Series: Whitecliff Bay Mysteries #3
Publication Date: 17th April 2023
Genre: Small Town Mystery
4 Stars
One Liner: Bleak but interesting
Kevin Ashworth is a known name in Whitecliff. A teacher, he was arrested thirty years ago when two schoolboys disappeared during a trip with him. Their bodies haven’t been found yet, and Kevin is in prison. After all these years, Kevin wants to talk but only to Guy (and Millie goes along).
What they find on the moor unleashes more questions, and Kevin decides not to talk. Millie feels the fear of losing her son to something similar and wants to uncover the truth of what happened in the past. The more she digs, the murkier it gets. What happens next?
The story comes in Millie’s third-person POV.
My Thoughts:
Book three is better than book two in terms of the mystery and Millie’s character arc. We have two cases in this one as well. Apart from Kevin’s track, Millie is helping Zoe, a small-time celeb, find an important missing item. The tracks are independent of each other.
While there is hardly any danger in the book, there is a lot of fear and panic as Millie continues to think of Kevin’s story and worries about Eric. She almost edges on paranoia in this one. While that’s a little annoying I can see the reason for her fears.
I like the contrast in both cases dealt with in the book. Without giving spoilers, I can say that it’s a poignant observation of interpersonal relationships between family members. There’s no preaching. It’s up to the readers to consider, analyze, compare, and draw conclusions.
It’s good that Millie has something to do with her life instead of being a pushover with the bare minimum existence. I hope she learns to be proactive with her life rather than hide in the shadows. There’s only so much of a pity party I can read.
The book ends on an intriguing cliffhanger (not related to the mystery), so I’m glad book four is available for request. I also hope the ex and his new wife get their due. Not sure how many books I’ll read if Millie continues to be a doormat in this issue (yeah, it’s a threat).
Am I the only one worrying about Millie’s lack of appetite? She hardly seems to eat anything in most of the books. Maybe making her assertive about her life would bring back some love for food?
There’s a bit of development in the mystery of Millie's parents' suicide. It does create some interest. Luke seems to be a decent guy, though I’ll wait to confirm it.
Jack and Rishi seem to be dealing with a new set of issues. I like how Rishi’s rep is dealt with a light touch. Book two mentions he is a vegetarian and has a loving/ supporting family (a relief to read). The bit about Rishi’s parents not celebrating Christmas but his mom cooking Indian food to feed the entire street made me smile. This is so on point.
Guy is who he is, though there are some secrets he isn’t ready to share with Millie (just as she doesn’t want to tell him certain things). I’m curious to know more. Let’s dig into the past.
To summarize, The Ones Who Are Buried is the best of the series until now. The writing is easy to read, and the character arcs are steady. Looking forward to reading the next book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheOnesWhoAreBuried
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