A Secret to the Grave: The Detective Parker Bell Series, Volume 1 is a police procedural mystery novel written by Jane Blythe. Detectives Parker Bell and Skylar Wyatt knew right away that the abduction of Janice Peters, a 25-year-old woman from her apartment the night before was the work of a sick and twisted perpetrator. The elderly neighbor and friend of the victim was badly shaken after he let himself into her apartment and saw the signs of a struggle, but even more chilling was the note listing nine clues that would take the detectives to the nine women who were to be the next victims. Written in the victim’s handwriting was the message that every two days the perpetrator would kill one of those nine women. If the police manage to save any of them, Janice Peters would die. The clues were obscure and offered little help in resolving their identities and, all too soon, the dismembered body of first of the nine, a primary schoolteacher named Tiffany Poppy, was found hanging in an office building.

Jane Blythe's police procedural mystery, A Secret to the Grave: The Detective Parker Bell Series, Volume 1 is an absorbing and suspenseful psychological thriller that had me thoroughly immersed in the plot and busily looking for clues from the very first page. Bell and Wyatt's long-standing friendship and brotherhood of sorts stands them in good stead as partners, and I enjoyed watching as each detective's thought processes seemed to complement the other's. Blythe's plot is inspired and thought-provoking, and her killer, his victims and the police personnel involved in the case all have complex and intriguing personalities - especially Detective Parker Bell and Tessa Micah, the one prospective victim who seems to have some special influence with the killer, and who definitely has some secrets she is keeping carefully hidden. A Secret to the Grave is filled with tantalizing clues and opportunities for the careful reader to tease out what will happen next, and it's an outstanding and entertaining mystery story. A Secret to the Grave: The Detective Parker Bell Series, Volume 1 is most highly recommended.

Mystery, intrigue, suspense, and excitement - all this and much more await you in A Secret to the Grave (Detective Parker Bell) (Volume 1). Ten girls hold a secret from their youth that has come back ten years later to threaten them and possibly cause their deaths. Tessa is now and has always been the leader of the group, holding herself responsible for each one of the girls. A madman has returned from the past. Detective Bell is assigned the case of the disappearance and/or murder of the girls. Tessa remains as the main target and the answer to all of the questions, but she refuses to cooperate with the police. She would rather face the consequences and end the murder and mayhem her own way. There are many twists and turns as we meet each of the characters and learn who they are and why they do what they do. If I tell you much more I will be revealing too much of the story and it is one that you must read and enjoy for yourself.

Jane Blythe has written a murder mystery that has all of the elements needed to keep you turning the pages, never being sure of just where it all will end. A Secret to the Grave is a must-read for all mystery fans. Tessa and Detective Bell have a unique relationship; each sharing an unhappy childhood and still trying to make it right. The interaction between the characters is what makes this story more than just the standard mystery murder plot, but an excellent character study as well. I urge you to read this book because you will quickly become a fan of Jane Blythe and anxiously be awaiting Volume 2.