Author: Margot Hunt
Publisher: Audible Original
Publication Date: December 2019
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Audible
Description: In this pulse-pounding short thriller, Maggie Cabot refuses to sit by idly as police re-open an investigation into the mysterious death of a woman her husband used to know.
After two decades in a near-perfect marriage, Maggie and James Cabot are enjoying their first year as empty-nesters in their charming Florida suburb, until two detectives arrive at their front door and change their lives forever.
The remains of a young woman have been found at a campsite in the Florida Keys. Hannah Nilsson, only twenty-one at the time of her disappearance, was last seen on a camping trip with a group of friends—including James, who dated Hannah long before he and Maggie ever met. Shocked and heartbroken, everyone on the trip said they assumed Hannah had wandered off toward shore, intoxicated from a long night of partying, and drowned. But the discovery of her body 25 years later, half a mile away from the campsite and buried six feet deep, makes it clear that her death was not accidental.
As the police dig back into the case, Maggie begins her own investigation, desperate to piece together the truth and clear her husband’s name once and for all.
My Thoughts: Buried Deep was a short thriller that moved quite fast that should have been a bit longer as I was left with a lot of head-scratching moments at the end. This domestic thriller centers on Maggie Cabot and her husband, James, living their best lives as empty nesters. When two police detectives arrive at their door, they bring news that the remains of a woman James used to date have been found, 25 years after she mysteriously vanished without a trace. The news that her remains were found buried leaves no doubt that she didn’t accidentally drown as earlier believed. Right off the bat, my internal alarm is going off. Someone in the group that James was a part of murdered her, obviously, but who and why? The police immediately focus on James as their primary suspect, no surprise there. Maggie decides to do her own investigation in the hopes that the police will entertain another avenue of possibility to investigate and exonerate her husband.
I could totally relate to Maggie and her decision to do what she could to uncover the truth, especially if it brings the killer to justice and her husband is cleared. What I couldn’t understand was her husband telling her to stay out it. Doesn’t he want the truth exposed? What is he hiding? Well, the fact that he and the dead girl were much more than just boyfriend and girlfriend, for starters. He failed to mention to Maggie that Hannah and he were engaged! Maggie feels she needs to get out from under the shadow of a woman she has never met but feels is always there.
I found the story interesting and in Maggie’s place, I would have done the same thing. When the truth is finally revealed, I felt let down. I didn’t feel any closure at learning the truth and I was shocked and horrified by Maggie’s reaction and subsequent actions. I didn’t see that coming and it left me with a sense of unfulfilled anticipation.
My Final Verdict: I thought the story was OK but would have enjoyed it more had there been more closure at the end. Fans of thrillers looking for a short, fast read and don’t mind loose ends will enjoy this story.
