A clever story, with good, believable characters. I was completely engrossed in this book, and would thoroughly recommend it.

This is book 5 from the Detective Gaby Darin series and I have not read the others, but will be going back to read them in time. I found this a very clever thriller that makes you as the reader think about who the killer is? I almost felt like I was working with the Detective to hunt down the killer. There are lots of twists and turns and red herrings that make you feel as though your going down one path but then you get led down another. A very good story, one that I would recommend. It made me feel tense knowing that the ending and could the story wrap up in time. A very good ending.

I had read Fallen Angel, number three in this series, last year. This one feels rougher than that one, and not as good a read. But first, a summary:

Hannah Thomas returns from a spa outing with a friend to find her fiance dead and her son missing. DI Gaby Darin and her team are called in to investigate. Could Hannah herself be the killer? Or is something from her past catching up with her?

There are bound to be some spoilery bits here, so consider yourself warned.

In book three, Darin is only an acting DI. Between then and now - in book four, I imagine, which I did not read - Darin has had "acting" dropped, and she's now the boss for real, as it were, of her group. I find this a bit difficult, as Darin is not exactly the polished of stones: she is impuldive, curt, or even rude. She doesn't seem to have any people skills or he ability to bridge the space between her crew and her superiors. I'll give her a break on her relationship with Rusty, the medical examiner, because romantic relationships can be choppy waters, but she's been mooning over him since book three, and I can't help but think she would be better at this. Instead, she's often snippy with him in a way that really puts a damper on things.

When Darin gets to the scene, she notes the dead guy (apparent suicide) says, "OK, missing kid.", but there is zero urgency conveyed through this beginning, and crucial part of the investigation, either about the dead man or the missing child - a child who has a serious medical issue (type 1 diabetes, for which he wears an insulin pump. No frantic energy about searching nearby, in the event the kid was frightened by either the actions of the dead man, who is also a former cop, or by any other persons who might have been present. She doesn't stay even a little while CSI starts going through the scene. She doesn't pick up, it seems, that Hannah is not devastated by these events. All in all: she doesn't seem to notice the things she should be, or doing/ordering the things that need to be done with quickness.

Since nothing is happening with urgency, it drags the rest of the book with it. There are far too many scenes where people are deciding what to have for dinner, or worrying about a colleague's wedding. Far too much "X seemed like (something), but that wasn't the case, here's why: blah." I don't need a writer to tell me these things. I need them to show me these things, so as the characters go about their business, we can understand that Mal, for instance, generally doesn't look like he's paying attention, but actually is intensely focused.

Although, to be honest, nobody in this book but the villain seems to be laser focused on anything. I will give the book points for this: the villain doesn't stand around opining on all the ways they set things up. They just say "it's because of this thing" and then disappears, something I welcome.

This would keep you occupied on a plane or train or beach, but to me it's a bi like cotton candy. Sure, you can eat it. But ultimately, it's unsatisfying, and easily forgotten.

Two and a half stars, rounded down to two. I was disappointed in this, as I had expected things to get better, not worse, from the three stars I gave Fallen Angel.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the reading copy.

Phew! Definitely the best one in the series so far. Hannah Thomas spends the weekend away with a friend but when she returns home her partner is dead and her young son is missing. Hannah is suspected of the crime, but how did she do it? A brilliant plot with some heart stopping moments.

I have not read any of this detective series before but this did not stop me enjoying this book. I enjoyed getting to know the team managed by DI Gaby Darin and was soon absorbed by the crime.

Hannah Thomas comes home from a night away to find her partner and child dead. This is followed up by a burglary and a death threat. The team needs to investigate why this is happening to Hannah and try to stop the situation excalating.

Delving into her past finds a tragic secret - they then have to find the perpetrator before it is too late.

A good read - I will look out for more by this author.

This was a great suspense book. Hannah Thomas comes home to find her partner dead in his car. It looks like he has killed himself, and her son is missing. Hannah has secrets she needs to keep hidden. DI Gaby Darin is determined to uncover those secrets and find the missing boy.
Some nice twists and turns, and an unexpected ending. The book did drag a little in the middle, but worth reading to the end.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Buried Lies is the fifth book in what is fast becoming one of my favourite crime series. DI Gaby Darin is a very likeable and relatable lead detective, and I always enjoy her interactions with her team.

In Buried Lies the MIT is faced with a complex case involving the deaths of a police officer and a child. Was Ian Strong’s death a suicide, or murder? And is the grieving Hannah Thomas all that she seems? Could she be a killer?

The investigation reveals a puzzling, multi-layered crime that will keep you guessing until the final, surprising twist.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope I won’t have to wait long to read the next in the series.

Wow, this is a breathtaking police procedural with a touch of the psychological. I loved the way the various chapters were told from the point of view of the different characters. I thought it was cleverly done and kept me rapt throughout until the shocking conclusion, I just didn't see that one coming. The identity of Hannah's tormentor and the reason for the murders had me reeling. I will be looking for the earlier books in the series as this book doesn't contain any spoilers. I highly recommend this book.

Buried lies by Jenny O’Brien
Fifth book in the series about DI Gaby Darin a Welsh detective, Who has to solve a murder of a fellow police officer and a young child. Was it the mother and Fiancé? Who has secrets of her own. Or could it be somebody else and why.
I found the book very interesting I enjoyed reading it. At times I found it rather long winded, the book could be shortened a bit. But still enjoyable.
I would recommend this book and the author to anyone who was interested.

Gaby Darin faces her most challenging case in Buried Lies, the fifth in this excellent series by Jenny O’Brien. After an overnight in a luxurious hotel with her best friend Milly, Hannah Thomas returns home to a horrific scene. She left her five year old son Hunter alone with her fiancé, policeman Ian Strong, for the first time. Now Hunter is missing and Ian is dead of a possible suicide.

Gaby must juggle the pressures of her new promotion to Detective Inspector, her best friend Amy’s upcoming wedding with this nightmare case. As she and her team looks for suspects, a dead body and a burglary upend the investigation. She knows events from the past are somehow linked to this case. Can she unravel this mystery before there is another victim?

Jenny O’Brien has delivered another compelling thriller. The small towns of St. Asaph and Betwys-y-Coed in Northern Wales provide an evocative location. The characters are richly drawn and the plot is complicated enough to keep the reader guessing until this final shocking twist. I look forward to the next in the series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Jenny O’Brien for this ARC.

I really don't like to leave negative reviews but in this case I'm sorry to say I've no choice, this book very nearly ended up in my tiny "Did Not Finish" pile. I don't understand how this can be book 3 in the series; it reads like an amateur, written by numbers novel. The words that kept coming to mind are fake,forced and flat...... There's no real details of the search for a missing child, no amber alert, emotion or drama. That Hannah visited the mortuary to see her dead son and partner are but a single sentence afterthought is just one example of how the book feels like it lacks everything a good crime novel needs.
As a qualified nurse and knowing that the author is too I can confirm that the nursing aspects are accurate but nothing else reads as genuine, realistic or even human.

I'm really sorry but this book just wasn't for me

Another riveting story from the amazing Jenny O’Brien. I’m really hoping this writer gets the recognition she deserves in terms of sales and reviews. This series gets better even though you believe the previous books couldn’t be surpassed. The characters are like old friends to me now because I’m so engaged with them. The plot is harrowing, engaging and very clever. The descriptions of North Wales are so truthful, I can actually picture the sun glinting off the sea in Rhos. Interesting ending (no spoilers). Gaby is a very rounded and ‘real’ character. She is not a kickass bad girl who doesn’t play by the rules, but a thoughtful and intuitive detective who cares about her team.

Wow. You have done it again Jenny another fantastic story. This is the 5th book in this series, which get better with each new book. I loved the storyline it has lots of twists, which had me gripped till the end.
I look forward to reading more in this series.

Overall a good read which kept me interested in the story line with good characters.

For me personally it wasn't an edge of seater or a page turner so I don't think I will read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read this book.

Having never read the previous books in the DI. Gabby Darin, i wasnt sure i would be able to follow it, but i neednt have worried, this series is great. Hannah returns home from her shift at the hospital where she is a nurse, to find her partner ian slumped behind the wheel of his car in the garage, looking like suicide and her soon is missing. Hannah has a secret and its upto gabby and her team to find out what it is and solve it.. Police proccedural at its best ,fantastic, highley recommend, lots of twists and turns.

Hannah Thomas is a busy nurse with a young son who doesn't get much me time, so when her friend suggests spending a night at a luxury hotel who is she to refuse?  Arriving home the following day Hannah enters a nightmare world finding her fiancé dead and her little boy missing.

DI Gaby Darin arrives on the scene from  colleague and best friend Amy's hen party stunned to realise the victim is familiar to her but knowing she has to focus on finding the boy before his diabetes causes problems. With very little to go however, Gaby and her team begin to look into Hannah’s past but nothing can prepare them for what happens next.

This is the fifth Gaby Darin book and they get better and better. The team are all present and correct and the back story of Amy's forthcoming wedding adds a nice sense of normality to a case which is a anything but! This was a good addition to this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Seen from multiple points of view everything gradually falls into place leaving a very satisfying cliffhanger ready for book six.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a very good story and as each book is a standalone can be read without knowing what came before but.once you read one you'll want them all!

One morning in North Wales, Hannah Thomas arrives home to find her partner dead, and her son missing. DI Gaby Darin isn't convinced by Hannah's assertion that nobody would want to harm her family.

Hours later, another body is discovered.

And Gaby thinks Hannah is hiding something.....

A great addition to this excellent series

Another fantastic book from this author Detective Inspector Gaby Darin book five.
In Belws-y-Coed Wales and Gaby is at a hen spa weekend with family laison officer Amy Potter her good friend and happy bride to be, it not really her thing and a call from Jax and they are both off back to Conwy, as Hannah Thomas comes home to find her fiance the new copper Ian Strong dead in his car and her son Hunter only five years old missing is this a suicide and abducting? Hunter suffers diabetes and the mother is very concerned for him to be found, Gaby has to call in her second in command Owen Bates sunday or not this is one big case so what's next? all things crawl out of the woodworks is Hannah guilty or is she been set up?
As always from this author you don't ever know what is around the corner as your imagination runs away with you as you read then bam something else crops up in the story. so well plotted I love her work right down till the end. Fantastic.

A solid four star read. Good premise. Great characters. Enjoyed the writing style. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. It even had a twist that I didn’t see coming. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Gaby is back in another mystery set in Wales. Her and her police team investigate the death of a fellow cop and then the 4 year old stepson. Obviously the mother is looked at, and she has plenty of secrets that are slowly revealed. Good story overall, and enjoyed the journey. Highly recommend this book and series.