What Lies Beneath by RJ Scott

Narrated by Sean Crisden

RJ Scott is a new-to-me author, but the synopsis for this first book in the Lancaster Falls trilogy intrigued me, and Sean Crisden is a narrator I enjoy listening to, so I decided to give What Lies Beneath a try. Set in a small Pennsylvania town during a heatwave, it’s a well-written tale of romantic suspense that kicks off when a newcomer to the area stumbles – almost literally – across a skull half-buried in the cracked mud of a dried-up lakebed.

Sawyer Wiseman left Lancaster Falls for Chicago more than a decade earlier and made a successful career as a big city cop, only to return to his hometown when a case gone horribly wrong almost cost him his life and sanity. Now a lieutenant with the local PD, he sometimes finds working in a small town rife with secrets and run by the old boys’ network just as difficult and frustrating as anything he came up against in Chicago. Sawyer’s boss, Captain Sandoval, doesn’t like him – Sawyer isn’t one to simply do as he’s told without question – and gives him the crappy jobs to do, which is how Sawyer ends up trekking out to the old Dwyer cabin in the mountains to check on the “out-of-towner” who moved in recently.

Bestselling horror writer Chris Lassiter is struggling to come up with ideas for his next book. His last two novels were turned into successful movies, so the pressure for book three in the series is intense; and in a desperate attempt to jump-start Chris’ muse, his agent buys a remote cabin for him to use as a retreat. He and his dog, Dakota (Kota for short) have only been there for four days, but they’re days Chris has spent doing everything but writing, and he’s dreading the next call from his agent. An unexpected bright spot in his day is the visit from the handsome police lieutenant who explains that he’s just making a standard newcomer house-visit – which Chris laughingly (and correctly) interprets as the cops needing to check out the weird guy in the remote cabin. Sawyer admits to the truth of that, the two men chat for a while, and when Sawyer is about to leave, Chris throws him for a loop by asking him out for a drink – and Sawyer can’t get out of there fast enough. He returned home to Lancaster Falls to make sense of his life and to make a difference in the community, and the last thing he wants is to become involved with someone who’s sure to ask questions he doesn’t want to answer, no matter how attractive the guy is… and how attracted to him Sawyer is.

The discovery of the skull and other remains brings back long-buried memories for Sawyer and many of the townsfolk, as speculation spreads that the bones could belong to his friend, Casey McGuire, whose disappearance years earlier devastated his family and unsettled the town’s residents. Casey has never been found – alive or dead – and Sawyer is absolutely dreading having to dredge everything up again when Casey’s mother hears about the find.

What Lies Beneath is both a nicely put-together (although not particularly complex) mystery and a gently moving romance between two decent men who are struggling in various aspects of their lives. The author does a really good job of conveying Chris’ frustration at not being able to write, and of showing how badly Sawyer’s last case affected him; add to that his problems with his boss, and he’s got a lot on his plate. There’s also an intriguingly dark vibe to the small-town atmosphere; secrets abound and clearly there are sections of the community in which all is not well. An overly zealous pastor, a corrupt mayor, an abusive husband who has been getting away with beating his wife for years, vandalism and drugs all feature in the story – and things take an even darker turn when the team searching the lakebed discover at least three more sets of remains. The overall pacing is perhaps a little slower than I generally prefer in romantic suspense, but that gave the author space to fully develop the characters and the slightly claustrophobic small-town atmosphere, as well as to plant the sense of unease that grows as the story progresses.

The chemistry between Chris and Sawyer sizzles from their very first meeting, but Sawyer doesn’t want any emotional entanglements complicating his already complicated life and tries hard to keep Chris at arm’s length. But no matter how hard he tries to deny it, Sawyer is strongly drawn to Chris and begins slowly to lower his guard and let him in, finding the other man to be someone he can lean on and allow himself to be vulnerable with. And Chris, who has been worried that perhaps his career as a writer is over, finds inspiration and emotional support in Sawyer. I liked them individually and as a couple, and enjoyed the way their friendship evolves alongside their romantic and physical relationship.

Sean Crisden’s name on the cover of this audiobook is what prompted me to pick it up, and he delivers exactly the kind of polished, expressive performance I’d expect from such an experienced narrator. His pacing is good and he differentiates very clearly between the entire cast, giving Sawyer and Chris distinct, well-contrasted vocal characterisations that reflect their personalities. His female voices are generally good, although on a couple of occasions I found one or two of them just a bit whiny; mostly though, he portrays the secondary characters really well and makes them easy to identify, from the shady Sandoval to Sawyer’s young niece and the grieving Iris Maguire.

What Lies Beneath is a solid start to what promises to be an entertaining suspense series. Sean Crisden does a great job with the narration, and I enjoyed and the time I spent getting to know Lancaster Falls and its inhabitants. I intend to pick up the next book when it becomes available,

[Note: While the romantic storyline in What Lies Beneath is satisfactorily concluded and there’s a strong HFN, the mystery is ongoing and will continue in the next two books.]

Caz

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