All We Buried by Elena Taylor is a page-turner of a mystery that is sure to keep you guessing!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review during this book tour via Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours. This did not affect my rating in any way.

Oh my gosh. Sign me up for all of the Sheriff Bet Rivers books! I just love her!

In this novel, Bet has recently moved back to her hometown to help her father. She is planning to only be there temporarily but when he suddenly passes away, she realizes that it may be a while before she can head back to LA.

Saddled with various responsibilities as the interim sheriff, Bet can’t decide if she wants to win an upcoming election to become the official sheriff or not.

When a body is discovered in a lake, Bet dives into the investigation and tries not to worry about anything else. But this isn’t just any investigation, it’s going to also dredge up many things from the past that Bet’s mind has tried to protect her from…

I was hooked right from the start of this one. Like all my favorite mysteries, we open in an everyday life type of scene, but then we’re thrown into the fray as the body was found almost immediately.

Bet was a wonderful main character! She was full of pride for her work and loyalty for her town, but she also found herself at a bit of a crossroads as she wasn’t sure which path she wanted to go down. The supporting characters were also perfectly developed! I found myself equally drawn to them but also suspicious of them.

Throughout the tale, there were scenes that had me so nervous for the characters. Nothing was too violent or anything, but it was certainly action packed! There were also quite a few scenes that had me quite claustrophobic (we’re talking The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling claustrophobic here! Phew!).

I loved how this story unfolded! I had so much fun reading along, trying to guess at who the “bad guy” was, and through all of the twists and turns, it really kept me guessing. When I hit the ending I was very pleasantly surprised by the way things turned out!

One final comment… That cover. How stunning is that?! I love the colors so much. This cover design clearly paid very close attention to the book. I love that the woman clearly has curly hair and that she’s standing near water.

My Favorite Passages
“Hullo!” The stillness of the forest swallowed her voice. Not even moonlight could reach the cabin, backed up against one of the granite peaks and surrounded by stately old-growth Doug firs. A gray layer of lichen covered the trees, and the forest felt hushed in anticipation. The logs of the house were almost black and moss and ferns grew from the cedar-shingles roof, as if the forest claimed the building as its own.

A wooded hillside rose behind town and the cemetery kept watch over the living.

My Final Thoughts
This was such a captivating mystery with wonderful characters. I CANNOT wait to see where this series goes next!

If you’re looking for an action packed mystery with just a sprinkle of romance, then I highly recommend snagging this one.