Heather Sunseri

Exposed in Darkness is Heather Sunseri’s first adult suspense novel. Brooke Fairfax has been mourning the death of her husband, Teddy for the last year. Brooke quit her job as an FBI analyst and shut out everyone. Then she receives an email with a video attached from Romeo. Brooke has also not heard from Romeo in the year since Teddy passed away. Romeo is a CHS (confidential human source) that only worked with Brooke. The video shows the murder of Melissa Centers, Kentucky’s lieutenant show more governor. It is believed that the actual target was Kentucky’s governor, Truman Spencer. Truman happens to be Brooke’s brother-in-law. Special Agent Mike Donaldson contacts Brooke to get her to rejoin them for the case. Brooke refuses their request, but she will not let anything happen to Truman. Brooke packs and heads for Kentucky. The FBI believes that businessman, Declan O’Roark might be behind the crime, and they want Brooke to get close to him. The attraction between Declan and Brooke is instantaneous, but Brooke feels guilty about her feelings (because of Teddy). Then there is a second victim. He died after drinking bourbon from Declan’s Elkhorn Reserve Distilleries (just like Melissa Centers). Someone is trying to set up Declan and Brooke is determined find out who these heinous acts. Will Brooke be able to find the perpetrator before there are more victims?

Exposed in Darkness is well-written and it will capture your attention right away. This is not the type of book that you can skim. There are many necessary details. It does slow down the pace of the book a little bit, but I was still riveted. I found the mystery to be complex with many twists and turns. I had to pay very careful attention so I could gather the clues and figure out who was behind the crimes. At the end of the book, the reader will still be left with one question. Who is Romeo? Unfortunately, readers will have to wait for the next book to get answers (we hope). The good news is that we do not have long to wait. I give Exposed in Darkness 4.5 out of 5 stars. I did find that the romance between Declan and Brooke was predictable and a little soppy. I wish the romance portion had been as sophisticated as the rest of the novel. Otherwise, I just loved Exposed in Darkness and look forward to reading Cut in Darkness. Heather Sunseri did a masterful job with her first adult novel (she has written young adult novels prior to Exposed in Darkness). show less

Death in the Details by Heather Sunseri is the first book in the Payne’s Creek stand alone series.

Faith Day is a forensic photographer, which appealed to me greatly because I love photography. Adds a little something extra to some of my favorite reading genre. She is no stranger to death by fire. Her mother died in a fire and she recalls every single detail with 100% clarity, due to hyperthymesia.

Faith lives in the small town of Payne’s Creek and after 12 years since her mother’s show more death, the fires in town, it is brought back in vivid detail. Faith has a forensic science degree and her uncle is the Fire Chief, Sam Reid. Her brother Finch is the town vet.

Fire Chief Sam Reid depends on her. She is the best help has has until he can hire a new detective. She sees things others miss.

Faith lives in an Airstream with her guardian cat, that acts more like a dog than a feline. Someone had been in her house, had lit a fire in her firepit. After ten years in prison for the murder of their parents, her step brother had been released due to a technicality. Could he have found her? And…what if it isn’t him?

I love the way Luke Justice describes her, “…when you walk through a room, people watch you. When you exit a room, people whisper. And when you exit a building, people sigh with relief.”

As bodies fall, fires, burn, she’s at the center of it. The pieces come together as she and Luke struggle to figure out what is really going on. Things are not as they appear on the surface and….

I loved the story…and the ending. WOW. It took me a while to figure it out, because there are more suspects than meet the eye. Is it her step brother? Is it him…or him…or…The bigger mystery, who is setting all the fires, is solved and a romance is blooming, but there is more to tell…and I hope to be there. I love when an author can hook me from the beginning and keep the pace at a high level, making it hard to put down.

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Truth is in the Darkness by Heather Sunseri is the second novel in the Paynes Creek series. Lily Thomas had just learned she was accepted to art school in New York and she has a special evening with her boyfriend, Cooper Adams. After stopping for gas, Lily is kidnapped. She is lucky to escape, but the crime is not solved. She departs for art school and does not return to her hometown for twelve years. Lily arrives at her grandmothers to find a bloody warning. Things begin spiraling out of show more control with further threats. Lily and Cooper set out to solve her kidnapping and put a stop the torment once and for all. I thought Truth is in the Darkness was well-written and engaging. I was immediately drawn into the story. The story is told from Lily and Cooper’s point-of-view. I like that we get to see what each of them is thinking. Lily is a complex character. She is strong, determined, and artistic. But the past has affected her giving her a vulnerability. Cooper is more straightforward with a good heart. What happened to Lily affected him as well and he wants to prevent similar crimes from happening to others. Truth is in the Darkness can be read as a standalone if you have not yet read Death is in the Details. Truth is in the Darkness has an intricate crime. You need to pay close attention to each detail as they all work together to form the whole story. I enjoyed the mystery and how it all came together. It is shocking what people will do and how they justify their crimes. I liked this whodunit, but I wish it had been harder to identify the guilty parties (my mother said I have read too many mysteries). Truth is in the Darkness also has family, friendships, careers and romance. We get to know the characters—what they are thinking and feeling. There is, unfortunately, foul language in the story and intimate relations (it is not graphic). Truth is in the Darkness is a gripping tale with complex characters, a mesmerizing mystery, and a warm romance. show less

Shot in Darkness by Heather Sunseri is the fourth novella in the In Darkness collection. Brooke Fairfax has agreed to housesit/pet sit for her friends, Tyler and James in Georgetown (dogs are called Thurston and Lovey—who know what show these names come from?). The call came just when Brooke needed to get away and her old college friend, Anya Bhatia requested an in-person meeting (good timing). Her boyfriend, Declan O’Roark was talking about their future and Brooke is not sure she is show more ready. She packed up her suitcase and took off—without telling Declan. Brooke is out with the dogs when she notices Tyler’s neighbor, Bradley getting a large package of ammunition. She puts it aside when she sees Declan standing on the front porch (did not take him long to track her down). They agree to not discuss the future for the next two weeks (while housesitting). That evening on the way to the Full Court Press for her meeting with Anya she notices Bradley again. Brooke calls Tyler to get some details while Declan heads into the bar. Then shots ring out and, once again, Brooke’s life is in jeopardy. But who was shot? Does this have anything to do with Brooke asking Anya to dig for Romeo’s identity?

Shot in Darkness contains good writing and strong characters. I was thrilled that Shot in Darkness had a faster pace than the last two books. It is a quick and easy novella to read (just a short story). And at long last, it looks like the Romeo case is making headway (hooray). It was nice to see growth in Brooke’s character (about time). I can understand wanting answers about her husband, but Brooke takes things to extremes. I give Shot in Darkness 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). Shot in Darkness is not a stand-alone book. Each book in the In Darkness series builds upon the previous one. It will be interesting to see what happens next regarding Romeo (I am just hoping it does not drag on for several more books). show less