The Buried Hours by R.S. Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoy a thriller that leaves me guessing, and The Buried Hours is one definitely meets that point. Signe is an investigative report that gets tangled in a web of lies, trickery, and, of course, murder. Trust is not one of Signe’s strengths, and it gets even more difficult as the mystery unravels. She was abducted and has no memory of being kidnapped and assaulted, hence the title of The Buried Hours. Not a spoiler, but sensitive: I don’t like when books and tv/movies involve a plot of sexual assault when it’s not truly a crucial element to the story. Yes, bad things happen to women, but for it to be a focal point is not something I enjoy reading, even when the story addresses human trafficking. There are many detailed descriptions of sexual assault that were unnecessary to the overall story. I think R.S. Grant could’ve painted the picture of what these characters went through without providing all the awful details.

As a murder-mystery thriller, The Buried Hours has the potential for excellence. I would revise the sexual assault plotline to be more sensitive. Had I known how heavy-handed that was, I would not have chosen this book to review from NetGalley.

The Buried Hours was slow to start (I almost DNF), and I did not like the third-person POV, but it really picked up at about 20%. Given my comments about the content of the story, this is a mid-3-star read for me. If this becomes a series, I would not continue it.

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