Secrets to the Grave (Oak Knoll, #2)

Secrets to the Grave (Oak Knoll #2)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03  ·  rating details  ·  7,687 ratings  ·  532 reviews
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag returns with her second thriller in the Deeper than the Dead microseries, exploring the early days of forensic investigation, the characteristics of innocence-and the nature of evil.

Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.

When Marissa is found brutally mu...more
Hardcover, 449 pages
Published December 28th 2010 by Dutton Adult (first published November 23rd 2010)
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Kathryn
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway and I feel very lucky to have gotten it! It is a terrific book.

This is the first book I have read by Tami Hoag, but I now consider myself a fan. The book never has a slow spot and for its over 400 pages is a very quick read.

I highly recommend "Secrets to the Grave." If you like Harlan Coben and Tana French, this is definitely a book for you!
ѕєяєηιтι
4,5

Tami Hoag kesinlikle vazgeçilmez yazarlarım arasında şimdiye kadar beğenmediğim bir kitabı yok bu kitapla da değişmedi bu durum.

Yine çok akıcı merak uyandırıcı sizi içine çeken bir kitap.

İlk kitaptaki olayların üstünden bir yıl geçmiş durumda kendimizi buluyoruz ve yeni bir cinayet davasıyla karşılaşıyoruz. Bir kadın defalarca bıcaklanılmış göğüsleri kesilip çıkartılmış vajinası bıçak sokulmuş şekilde bulunuyor bayağı canice işlenmiş bir cinayet yani olaya şahit olan 4 yaşındaki küçük kızda...more
Georgiann Hennelly
Secrets to the Grave is the latest book in Tami Hoags deeper than the dead micro series, It picks up one year after the events of Deeper than the Dead. As the story opens residents of Oak Knoll, California find themselves once again dealing with murder. Anne , Vince, Tony and the rest of the characters are back on the scene to solve the new murder and finish wrapping up the loose ends in the See- No -Evil case from the previous boo. Tami Hoag draws her readers into the story in such a way that t...more
Liz
Secrets to the Grave

This is a sequel to Deeper than the Dead set a few months later in 1986. Vince Leone is living in Oak Knoll, having retired from the FBI & married to Anne Navarre. He still offers his services as a consultant around the USA while Anne Navarre has quit teaching to pursue a degree in child psychology.

A local artist, a single mother, slaughtered with her four-year-old child near death herself. Marissa was stabbed dozens of time while Haley, the child, was smothered & lef...more
Lizzie Hayes
‘Secrets to the Grave’ by Tami Hoag
Published by Orion, 13th January 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7528-9895-7

When reclusive artist Marissa Fordham is found brutally murdered, the only witness Haley her four-year-old daughter, the police call in Anne Leone, a child advocate to protect her, for Haley hasn’t spoken since she was found kneeling by her mother’s bloody body.

Anne is currently about to become the star witness in the trial of the man in the See-No-Evil murders. Anne is also the much loved wife of Vi...more
Kathy Davie
Second in the Oak Knoll suspense series revolving around Vince and Anne Leone in the town of Oak Knoll in California.


My Take
Oh, boy, talk about suspenseful. I actually started to suspect whodunnit, but I wouldn't have guessed the whydunnit. It was certainly an interesting look inside the head of behaviorists! And a very sad look at the difficulties involved in telling a four-year-old that her mother has died.

I just loved this quote. For such a "misfit", Zander is amazingly perceptive:
Her percep
...more
Jabberwocky
I am so indescribably tired of this character/storyline...
'Middle age, FBI/BSU/CIA Agent/ Police officer, Tall dark and handsome, the embodiment of the 'strong silent type'. Ex Wife, multiple children, Divorced because he was an absent father and husband... because he was 'too committed to the job' or 'the job was his whole life'. Falls passionately in love (puke) with younger, attractive woman and swears he will be a better man this time. *tear* Then catches the bad guy with his super-duper tal...more
Vivisection
Obviously, from my book lists, my dirty little secret is out. I like these kinds of books even though they're basically a lifetime movie in book form. I liked Deeper than Dead because of the characters but this time around feels forced. Oak Knoll is kind of a small town to be constantly beset by homicidal maniacs. That's their official name btw. Even the cops in this book call them homicidal maniacs so you know it's true.

I like stereotypes in my books they make it easy to know who the bad guys...more
Karen Bonilla
The premise of this book sounded fabulous and i couldn't wait to read it. A young, single mother is brutally murdered and her child is almost killed. The little girl manages to call 9-1-1 and gasp "daddy hurt my mother" but the story takes place before they had the ability to trace those calls and it takes two days before they are discovered. No one seems to know anything about the woman's past or the child's father. Then they discover that there is no record of the mother ever existing before s...more
Joan Swan
As a writer, I thought SECRETS FROM THE GRAVE had wonderful craft lessons to offer. As a reader, it felt a little too slow for me and I shelved it about 2/3 of the way through, while many, many of her other books have been unputdownable for me.

*****

I discovered Tami Hoag's work somewhere in the middle of her career with the romantic suspense thrillers Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust.

Her stories are vivid and fast paced and I've always found her ability to craft deeply difficult, violent, even gr...more
Jessica Schira
I was very excited when I first picked up Secrets to the Grace. I loved Deeper Than the Dead and could not wait to read the follow up. I was able to hold onto this excitement for the first third of the book, when it finally started to fade. As much as I enjoyed the first book, this one did not meet my admittedly high expectations.

In the books defense, it is very well written, and it has one of the best openings I have ever read. I adore the way Hoag started with a very peaceful, idyllic scene an...more
Mom
Bad bad bad. This author has mistaken her genre. I was looking for a murder mystery and got a romance--candy sweet kid, torn bodice females, raging bull men, gag. Guessing these brain dead books involves picking the character portrayed as despicable but scrupulously avoided as a suspect. The good guys are pure and innocent whose self righteousness is stupidly portrayed as plucky justifiable. The only thing that could have saved this book would be for sweet irreproachable Sarah to turn out to be...more
Lori L (She Treads Softly)
One thing became quite clear to me after reading Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag, the second book in the Deeper Than the Dead series: I don't want to move to Oak Knoll, California, no matter how idyllic the setting seems. This time young artist Marissa Fordham is found brutally murdered with her barely-alive four year old daughter, Haley, resting her head on her dead mother's shoulder.

Tony Mendez is back on the case with assistance from, among others, Vince Leone, former FBI profiler. Vince ha...more
Cindy Meilink
Continuing where Deeper Than the Dead ended, Secrets to the Grave sweeps you along from the first page to the very last page of the book. The "who done it?" in this book keeps you guessing until the very end.

Anne is now married to Vince Leone, a profiler, and is still trying to cope with the nightmares she suffers through after Peter Crane's attempt on her life in the last book. Anne is now awaiting Crane's trial in the hope that it will help bring closure and peace to her life.

Vince becomes inv...more
ALPHAreader
‘Secrets to the Grave’ is the second book in Tami Hoag’s mystery series, ‘Deeper Than Dead’.

The book opens on a spectacularly horrific murder scene. A four-year-old child is found, near death, beside her mutilated mother.

The murder of artist, Marissa Fordham, takes a toll on the small college community of Oak Knoll . . . even more so when Fordham’s daughter, Haley, recuperates from the murder that local authorities are convinced was executed by someone close to the victim. The local Sheriff has...more
Paul Pessolano
You don't want to live in Oak Knoll, California. There are probably more psychos running around this city than in most states.

Marissa Fordham is found brutally murdered, and to make matters worse her four year old daughter,Haley, is found next to her and barely alive.

Anne Leone is a child advocate and her husband, Vince, is an FBI profiler and both become totally involved in the case. Anne is also involved with a twelve year old, Dennis Farman, who has been placed in a mental institution. Dennis...more
Literary Feline
On the heels of finishing Deeper Than the Dead, I dived into the sequel, Secrets to the Grave. For those who aren't sticklers about reading series books in order, I would recommend you do so in this case. While Secrets to the Grave could be read as a stand alone (the author does a good job filling in the back story), there are significant characters and storylines that carry over.

Secrets to the Grave opens with a grisly murder scene. A four year old girl is found barely alive next to her dead mo...more
Jeanne
This was a sequel to Hoag's "Deeper Than The Dead" which I read a year ago. The core characters were the same, and the "see-no-evil" murderer still hasn't been tried. Once again, I find it distracting that the author deliberately sets the mystery in the mid-eighties before DNA evidence and other forensic advances. Oddly, though it is before these things, the detectives all seemed to have knowledge of what these things were and what they would do - can't have it both ways, unless her detectives a...more
Linda
Secrets to the Grave is an able follow-up to Deeper than the Dead, suspenseful and plenty engrossing, though it comes up a little bit short of its predecessor. I'm an unabashed Tami Hoag fan, and Secrets to the Grave is a perfectly good offering, but at the same time, she's done better.

I was happy to revisit the key characters of Deeper than the Dead, and so soon after the events of that book that some many, many details carry over. I still enjoy the relationship between Anne Navarre and Vince L...more
Jen A.
Jan 27, 2011 Jen A. rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2011
A brutal murder and a 4-year-old witness left (barely) alive start off this fantastic, yet often gruesome, mystery/thriller. Hoag is accomplished at drafting a story that covers all bases and works hard to hold onto its surprises until the end; this book is no exception.

As I read along with murder mysteries, I always try to guess "whodunit." This book had me barking up all the wrong trees until just before the final reveal, when the situation turned down an unexpected street. A good mystery wit...more
Roxann
I really liked the first in this series, Deeper Than the Dead and decided to continue with the Trilogy. The second book starts a year after Deeper Than the Dead ends and is set in the same small town in California. Again this small town has to deal with another murderer. This book didn't seem as well written as the first. Many twists and turns that at times I put the book down and waited for the next day to start reading again.

The ending (who was the murderer) took me by surprise.

This book is...more
Jennifer Mclean
This is book 2 in the Oak Knoll series and while I really enjoyed being back in the characters' lives, I was disappointed in the wrap-up of the mystery. Again, Ms. Hoag managed to keep the reader on edge about who was actually the killer but the motivation just wasn't strong enough for me. A lot of the actions the killer exhibited did not fit with the way the eventual end scene played out. No spoilers in this review, but I thought other characters would have been better suited to be the killer w...more
Vicki Hoare
Secrets of the Grave is an entertaining read but there seemed to be something missing. It didn't grip me like a good crime fiction should.

I also didn't bond with the major characters. I picked this book up a the library not realising it was the second book in a series. The book had it's own story line (with occasional references to the first book) but the characters were probably better defined in the first book of the series.

Unfortunately I took a dislike to one of the central characters: Butt...more
Beverly
Second in the Deeper Than Dead series, this continues where that left off. Anne and Vince are now married and living in Oak Knoll. An artist and single mother Melissa Fordham is found brutally murdered in her home and her daughter Haley is near death. Vince is called in to help with the case and Anne in her role as child advocate becomes Haley's guardian. Many candidates for the murderer. Melissa's best friend Gina knows something but before she can tell the police she goes missing. Melissa's ne...more
Joanne
Secrets... is the sequel to Deeper than Dead. While you don't have to have read Deeper, you miss out on a lot of character development. But even with that flaw, the story is compelling and the ending somewhat unexpected. A four year old is left for dead; she is found over her mother's eviscerated body. She managed a phone call, saying, "my daddy hurt my mommy," before being almost strangled to death. The problem is that only one person seemingly knows who her father is, and she has disappeared....more
Shiela
I really do like Tami Hoag. She is one of the very few authors that does not get lazy with her craft and feel the need to saturate the market with as much drivel as she can pump out after she's made a name for herself. Readers have to be patient as she only publishes a book 1-1 1/2 years but its well worth the wait and "Secrets to the Grave" is no different.

This is a sequel to her last book "Deeper than the Dead" with the killer from that book awaiting trial and the plotlines of several characte...more
Elizabeth
There's something rotten in the state of Oak Knoll. Two books into Tami Hoag's newest series and I wonder why anyone would ever want to live in the so-called idyllic Oak Knoll, California, home of too many killers to count. If it were a real town, I would wonder if it was the town that created the killers or if there was something about the town that attracted them. Either way, the Oak Knoll Sheriff's Department needs an upgrade STAT.

Secrets to the Grave takes place a little over a year after th...more
Diane
Starts off with the murder of Marcie Fordham a local artist and the attempted murder of her 4 y/o daughter.

The story is filled with twists and turns. Is Haley really Marcie's daughter? ?Marcie Fordham? was that really her real name? As the investigation progresses there seems to be more questions than answers.

The characters are well developed all with problems of their own. Each of the main characters have flaws and good points. Haley stays with the Leones during the investigation. Vince is the...more
Molly
Dec 21, 2010 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all suspense lovers
Recommended to Molly by: TLC
Shelves: book-review
Wow! Another masterpiece by Tami Hoag! Secrets to the Grave, picks up a year after where Deeper Than The Dead left off. Once again, Hoag's readers are instantly transported to Oak Knoll, California where another murder has once again occurred. Tami Hoag brings us another roller coaster suspense novel.

Secrets to the Grave is written in a wonderfully detailed style that brings the readers up to date on the murders happening in Oak Know, leaving the story perfect as a stand alone title, or a perfe...more
Jerry
When it takes us nearly two weeks to read a typical novel, that’s a mini-book review in itself ! Indeed we slogged to get through “Secrets”, definitely a sequel, and better read, therefore, after Hoag’s just prior “Deeper Than The Dead” – all the main characters in that one are back, plus some new ones. There were so many backward references, without that much back-story or fill work, we’d recommend against starting with this one.

In the story, an artist, Marissa Fordham, is found brutally murder...more
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Tami Hoag is the #1 international bestselling author of thirty books. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times bestseller list with Night Sins, and each of her books since has been a bestseller. She lives in Southern California and Florida.
More about Tami Hoag...
Ashes to Ashes (Kovac/Liska, #1) Deeper Than the Dead (Oak Knoll, #1) Guilty as Sin  (Deer Lake #2) Prior Bad Acts (Kovac/Liska, #3) Dust to Dust (Kovac/Liska, #2)

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