Field of Graves (A Taylor Jackson Novel)
By: J.T. Ellison
Rating: 5 of 5
I had not read any of the Taylor Jackson series by this author, so when the opportunity arose to read her prequel to the series, I thought it would be a good place to start. It wasn’t until I had finished the book and was reading the after notes that I discovered that this book had actually been written first and was never published as a stand-alone book (though another reviewer mentions that it was part of a box set she once purchased.)
The book is very well written (though the author apologizes for the early writing style) and it was intriguing enough that I will certainly pick up the back list on this series to read in the future.
There are two fairly strong female characters in the book. One is Taylor Jackson, a police Lieutenant who works some of the more difficult cases and is going through a difficult personal adjustment following a fairly traumatic event which happened prior to this book. The other is Samantha Owens, the Medical Examiner who seems a little more in tune with her self. Taylor and Sam have been friends since early in school and are a good pair for working the crimes that occur in Nashville.
There is an ominous murder with what seems like ritualistic overtones. While the FBI are generally only called in when they have determined there is a serial murderer afoot, they send in one of their best profilers to assist the police. In part, it is because the profiler, Dr. John Baldwin, is having difficulty following his traumatic experience with an investigation gone upside down. He is having severe personal issues and gets pulled back from the brink to assist in this case.
The book is written from two perspectives: the police investigating the crime and from the murderer as well. The majority of the book is investigative but seeing a bit of what has happened and what is to come from the eyes of perpetrator makes for an interesting segue between chapters.
I enjoyed the book and thought that the story flowed well. My only issue had to do with the quickly developed relationship between Jackson and Baldwin but that was a small nit in an otherwise enjoyable read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
I had not read any of the Taylor Jackson series by this author, so when the opportunity arose to read her prequel to the series, I thought it would be a good place to start. It wasn’t until I had finished the book and was reading the after notes that I discovered that this book had actually been written first and was never published as a stand-alone book (though another reviewer mentions that it was part of a box set she once purchased.)