4-STAR REVIEW: GRAVE GIRL by Dan Padavona

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About The Book

Thomas Shepherd Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: December 27, 2022

Every mind holds a secret. Some are more deadly than others.

Nightshade County Sheriff Thomas Shepherd is a successful model for every law enforcement officer with autism. He leads an idyllic life in his uncle’s old home along Wolf Lake and is planning to marry private investigator Chelsey Byrd.

But when a star athlete’s girlfriend disappears while camping, everyone blames the boyfriend. He’s volatile and dangerous. Did he murder the girl and bury her in the woods?

The sheriff’s gut tells him there’s more to the story than the boyfriend is willing to admit. The more he digs into the case, the more he worries someone is hiding a dark secret.

Is the boy a killer? Or is he the next victim?

Excerpt

The Review

Sheriff Thomas Shepherd knows the clock is ticking when a female college student suddenly disappears. The last person to see her is her football star boyfriend, who seems to be hiding something behind his belligerent attitude.

In Grave Girl, author Dan Padavona delivers the first in what will hopefully be an ongoing series featuring the sheriff and his investigative crew. Shepherd, who comes from a wealthy family, is a unique character because he manages to balance a law enforcement career with an Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis.

While the book’s primary focus is finding the missing woman, there are additional subplots, such as a rash of burglaries in a prosperous neighborhood, the relationship between Shepherd and his girlfriend, Chelsey, and Chelsey’s emotional trauma after being abducted. The characters, whether part of the sheriff’s department or Chelsey’s private investigator team, all have interesting backstories just waiting to be told. The author drops hints about some of those tidbits but doesn’t elaborate.

As the action shifts toward the missing girl, there’s no doubt about how horrific her captivity is, especially for someone suffering from claustrophobia. The author does an excellent job maintaining the suspense until the explosive conclusion.

Grave Girl delivers a solid mystery while building a strong foundation for future installments featuring Sheriff Thomas Shepherd.

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About The Author

Dan Padavona is the author of The Wolf Lake series, The Logan and Scarlett series, Darkwater Cove, The Scarlett Bell thriller series, and The Thomas Shepherd Mysteries. Many of his novels rank in the top-10 in Amazon’s thriller and mystery categories. He is a husband, a parent, and proud member of the International Thriller Writers Organization.

When he’s not writing, Dan enjoys photography, biking, weightlifting, and storm chasing. Dan has videotaped tornadoes from New York to Oklahoma and Texas and was nearly swept up by a strong twister outside Sweetwater, Texas. A self-proclaimed ice cream and gelato lover, Dan admits to spending too much time in the gym, compensating for his questionable nutritional decisions.