are not mentioned at all in procedural context. A moral dilemma is thrown in for good measure to add more themes to this mix. Drake and Liam are flawed but likeable characters and their story could be better with committing fully to a genre - be it police procedural, or recovery from emotional trauma and building of a relationship. Narrator Christopher Solon did a good job with characterisation, making it easy to distinguish who was talking and the narration was clear and pleasant to listen to.

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Fantastic story and performance

Story 4.5 stars
Audio 5 stars

I really loved this story. It drew me in from the start and I couldn't stop listening from start to finish. It is a pretty quick read but didn't feel rushed and felt complete in the end. It was a little angsty at times and pretty steamy. The 2 MCs had great chemistry. I loved Liam and my heart ached for him. I enjoyed Drake overall but a couple times he frustrated me which is the only reason why I left off half a star. Other then that I loved everything about this book. Both the relationship side and the murder mystery plot. Neither of which drowned out each other. It was a perfect blend. This book was fantastic and I absolutely recommend it.

Great narration. The narrator had a very pleasant voice, kept a good pace and expressed all the emotions. He brought the story to life and made it a pleasure to listen to. He also changed up the voices to easily tell everyone apart.

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A romance and a serial killer...

I loved the book, suspense and romance. Finding a balance for right and wrong while finding love.

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Beautiful

So I am currently fixing up my driveway, its hard work and has so far taken me 20 or so hours with about the same still to go, the 5 hours that I spent working on it and listening to this book was the fastest that time has gone since starting this work. The characters felt real they had depth and intrigue. The storyline was sad, compelling and tight. This is one talented author.

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Drake, Liam and a murder case

Buried Secrets is my first book by A. D. Ellis and as a detective fan I liked it.
The writing style is fluid and loose and as a listener you are quick in the story.

Detective Drake Lewis is a workoholic and gay. But his colleagues don’t know that and Drake wants to keep it that way.
During a new case, Drake meets Liam Walters, who is openly gay. The two start a hot affair. As more and more bodies are found, the suspicion that the killer is close enough is confirmed. Will Drake solve the case in time?

Drake and Liam are likeable characters. The chemistry between the two fits right from the start and they start a hot affair. Liam is sincere and lovable, Drake on the other hand has a rough way at first, but is just as lovable.
I really liked the mix of a crime novel and a love story, because the murder case creates a certain tension and the romance is not neglected either.

The audio book was narrated by Christopher Solon and he did a good job of bringing the characters to life. You could tell the different voices quite well.

I can recommend the audiobook to everyone. It is well written and well narrated, exciting and romantic.

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1 person found this helpful

A good murder mystery!

I enjoyed listening to this book, it’s a good mix between the mystery, with the ongoing investigation about a growing number of bodies found buried in concrete, and the blossoming romance between closeted Homicide Detective Drake Lewis and Liam Walters, the foreman of the construction site where the first body is found.
The mystery part is very intriguing, with a growing toll of deaths adding up and the suspects floating in that grey zone of “not completely right, not completely wrong”…
The romance part has no “major” drama, apart for both characters being two stubborn men batting heads and taking things too far before considering compromising… (men, am I right???)
All in all a very pleasant book, with an intriguing plot and a very interesting take on the merits of justice, and victims’ vindication.

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Not the best I've ever read

I was very close to not finishing this story more than once. I just couldn't get into it until about two thirds in. The story felt rushed and the characters forced. The love story was quite seet after a certain point but still a bit rushed. John Solon did an excellent job in the narration.

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Drake and Liam had a hookup, what Drake thought wo

I read this book when it was first published back in July 2020 and I loved it. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, I loved it even more.

Christopher Solon did a great job with this one. I loved the different character voices he used; it was easy to distinguish between the different ones.

Here’s a little bit from my original review:

I've read near every one of A.D. Ellis's MM romance stories – and all of them have been great. But I think that Buried Secrets is right up there with the best that she's written. Maybe it's because it's so different, at least it seemed really different, to me, from her other books. The romance between Drake and Liam is definitely the main focus of the story but the suspense and mystery, related to Drake's job as a police detective, is also a hugely important part of the story.

Drake and Liam had a hookup, what Drake thought would be just a one-off. But then Drake's job has them connecting again and the spark is still there between them. Drake doesn't do relationships but he's not opposed to having a bit of fun with Liam until whatever it is between them burns out. Liam really wants more than Drake is willing to give but for now he'll settle for what he can get.

The more time that they spend together the more that Drake comes to realize that Liam is more than just a hookup for him. When Drake's investigation into a serial murderer puts them at odds with each other he becomes a bit of an a-hole. He and Liam have differing opinions on the murders and it nearly destroys their relationship.

The suspense in this story was really good. A.D. did a great job of dangling suspects in front of us but I still didn't know which way to go until she revealed all. There were some very tense moments towards the end of the story but she wrapped things up very nicely and the epilogue was really great.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

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A good story

It felt like a random episode of a good criminal series. Good but it didn’t hit me deep.

I think I hoped for the relation between Liam and Drake to evolve and grow around the case. But even if they both in different way were connected to the crimes their relationship was a separate story.

Christopher Solon did a good job with different voices to easy separate the different characters.

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Dramatic and beautiful

Work can get in the way of a relationship but when the detective goes with his gut feelings it all winds up with a happy ever after. well written and well narrated and plenty of gay sex.

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