Truth Unveiled

Dr. Samantha Jenkins #1

by Stephanie Kreml

A victim with a shady past. A grieving sister in need of closure. Can a physician discover the truth without succumbing to a body of lies?

Dr. Samantha Jenkins knows well the bitter taste of betrayal. So the last thing she needs at her best friend's wedding is an interrogation into her own broken engagement. Her fears soon turn to shock on the morning of the big day when the bride's brother drops dead ...

Though she privately suspects the victim lost his battle with drugs, Samantha promises her friend she'll verify the cause of death. But after she discovers an incriminating document and a near fatal accident stinks of sabotage, the physician-turned-sleuth is certain she's hot on the trail of a killer.

Can Samantha foil a murderer's plans before she's next on the slab?

Truth Unveiled is the suspenseful first book in the Dr. Samantha Jenkins Mysteries series. If you like resilient heroines, fast-paced plots, and intriguing twists, then you'll love Stephanie Kreml's medical whodunit.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2021

About the author

Stephanie Kreml is the author of five novels, including the psychological thriller Replaced.

After careers in engineering and medicine, she now writes fiction full-time—something she took the scenic route to discover.

She lives in Texas and is working on her next novel.

Sign up for her newsletter and receive a FREE copy of the prequel novella to the Dr. Samantha Jenkins Mysteries Series.

Visit www.stephaniekreml.com/signup to learn more.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was supposed to be a happy day. Sam's friend Claire is getting married to Mike. Claire and Sam have been friends for years. But when Claire's brother Brad is found dead on the eve of the wedding day things get complicated. Sam keeps fighting with her feelings about Brad, a bully in school, but her friend asks her to find out what happened to her brother. He was not liked well at all, but what happened to him? This story is full of medical jargon which plays into the story after a while. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sounded like the type of book I would really like: a mysterious death that involves medical sleuthing to find out really happened. And the ultimate cause of death was interesting; however, I didn’t fully enjoy the process of getting to that ending.
I’ve seen other reviews that point out that many of the characters seem to know nothing about medicine, and I found this to be the case as well. Maybe I’ve watched too much CSI, but I find it hard to believe that everyone the protagonist meets needs explanation of so much terminology. It got to a point where it felt like this book was just pretext to showcase the author’s understanding of medicine. There were also moments where I found the protagonist a bit unlikeable. She seems to vacillate between wanting to find the truth behind Brad’s death and thinking that Brad’s sister is just overreacting. I also did not like the way she treated the cop (her ex).
Overall, there were some parts that were interesting. I found the author did a good job of describing the setting, but the process of revealing the cause of Brad’s death felt a bit tedious at times.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery! Being in the medical profession, I found it tedious to continuously read and reread the definition of various words, diagnoses and tests though I understand why they're necessary. There was good character development, though in some cases a bit too late and the number of men introduced was difficult for me to keep track of, especially when they were not even secondary characters.

Will likely continue to read the series.

[Shena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great at keeping you guessing until the end. I didn't understand a lot of the medical portions of the book. I felt Claire was likeable for the most part, but some characters were a bit boring, with Sam being borderline annoyingsometimes. It was enjoyable, though.

Disclaimer: An advanced copy was provided and I did not pay for this book.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the 3 star review, I did enjoy this book. I was sure I had it worked out and was so wrong! I would have given it a 4 star review but the medical jargon was a bit too much. Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for it and I did enjoy the premise but it seemed a bit overdone.

That said, I liked Sam and I will definitely read the next book in the series. I think this could be a very enjoyable series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kymm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first question I have after reading Truth Unveiled by Stephanie Kreml is when is the next book in the series coming out? I was lucky enough to have gotten this first book in the Dr. Samantha Jenkins series through BookSirens as an ARC and am so glad I did! A great clue for me about how well a book is written and how much I like it is the time it takes me to read it, well this one took less than a day, so I'd say yes! I really enjoyed this one!

Dr. Samantha Jenkins, "Sam" is excited her best friend is getting married, but attending is not going to be the fun time she'd hoped. She's recently broken off her engagement and doesn't want to talk endlessly about it or be constantly reminded of it all. However before the wedding even gets started the bride's brother is found dead and the wedding is called off.

The death is suspicious, but with the brother's past with drug abuse Sam believes he died from a drug overdose. However the bride, his sister feels something more devious has taken place and asks Sam to look into it all. Sam, always the great friend agrees and begins digging through the autopsy reports and medical information to help answer some of the bride's questions. When the answers Sam gets are not the same ones the bride wants to hear their friendship will be threatened. Is their life long bond strong enough to hold at this trying time for all?

Almost my entire adult life has been spent in and out of hospitals as a patient. After a life threatening accident in my early 20's it's been one surgery after another, so any book that deals with doctors, medical thrills, drama or procedures is my cup of tea. But this also makes me a tough critic when it comes to accuracy about medical policies, procedures and terminology. With that said I'd have to say Ms. Kreml did her research and nailed it! The main reason I requested this one was because it dealt with a doctor who also finds herself having to help solve crimes and now I'm hooked and want to make sure I don't miss the release of the next one in the series. I liked the character of Dr. Sam, she was strong, smart and seemed to be a forward thinking female with the compassion needed to be a great doctor and friend. If I had anything negative to say it would be sometimes the dialogue seemed a bit juvenile, but that was rare and didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the story. The mystery angle was good and not easily guessed. I was very surprised when the truth came out and isn't that what makes a good mystery great? I highly recommend this one to all mystery lovers, series readers and those with an interest in medical drama, like me! Happy Reading!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, but too much dumbing down of characters.

Overall the storyline is a good one. The main character, Dr Samantha, a general practitioner, is asked to solve the mystery behind one of her best friend’s brother’s unusual and unexpected death. There are some good plot twists to keep you guessing up to the very end making it a great first mystery and leaving you looking forward to more in the series. However, I was extremely disappointed in the way the author made the majority of the characters look pathetically stupid in her attempt to describe medical terminology. It left me feeling like she also believes her readers are also incompetent and unable to grasp easily discernable terminology. While some of the medical terms may not be understandable and needed explanation most did not and her dumbing down of the characters was horrifying! All I can say is it is a good thing she did not set her plot in my state and I feel bad for the people of Texas because it puts them in a very bad light the way this author makes people out to be so ignorant. If she was truly that concerned with her readers not understanding the medical terms, she could have put a glossary in the back to describe the more difficult words. I think the constant need to “educate” her readers drastically took away from the pleasure of the read and diminished the over all enjoyment of the story. If you have ZERO medical understanding and enjoy mysteries you will definitely learn something reading this book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always on the lookout for authors writing medical thrillers and saw this one and thought I would take a chance as it is the first in a series. Although it is short and contains a lot of medical facts and information, I doubt I will read any others.

Samantha (Sam) is working at an urgent care center that also deals with workman's comp issues. She dropped out of her residency program after her mom died, so she is not board certified making this one of the few jobs she can get as a doctor. Lots of clinical scenarios where Sam continues to dispense her explanations of these conditions ad nauseum like a textbook or lecture. It got old fast -- no need for all that and it shouldn't comprise so much of a fiction mystery novel. And it's so crazy that all these educated adults needed so much explaining. I mean, don't they watch any television?

The other problem was the plot. Rather lame that there are 2 deaths and an accident among a small group of friends over a couple of weeks. And the reveal -- let's just say I was underwhelmed. I didn't care for the character of Samantha who seems to be the object of desire for guys (no idea why) but is a know it all and the things she does in her amateur investigation are a bit on the border of being unethical and illegal. She was not their treating physician, and their medical records are out of bounds. Being asked to investigate by the sister of the first man killed is not a license to snoop. But I digress. I had quite a few issues with such a short book.

[Jane Verco · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Truth Unveiled” is a medical mystery, with a twist .. or two .. or three. Dr Samantha Jenkins, having recently broken off her own engagement, is about to be bridesmaid at her best friend Claire’s wedding. However, on the day of the wedding a member of the bride’s family is murdered, and with the cause of death unclear, Claire asks Samantha to see if she can find out anything from her medical colleagues. Through her investigation, Samantha re-connects with another old school friend Dylan, who is now a policeman, and together they investigate various threads towards an ultimate and very unexpected outcome. Along the way, Samantha is also forced to confront various aspects of previous relationships - I hope there is a sequel in the pipeline to continue that thread.

The author, Stephanie Kreml, clearly has a thorough understanding of medical lingo, which is intertwined through much of the storyline. She is able to include sufficient information within the storyline to explain terminology uncommon to the average reader, without the feeling of it being “dumbed down”. My only criticism of the book is that sometimes there seemed to be a lot of ancillary characters included through the story which added no value, and only served to confuse the reader as you stopped to do a mental “who’s who”. Overall through a great read, and I would love to read a sequel.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth Unveiled is fairly innovative in its choice of a heroine, a general practitioner, and in the amount of medical information it relies on to tell its mystery. I have read other mysteries with doctors, none with as much details about patients’ concerns, insurance companies, symptoms, and medical information. I suspect that this is the beginning of a new mystery series. I would definitely explore future books in the series.

Despite of my appreciation of a smart heroine, I could only give this book four stars. I understood the implications of most of the medical information before the heroine did. I may have read too many books written by medical personnel. This did not mean I worked out whodunnit, however. So, this is a promising new series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracking Down a Killer . . .

Dr. Samantha Jenkins is a bridesmaid in her friend Clair’s wedding. But with Clair’s brother, Brad, ending up dead on Clair’s wedding day, despite suspecting Brad may have overdosed on self-administered drugs, Samantha promises to verify the cause of death.

Other odd things begin to mount up, among them the discovery of an incriminating document. When police officer Dylan notifies her that her fiancé, Mike Davis, had a car accident when he passed out, the doctors at the hospital believing it was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, Sam is thinking she is now looking for a killer and he wasn’t done yet!

The story is well written and the characters were portrayed well. When the murderer was revealed, it did surprise me. The story line was well-paced and engaging, so this is a series I look forward to continuing.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I did like the premise of the book. I do think I would read the next book in the series. However, I found the number of characters in the book confusing. It seemed like each chapter included a new character that I did not have a background in the story as to why they were there. I am not sure why her ex-fiance kept popping up but there was never a section that explained why they broke up.

I would have liked to have more information on each of the characters introduced. That would have upped my rating.

I also did not like the emphasized capital letter at the beginning of each chapter. It covered part of the first word in the third line of the first paragraph of each chapter.

[Ann Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with twists and turns that kept my interest. It is a murder mystery that is intertwined with medicine. The medical descriptions, definitions, and explanations are accurate and would be easy for a layperson to understand. The story helps to humanize doctors and gives a glimpse into possible challenges of being a physician. The main characters have a connection as most of them went to high school together, but as they were not all friends in school, they also weren’t as adults. The ending was unexpected as the author did a good job keeping you guessing if this was a murder or not. I received a complimentary copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only. I am just wondering what will happen to Sam and her new love interest.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth Unveiled is a Dr Samantha Jenkins Mystery by Stephanie Kreml. This book is totally an outstanding thriller mystery. Truth Unveiled is well written and the characters are realistic and interesting. Samantha is a brides maid for her long time friend, Clair. Clair’s brother, Brad, died on Clair’ Wedding day. When her fiancé, Mike, has a car accident caused by carbon monoxide, the mystery deepens. The “who done it “ was such a surprise! I was thinking and guessing until the end of the book. I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read another book by this author. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[pawsreadrepeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Stephanie Kreml book but won't be my last. This new series shows a ton of promise. Dr. Samantha Jenkins is a smart and a general practitioner. I love the detail and depth this book goes into regarding all things medical (patient concerns, insurance companies, medical information, etc). I learned a lot and was on the same page.

Not to mention the story is well written with characters who are portrayed as real people experiencing emotional struggle. The story is well-paced and kept me engaged. While I had my theories, I did not guess who the murderer was. I look forward to reading more!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not like to recap a book. I would rather tell you why you would enjoy this novel.

The author did a stellar job of fleshing out the characters. I felt like I had known them and I could sit down and converse with them. They suffered the ups and downs of relationships. The characters were relatable.

This book reminded me of life. We get caught up in the roles we play to the detriment of our relationships.

I found myself leaving my worries to submerge myself in a book filled with romance and intrigue. Great read with a cup of coffee or cocoa.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katiebugsbookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ 4 Stars

I won a digital copy of this book in a giveaway. I'm leaving a voluntary review as an appreciation for this great book!

Medical Mystery // Tense // Fast-paced

I found myself really enjoying this story. I wasn't sure how the story was going to go, but the ending really surprised me! I had some ideas but I never expected it to turn out the way it did. Was a very pleasant and interesting read.

I will say that there is quite a bit of medical terminology used throughout the book as our main character is a doctor. I did not find it to be too difficult in which the story could not be followed, but I did start my undergraduate as a biology major prior to switching majors.

[Charlotte Baddeley]

This book might not be to everyone's taste but I enjoyed it. I love everything medical and Stephanie Kreml has huge medical knowledge and still works as a doctor as well as an author. Respect. This is what made the book for me. There was the mystery of two deaths and an accident. Were the deaths accidental, were they murder? We had to wait until practically the last page to find that out but in my opinion it was worth the wait. I am very much looking forward to reading more books in this series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Jean Curran]

An enjoyable read with a dramatic and satisfying twist at the end. I did find, at times, that the somewhat lengthy descriptions and repeated explanation of medical terminology and procedures slowed the pace of the narrative and detracted from the actual story.

I am interested to see how Sam's character develops in the next books of the series as she has a the potential to become a very engaging protagonist.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Trinity Waddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review through Voracious Readers Only

What a terrible beginning when the brides brother drops dead before her wedding!! Not a great start to any lifelong dream of happily ever after.
Dr Samantha - best friend, bridesmaid and doctor is left to try and make sense of this for Claire and try and make sense of possible changes with her job all while getting over a broken heart.
An enjoyable read, a little too much medical jargon for my brain but the mystery was good, action kept me guessing and the ended took me for a ride.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha Jenkins is like a Doctor version of Nancy Drew and I’m all for it! The pacing of this book was perfect, the characters were interesting, and I was surprised at the ending(no spoilers here). Overall, a great mystery read for anyone who’s fan of classic mystery novels… I also loved how the author implemented medical jargon in a way that wasn’t overwhelming and actually kept me intrigued throughout the novel. I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers

[Marietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all the Dr. Samantha Jenkins books now I have to wait for her new one to come out next year. The story was very interest trying to figure out the murder was and I was very surprised by the end of the book to learn who it was. It was very interesting to see how Sam went threw the process to find the murderer. And it was very different to see all the different reaction from the other character as well. I will recommend this series to my other reader friends. I can't wait to see how Dr. Samantha Jenkins does with her next adventure.

[Kathy Koester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an interesting storyline with a heroine who is slightly flawed from.previous life experiences. Sam is a doctor who is asked to look into the death of a friend (Claire) brothers death on Claire's wedding day. The plot takes us through some twists and turns as we navigate the story. This first book introduces us to a cast of characters that I suspect will continue in the next book. The ending was a surprise. I will definitely read the next book in the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Coleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through voracious readers only for an unbiased review. I found it a bit of a slog at times. The repetition of the medical details, although possibly necessary for non-medical folks, was tiresome. I felt like I was reading a narrative, which kept me at arms’s distance from actually engaging with the characters. The language was pedantic. That being said, an interesting mystery with and intriguing murder! A good first novel.

[Victoria James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished reading this book after receiving a free Kindle copy.
It's a very fast paced murder mystery thriller centred around Dr Samantha Jenkins after her best friends brother is found dead.
There's a lot of medical jargon throughout the book which sometimes seemed a bit much but I understand why it is needed as you need to get inside Sam's head.

[Alisha Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of the book and am giving my honest review. The story definitely is a murder mystery, but with a different side than just the detective. There are a lot of medical terms that people won't know and get explained in a way that can be understood. There is more going on that shows character growth, and the comings and goings of the character's life.

[Kellie Whittam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be difficult to get through due to the constant explanations of medical procedures and terminology. The writing was clunky in parts.
I did enjoy the storyline and would like to see the characters developed further.
Thanks to Voracious Readers Only for the ARC. This is my very late but honest review.

[Ellen Aish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about a doctor who turns detective when a high school friend is found dead. The way the medical jargon is explained is fantastic as the author makes it so easy to understand. The ending was a shock that I never saw coming. This book would make a great film.

[Margaret Both · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly entertaining mystery!
I really love a well written mystery that keeps me guessing until the end. Many thanks to Stephanie Kreml for the complimentary copy of “Truth Unveiled” via Voracious Reader’s Only.
It will be fun to read the rest of the books in the series.

[Kate Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha is a dogged investigator. Her instincts told her to keep looking and so she did. I didn't see the ending coming which is always a good thing in a mystery. Received as a complimentary copy from the author via Voracious Readers Only in return for an honest review.