In Paris with her father and brother, eighteen-year-old Natalie Burrows returns back to their hotel room and finds her father dead. His death triggers an open wound in Natalie, reminding her of when her mother, Mallory, went missing three years earlier and was never found. A man who was her mother's supposed lover claimed responsibility for her disappearance and death. Natalie and her older brother Jake are both still reeling from that incident, as is Brian's brother, Frank, who must come to Paris to help his niece and nephew after his brother's death--much like he did following Mallory's disappearance. Meanwhile, also in Paris is a woman named Catherine who goes by many aliases; she has a vested interest in the Burrows family and is watching them from afar. When Brian is killed, the fate all these characters intertwines in ways no one could quite possibly imagine.

This was a really interesting novel that took me by surprise. It's told in very short bursts of chapters, each one from a different point of view--Catherine, Natalie, Jake, Frank, and so on. Most of the narrative is in the present, but we occasionally go back in time. The format takes a little getting used to but it's also incredibly effective in building up suspense and keeping you guessing, wondering, and frustrated (in a good way) as to what is happening.

The novel gets off to an interesting start and just keeps on rolling. I was completely bewildered from the beginning and fascinated, wondering how all the characters related to each other. The book was perplexing and if I hadn't read it while I was moving, I probably would have whipped through it in a day or two--it has all the makings of a very fast read.

I do want to note that there is a self-harm trigger in the book, so please take note if that's something that affects you.

The characters in the novel are all varied. I was probably drawn more to Catherine and Jake, but each is fascinating in their own right. You are always a little wary of each, contemplating how much we truly know them and can trust them. The book gives us a couple of good "oh wow" moments, which I certainly appreciated. I eventually mostly worked things out near the end, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the novel. Through it all, we're always puzzling things out, wondering what happened to Mallory and how things will play out.

Overall, this is a different sort of book, and I enjoyed the original plot. It's a bit odd at times and sometimes confusing, but it certainly kept me reading. An enjoyable, twisty read. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 1/30/18.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google ~ Instagram ( )

A heroine who creates a secret 'society' that tries to help people and right wrongs, while engaging her own personal battles is the focus of The Burial Society. Those she tried to help are given their perspectives as well throughout the story, which lends an understanding of those involved.
Great plot, some nice twists, and full characters give this a huge thumbs up
from me- definitely a good one!
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review ( )

I won this book on January 2nd, but never received my copy. If and when I do I will happily change my review. It looks very interesting and I would love to read it. ( )

I had such high hopes for this book. The description on Amazon focuses on Catherine and her Darknet-based, witness protection program called The Burial Society. This premise intrigued me, and apparently set my hopes too high for the story's content.

This story has four narrators: Catherine's part is told in first person, and then we have three others told in third person. The chapters are quite short, with the narrators constantly alternating.

I expected Catherine to be the main character, but her part is relatively small in comparison. We learn next to nothing about her. Her character is not well developed at all. We also learn little about The Burial Society, how it's run, and/or why Catherine decided to get involved in helping people disappear. Given that this is the aspect that drew me to the story, I was hugely disappointed.

We spent a whole lot of time with Natalie narrating. She is a teenager who cuts herself and has an eating disorder. While these aspects are handled well, Natalie's part, for me, quickly became repetitive. We constantly wallow in teenage angst. Spending so much time with Natalie has the added misfortune of giving too many signs of the twists to come.

I didn't like Frank, Natalie's uncle and another narrator, at all. He whines incessantly about his so-called misfortune, but does virtually nothing to help himself and little to help anyone else. He isn't much of a caretaker, in my view. I did find Jake, Natalie's brother, interesting, though his character is not fleshed out enough to really latch onto.

The plot centers around the recent murder of Natalie and Jake's father and the not-so-recent murder of their mother. Catherine inserts herself into the drama to help. We also have a totally unnecessary subplot involving a woman Catherine is rescuing and the Russian mob, which felt totally implausible. I assume the subplot was intended to try to pull The Burial Society into the story, which could have been better served by focusing the main plot in that direction. The subplot wasn't developed enough, we didn't get to know the characters involved, and so it didn't add any suspense to the story but instead took away from it.

In the end, I wasn't surprised by the twists. Clear signs are there throughout the story for anyone who cares to pay attention. And, since I didn't really get to know any of the characters well, aside from Natalie, I didn't really care about the outcome.

*I was provided with an ARC by the publisher, via Amazon Vine, in exchange for my honest review.* ( )

Each chapter is told in a different characters' point of view. Not too confusing but left me not really getting a caring feeling toward any of the people involved. Murder, disappearances and lies told and uncovered made for some confusion to this reader. Typical family of four except abuse and mental illness makes for tragic outcomes. Catherine is a behind the scene guardian angel that helps women and children in abusive relationships escape. Her situation of many disguises and undercover network is the sane influence that drives the narrative but not enough background is revealed about her. It is a tale of burying the past to move forward into a brighter future. "A copy of this book was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." ( )