All the Secret Places

Gin Sullivan #2

by Anna Carlisle

Gin Sullivan is back in Pittsburgh on an extended leave from her job at the Chicago medical examiner's office and rekindling an old flame with her high school sweetheart, Jake. Gin is readjusting to life at home when Jake receives harrowing news early one morning. The new housing development his construction firm is building has caught fire and underneath one of the burnt homes is a dead body. When the body is identified as a man who may very well be the violent offender who terrified Gin's childhood town years ago, the pool of suspects broadens and it becomes a greater challenge to pinpoint his killer. Gin is determined to unearth old demons, hers included, but soon finds some people will kill to keep them buried. Small town secrets cast daunting shadows in All the Secret Places, Anna Carlisle's riveting second Gin Sullivan mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

279 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Anna Carlisle is an American author and teacher based in Northern California.

Reviews

[Chris Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is really quite well done. Gin does do some pretty dumb stuff, though. I do enjoy the intricacy of the mysteries.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book. Too much relationship drama and too little focus on the mystery.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the Secret Places by Anna Carlisle is the second tale in A Gin Sullivan Mystery series. Gin Sullivan is living back in Trumball, Pennsylvania with her boyfriend, Jake Crosby. In the early morning hours, Jake receives a phone call that the house is in building for Leon Archer is in on fire. While digging a fire break around the property, the fire fighters find a buried body. When Jake is suspected of torching the home, Gin sets out to prove his innocence once again. Gin gets hired to consult on the body which was found wearing an old military uniform. Who is this person and how long have they been deceased? Gin works with the abrasive Detective Bruce Stillman and the newly appointed Chief of Police Tuck Baxter to solve the crimes.

All the Secret Places can be a standalone novel. The author rehashes Gin’s background (growing up in Trumball, her parents, what happened to her sister, her career, love life) and what occurred in Dark Road Home (in detail). The two mysteries have different levels of complexity. Readers will find one mystery easier to solve than the other (one might even surprise some people). I kept hoping there would be a twist to astonish me. Gin’s personal issues dominated the storyline (relationship drama). I quickly tired of Jake’s attitude and kept hoping Gin would ditch him for Tuck Baxter (I liked him). For a smart woman, Gin makes poor choices especially regarding her safety. I am amazed at how often she puts herself in perilous situations. I am giving All the Secret Places 3 out of 5 stars. I found All the Secret Places to be slow going in the beginning and a little long. It could have used some editing to increase the pace and tighten up the story. I wish there had been less repetition of the details surrounding the crimes (they kept repeating the same things over and over).

[Aristotle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Human remains are found buried near Gin's boyfriends housing development.
Gin, a forensic pathologist and part time detective, is scouring the scene, collecting the evidence, and finding the missing pieces that will solve the mystery.

When i reviewed book one of this series i said book two needs to be better. Unfortunately it wasn't
Too much personal drama with Gin and Jake. Police politics are a snore and why Brandon would keep his children Olivia and Austen in Trumbull after what his wife did is a head scratcher.
The arsonist and the identity of the body was interesting but not enough time was spent exploring it.

Solving a crime through the eyes of a medical examiner is not very interesting. This is not CSI.
An uninspiring, unexceptional story.
A book you read while waiting for the ones you really want to read. 2 1/2 stars

[Kathy Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gin Sullivan came back to her hometown of Trumbull, Pennsylvania, and was instrumental in solving the death of her younger sister. In the course of that investigation she reconnected with her teenage boyfriend Jake Crosby. This book begins with the two of them living together and trying to build a new relationship now that they are adults. Gin is a medical examiner who is on leave from a prestigious job in Chicago. Jake is a building contractor who has taken quite a risk by buying some land and building some high priced homes in hopes of attracting buyers from nearby Pittsburgh. He has put everything he has into the project.

The story begins when Jake receives a phone call telling him that the first house in the project is on fire. The fire would be bad enough but the firefighters discover a buried body when they are making a firebreak to keep the fire from spreading to the nearby woods. Jake had been a suspect in the disappearance and death of Gin's sister and the police who investigated that crime don't seem to be able to get over it. They are immediately suspicious both about the fire and the body and even more suspicious when the fire is proven to be arson. Jake's business takes another potential hit when the body is assumed to be that of a Civil War soldier and protestors show up determined to have Jake's land declared a historical site.

Jake deals with these suspicions and the hit to his business by becoming secretive and withdrawing from Gin. Gin starts to wonder about the staying power of their relationship especially when she meets the new Chief of Police who shows an interest in her. Gin decides to fight for her relationship with Jake by using her medical and investigative abilities to get to the bottom of the two crimes.

For someone who prides herself on not jumping to conclusions without all the facts, she manages to jump to a number of conclusions and puts herself in danger many times during the story. The story is fast-paced. The mystery is twisty.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary from Goodreads:

"Gin Sullivan is back in Pittsburgh on an extended leave from her job at the Chicago medical examiner's office and rekindling an old flame with her high school sweetheart, Jake. Gin is readjusting to life at home when Jake receives harrowing news early one morning. The new housing development his construction firm is building has caught fire and underneath one of the burnt homes is a dead body. When the body is identified as a man who may very well be the violent offender who terrified Gin's childhood town years ago, the pool of suspects broadens and it becomes a greater challenge to pinpoint his killer. Gin is determined to unearth old demons, hers included, but soon finds some people will kill to keep them buried. Small town secrets cast daunting shadows in All the Secret Places, Anna Carlisle's riveting second Gin Sullivan mystery."

My Thoughts:

Last year I read and loved the first book in this series titled Dark Road Home. I've been impatiently waiting for this second book every since. I cannot tell you the last time that I read a book in one day....it hasn't happened yet this year until now. I started this book on a rainy Saturday morning and finished it late that night. That's how good this book was! There is just something about this author's books that absolutely suck me in. I couldn't stop reading even when I was trying to watch the Harry Potter marathon at the same time. There is something so real about these books and this small struggling town that is trying to get past the economic struggles it has been through. When you add to that strong main characters and a solid mystery it equals out to a really great read.

One of my favorite things about this series is the characters. The author has managed to really bring them to life for me so I care about what happens to each of them. My one and only complaint with this book was that I didn't care for the Tucker storyline. I don't want to give anything away but I didn't care for his friendship with Gin at all. I did really appreciate that we got the chance to see more of Olive who played a small but important role in the first book. The mystery itself was really well done. I didn't have the slightest clue to who was behind it all until the very end. It made my reading experience that much more intense which is why I couldn't stop reading. The ending of this book wrapped everything up perfectly and left me wishing for the next book right now. I so enjoyed this book but it is going to be a long wait for book three!

Overall I really, really enjoyed this book and have become such a huge fan of this series. Loving this book just as much as the first book means that this author has been added to my favorites list. I will reading everything she writes at this point because it is a rare event when a book compels me to read it in just one day. While you don't have to read this series in order, I would highly recommend that you do as reading this one first will basically spoil for you the mystery in book one. There are a lot of references to what happened in the previous book so it would be best to read the series in order. I would recommend this series to mystery and suspense fans alike. I highly recommend!

Bottom Line: Finished this book in just one day...that should tell you all you need to know!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.

[Marsha Whitfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up the book because I had read the first in the series - Dark Road Home - and wanted to continue the series. It kept my interest throughout but there were conflicts in the book itself. At one point in the book it mentions what happened as she found her sister's killer but that was not what really happened in the first book. Then later in the book it says something else happened at the time of finding her sister's killer so this part conflicted with itself. I thought the plot in this 2nd in the series was much slower. The mystery of the fire and the body found took back burner to the every day drama and did not really seem like they were the main points in the storyline and it seemed like the mystery parts took second place to the everyday lives. Plus Gin and Jake both seem like very selfish, self serving people who really are not very good together and had outgrown each other and were together only because of their past history. The next book, if there is another in the series, needs to bring the storyline together a little quicker to keep your interest.

[Michelle Castaneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the Secret Places: A Gin Sullivan Mystery by Anna Carlisle tells the story of Gin’s return home. Gin has reunited with high school sweetheart Jake. Jake is a construction worker and receives the news that his site has caught on fire. During cleanup, a body is discovered. The identity of the body begins unearthing many more secrets, and Gin begins investigating, putting herself directly in danger. I thought this book was a fun read and I would recommend it as light reading. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Charlsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept thinking there wold be some part of this book that I could sink my teeth into, but it never happened. I felt like the treatment of the relationships, the professions, and the mystery itself were all at a high level. I wish the author would have gone deeper into a couple of aspects of the book.

I didn't realize when I bought it that this is the 2nd in a series. When I realized that, I read the summary of the 1st book to make sure that I would still be able to follow the characters and story. Fortunately, I could. I'm debating on whether to read the 1st book.

[Ada Iaboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story that had some surprises and some strange happenings.
I found the main character Gin and her boyfriend Jake a bit too self absorbed and rigid. at times, I actually didn't like them much. It did hold my interest and all in all was pretty good.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly cant write about another mediocre book So ...it was ok

[Msann]

I enjoyed it, Jakes a jerk sometimes.

[Sharon Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Interesting mysteries
Tad mushy.

[Debi Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to be on a roll lately - mysteries, thrillers and suspense novels have got my attention.  Today's post is a book review on All the Secret Places by Anna Carlisle.  I didn't realize this was book #2 of a series until after I finished the book, but it wasn't relevant to me as this book is definitely a stand alone.  

The story's main character is Gin Sullivan, who came back to her hometown of Trumbull, Pennsylvania, and who was very important in solving the death of her little sister, Lily. While back in town, she rekindled her relationship with her high school sweetheart, Jake Crosby, but Gin seems to have trouble trusting and getting close after losing her sister.

All the Secret Places begins with Gin and Jake living together working on building a new relationship now that they are adults. Gin is a medical examiner currently on leave from her career in Chicago as a result of her sister's death. She came back to assist in solving her sister's death and never went back - sort of a temporary leave of absence. Jake is a building contractor who wants to make a name for himself as a builder.  He took a big risk buying some land and is trying to build some very high priced exclusive homes with the hopes of attracting prestigious buyers from Pittsburgh. Jake is nearly exhausted financially as he has poured everything he has into the project.

Jake receives a phone call telling him that his project is on fire, only to arrive and learn that it was the first house in the project.  If that news wasn't bad enough, he then learns that the building site is actually a burial site for the remains of a body while the firemen are trying to divide the fire from the woods nearby. As we learn by the rudeness of the police officers at the scene, Jake had actually been a suspect in the disappearance and death of Gin's sister and the police clearly haven't forgotten it. They immediately begin to doubt the cause of the fire and get even more suspicious when it is discovered that the fire was caused by arson.

Unfortunately for Jake, the body is assumed to be a Civil War soldier which causes protesters to show up insisting that the land be declared a historical site which would cause Jake's business to fail.  In response to the allegations and possible detrimental impact to his career, Jake becomes very withdrawn and becomes secretive instead of sharing his feelings (and actions) with his partner, Gin.

As the new police chief shows up in the picture, Chief Baker seems to show quite the interest in Gin and she starts to question her relationship with Jake. Ultimately Gin chooses to repair her relationship with Jake by helping solve the crimes.  Can Gin and Jake survive the stress of more trouble? 

The body is later identified to be a man who was a childhood violent offender and it becomes very difficult to pinpoint who killed him. Since I don't write spoilers, you'll just have to see for yourself but a little secret - someone gets shot!

The story is fast paced and well written.  The characters come to life and I was turning page after page to get to the bottom of the story.  I read the entire book in one sitting! I'd definitely recommend this book for a great read!

I received an advanced readers digital copy of this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for my honest review and unbiased opinion. Thanks NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

All the Secret Places is an intriguing addition Anna Carlisle's Gin Sullivan Mystery series.

Still on leave from her job as a medical examiner in Chicago, Gin is uneasily settling into life in her small hometown in Trumbull, PA.  Having rekindled her romance with her former high school boyfriend, Jake Crosby, the couple are living together but Gin is concerned about the future of the relationship. During a fire at Jake's construction site  for an upscale home, firefighters unearth a badly decomposed body on the property. Gin is less than thrilled when abrasive Detective Bruce Stillman is assigned to the case and she is worried that his bias towards Jake will have a negative impact on the investigation. Will Gin, along with some help from the newly hired Trumbull Police Chief Tuck Baxter, find out the cause of the fire and the truth about the corpse before it is too late?

Gin and Jake's relationship is already a little troubled and in the aftermath of the fire, the tension between them continues to grow. Communication is not exactly their strong suit so Gin is mostly in the dark about how things are going with Jake's construction business.  Although Jake knows she cannot discuss the case with him, he is very frustrated at not being kept in the loop. With so much dissent in her personal life, Gin is taken off guard by her unexpected attraction to Tuck who makes no secret of his interest in her.

Amidst all this uncertainty, Gin does everything she can to uncover the truth about what happened on Jake's construction site. An uneasy evening with Jake's construction foreman and his wife seemingly provides some much needed information about the fire.  However, Gin is confused by contradictory details when she investigates the lead before taking the information to the police. The preliminary examination of the buried remains is somewhat discouraging but Gin notices some  inconsistencies that she is hopeful will help Jake.  However, she is disheartened by her inability to find the proof to back up her suspicions.

What should be a straight forward murder mystery becomes rather bogged done in Gin's personal dramas, Detective Stillman's lack of partiality and  political posturing. Gin is also rather prone to jumping to conclusions and making impetuous, ill-thought out decisions that put her into dangerous situations. It is also somewhat frustrating (and a little unrealistic) that Jake is once again fighting to prove his innocence when he is at the center of another investigation.

Despite a few frustrations with the storyline and a somewhat slow start, All the Secret Places has plenty of unexpected twists and turns.  Although the culprit for one of the mysteries is rather easy to figure out, the resolution of the other crime is quite unexpected. Old and new fans will enjoy this latest installment in Anna Carlisle's Gin Sullivan Mystery series.

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who may have missed the incredible debut by this author, the first in the Gin Sullivan series called “Dark Road Home,” readers were introduced to Gin who was living in Chicago and working as a medical examiner. Gin had lost her little sister, Lily, right after she had graduated from high school. With Lily’s disappearance, Gin’s family unit had fallen apart. It was twenty years later that Gin got the call while working in Chicago telling her that a body was found in the woods outside her hometown. Going home, she had to face many past mistakes as well as confront an old boyfriend who had been the prime suspect in Lily’s disappearance.
In this follow-up novel, Gin is living in that small hometown of Trumbull, Pennsylvania. Taking an extended leave from her job in the M.E.’s office, readers watch as the old spark is reignited with Jake, Gin’s old boyfriend from high school. But Jake is not done with controversy. This time around, his construction firm is working on a new housing development when it all goes up in smoke. Not only is the project destroyed, but a corpse has also been found underneath one of the burnt-out homes.
Gin’s head spins when the identification of the body shows it to be a man who could very well have been the culprit who had people locking their doors a long time ago in Trumbull; the violent offender that could be responsible for everything that destroyed Gin’s life when she was a teenager. Now, a new killer has to be found.
What readers thought was frightening the first time around becomes even more so. More secrets are uncovered, more lies, and even more suspects come to light as Gin does her best to find the truth and bury the past once and for all. All that can be said is Gin Sullivan is one character who has to be seen again!

[Millie Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gin Sullivan is still back in Trumbull on a leave of absence from her medical examiner job in the city. She's adjusting to living with her boyfriend Jake and being back in the town she grew up in. Naturally, she gets tangled up in another mysterious death.

This book was interesting, but not as good as the first book in the series, Dark Road Home. It was still predictable in a good way, but at the same time, it felt kind of flat. It's like Gin, Jake, and everyone else in the story were all just going through the motions. A dead body found on the property Jake is working on? Oh no, he MUST have done it, right? Natural assumption given by the events in the first book. His reaction of "Well, shit. I have to get all cranky and frustrated about it." just annoyed me. Gin and Jake have issues they need to work out and it all just seemed to get shoved under the rug. They barely glanced at how the other characters handled the events of the last book, particularly Olive, who seemed to be handling her mother's death remarkably well. Go figure.

It was still a good story, but I think it could have been a lot better if the author had taken the time to flesh out the characters a bit more and not make them seem so automated, yet whiny. I think these characters can do a lot more and I'm interested to see where they end up. Hopefully the next book has more to it than this one.

[Kate Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gin Sullivan has recently returned to Trumbull, PA, her hometown, after taking a leave from her position in Chicago as a medical examiner. Her longtime love, Jake, is a contractor who has sunk all his skills and money into the development of a high-end neighborhood with to-die-for views of the nearby river valley.

When the nearly finished home of three under construction go up in flames, Jake is suspected, along with his best employee. Then, to make matters worse, a body clad in the remains of a Civil War union uniform is unearthed and the National Park is brought in to determine if the entire construction site should be shut down as an historical site.

Gin is torn: Jake isn't talking to her, and she worries that what she thought they had as teens and again in their thirties may be lost in the face of Jake's financial problems and her inability to decide where she wants to work: in her hometown or back in Chicago. The more she digs into what killed the corpse and how old it really is, the more confusing the signs all around her. Does she really love Jake? Should she respond to the attraction she feels for the new police chief? What are the other police investigators not telling her? Should she share with them what she has uncovered on her own?

All is finally revealed in a shocking twist to this suspenseful tale.

[books_with_sass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Gin Sullivan trilogy. This one was not as suspense filled as the first book, but it was still okay. I have high hopes for the final book in the series. The story kind of just dragged on with not much happening though. It seemed to take forever for anything to really get moving. With no real connection to the characters, I wasn't entirely interested in what was going on. The tension between Gin and Jake was not the best addition to the plot either. After everything they had been through and how the first book ended, I was disappointed that they were having so many issues in this book. And on top of that, Gin having chemistry and attraction with Tuck? Like, what?? Why was any of this necessary? Why couldn't Gin and Jake have worked together like they did in the first book? I mean, this book was okay but it was a far cry from the great first book. That's really all I have to say.

All in all, this isn't a bad addition to the series. It left a little to be desired in the suspense area but it wrapped up nicely. If you've read the first book, then I would recommend continuing the series with this book.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

All The Secret Places by author Anna Carlisle is a Gin Sullivan Mystery which will lead the reader to another adventure. She has left Chicago and the ME office to come back to Pittsburg. She wants to be close to her parents and is living with old boyfriend, Jake Crosby.
The night is disturbed with a call informing Jake that one of the houses he is building is in flames. Jake has his own construction company building higher end homes for the wealthy, but is struggling to keep afloat until the first house is finished and the sale is complete. A horrible discovery is made as the firefighters continue to put out flames. A body is found in a trench and the threadbare clothing is a Civil War Uniform. Is this a burial ground which needs further excavation or has someone improperly disposed of a body?
A very good mystery with several levels to keep you turning the pages. Gin has some questions she must deal with and answer for herself during the course of the story. Can Gin and Jake survive the stress of more trouble? Read on and find out who gets shot!
Enjoy!

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery is almost secondary in this well written book to the characters- Gin, her boyfriend Jake, Olive the girl Gin is mentoring. Gin's taken leave from her medical examiner job but she can't seem to get away from murder. Gin's a good character, with all the foibles and problems of a real person. Her decision to spend time at home helping her family, especially her dad, cope with the long lasting impact of her sister's murder is the basis for this book. Jake, her teenage boyfriend and new love, like any number of unlucky builders in both novels and real life, has a body turn up at his latest site. This time there's both a potential personal connection to Gin AND a possible Civil war site. There's some twists and turns but nothing too complicated, although I did find myself surprised at the ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot of strands which were seamlessly woven together. It includes Medical Examiner Gin, Gin's loving, retired, thinks he knows best father, her boyfriend Jake, a fire at Jake's housing development, a dead body which at first appears to be that of a Civil War soldier, a group of Civil War re-enactors, a newly hired police chief, an overbearing sheriff, and various friends and neighbors.

Also included are teenage neighbor Olive, whose mother had killed Gin's sister, and on whom Gin is trying to be a positive influence, Cherie, the special needs teenage daughter of the police chief, and a girls' basketball team which Gin coaches.

The breathtaking ending has a double surprise.

A great book.

[Megan Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, though not as good as the first one, I think. I did read it almost a year ago, though, so my memory could be wrong. I liked how the author showcased mental health and trauma. I felt like the main character should have stood up for herself more. In one moment she was a proud independent woman, the next she was letting the men in her life run roughshod over her. It just didn't seem congruent. Her main love decides these are the rules she needs to live by, without apologizing for his mistakes, or agreeing to work on himself. She just accepts it and is ready to do his bidding. Just annoying.

[Illustrious Illusions · Rating 3 out of 5]

first, I didn't read the first Gin Sullivan book, but had no trouble following along with this one at all.

I enjoyed this book. Gin is a good character that is easy to relate to and wonder what's going on. There are some tensions, the mystery is light and not really edge of your seat, but compelling all the same.

[Barbara Lack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 2 in the series but you can read it as a standalone. It’s a good read. New characters are introduced. Gin and Jake are experiencing a rough patch in their relationship. Poor Jake can never catch a break as he yet again gets blamed for a crime he didn’t commit.
Received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.

[Viva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked book 1, gave it 5 stars so I decided read book 2. Re-reading my earlier review on book 1, everything I liked about it was missing here: the characters are flat and boring, the pace is slow and the story is uninvolving. I just couldn't get interested in the story or the characters. I dnf'd at 20%.

[ME · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it was... OK. Won't pick up the next one. The writing is unpolished and in desperate need of a good editor. The character's thoughts and behaviors are inconsistent and the story surrounding the "mystery" was convoluted and ultimately uninteresting. Skimmed the last 1/4 of the book just to be finished.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was enjoying this series a lot but was so disappointed at the end of this book with the fall back on the 'strong man' line where Jake tells her 'how it's gonna be' and she swoons over his bossy behaviour. Seriously!? Not what I expected from a contemporary series with a female lead. Aside from this it's an easy but engaging read (or listen) with an entertaining plot and solid mystery writing.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

No deep physiological thriller, just a great old-fashioned mystery with depth. I enjoyed the characters and the plot as well as the ending. I will be reading the next Gin Sullivan book when it is released.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gin's boyfriend Jake is under suspicion when the house he's building goes up in flames and a dead body is discovered on the site. His financial trouble makes him a suspect, but the possibility of an ancient burial ground makes his project a possible flop.