Books & Spoons Review: WHAT LIES BEHIND by J.T. Ellison

Critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author J. T. Ellison delivers another riveting novel featuring the incomparable Dr. Samantha Owens

Waking to sirens in the night is hardly unusual for Samantha Owens. No longer a medical examiner, she doesn't lose sleep over them, but a routine police investigation in her neighborhood has her curious. When her homicide detective friend, Darren Fletcher, invites her to look over the evidence, she jumps at the chance and immediately realizes the crime scene has been staged. What seems to be a clear case of murder/suicide—a crime of passion—is anything but. The discovery of toxic substances in hidden vials indicates that something much more sinister is at play…

As Fletch and Sam try to understand what and who they are dealing with, they are summoned to a meeting at the State Department. High-level officials are interested in what they know and seem to be keeping secrets of their own. It's up to Sam and Fletch to uncover what lies behind the deception as the threat of bioterrorism is exposed, and her boyfriend, Xander Whitfield, may be in the line of fire.

Unsure who to trust, Sam and Fletch find themselves up against very powerful people at every stage in the investigation. No one is who they appear to be and with every minute that passes, the danger escalates. It's Sam's most complex case yet and the terrifying reality is beyond anything she could have imagined.

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Review

The prologue of the story gives a very creepy picture of a stalker, possible serial killer, hunting for a prey. But this book turns out to be about something completely different.
Several different crimes and threats to life are happening at the same time, hunt for a serial killer, what seems to be a domestic murder suicide, and protecting a high profile CEO. The characters are split between different scenes, and the stress, fear, and dread are palpable.
The more evidence and information they find, the more anxiety and concern is on their minds. Because nothing is what it seems to be, no one is to be trusted, as the cases and dead bodies start turn out in every corner, and somehow they all are linked to each other.
The story is gripping and riveting. The characters are smart, capable, professionals, with their own demons to be battled with, and determined to overcome them, and find the culprits. Terrifying bio terror is threatening the continent, and the pyramid scheme seems to be going high up in many different government agencies.
There's a lot of characters in the series, whose lives are followed, even though the story focuses on the crimes committed. This isn't a romantic suspense, but a terrifying murder mystery, with terrorists on the run. The story ends in a cliffhanger, as there still is a crime Dr Owens and her friends didn't solve in this book. The story is very wordy, and at times I felt I lost the focus and the intensity of the story because of it. Other than that, truly enjoyable, yet horrifying, jitters bringing crime novel
~ Four Spoons