Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Buried Secrets
SERIES: Timothy and Wyatt Mysteries #1
AUTHOR: John R. Petrie
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink Press
LENGTH: 196 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2019
BLURB:
The son of an alcoholic mother, Wyatt Courtland skips school to work construction to help the family survive. When he finds a lockbox containing a series of articles about Bobby LaFleur, a student who went missing four years ago, he enlists the help of sheriff’s son Timothy Mitchell to learn what happened to Bobby.
Timothy wants to go into law enforcement, even if it’s against his father’s wishes. He figures solving this case will convince his dad he can handle police work, but as he digs deeper, he uncovers a string of missing boys—and the truth about Wyatt’s desire to find out what truly happened to Bobby. As the two grow closer, they realize the mystery is far more sinister than they imagined—and it’s a secret someone is willing to kill to protect.
REVIEW:
This story is an excellent small-town YA mystery with sweet characters, a fast-moving plot, and plenty of good drama. After I hit the quarter-way mark, I couldn’t put it down until I was done!
Timothy is the smart, outgoing son of the town sheriff who wants to help people solve their problems, despite his father’s need to keep him safe. He’s soon in over his head when Wyatt, a quiet senior from the other side of town, enlists his help in finding an old friend who left behind a box of clues hidden inside a wall. The two boys have opposite personalities, but they both want to solve a mystery and bring justice to a missing kid—and of course, they have chemistry right away.
I love when YA feels natural, like it is actually for teenagers instead of just about them. The stakes are high and the boys have to deal with a lot of heavy stuff, but they always speak and act like teenagers, and they ask for help when they need it. Timothy is very close to his parents and tells them everything, and when he messes up, there are there to help him. They are also accepting of his sexuality and want to see him happy and healthy, even if that means being strict about boys and dating. Wyatt came from a rough home life, but he’s still a kid, and when he reaches out, he gets the help he needs. The romance keeps it pretty PG-13, with some kissing and making out, but you can tell as the series goes on, their relationship will progress, as many YA-to-NA series do.
As for the mystery plot, I thought everything flowed smoothly and kept things moving. It’s a classic mystery with a lot of sleuthing, visiting suspects, and putting the pieces together, and it works well. There’s actually a bit of twist where one suspect turns into two, which was great. This is Petrie’s second book, and some of the writing is a little clunky at times—it takes a few chapters for the dialogue to sound natural, and some of the humor is a little corny. But it hits its stride quickly, and I can tell Petrie is a writer who loves his characters and stories.
This is the first book in his “Timothy and Wyatt Mysteries” series, and I am definitely ready to read more. The book does a good job setting up both a sweet love story and a blossoming crime-fighting duo in a cozy, small-town setting.
RATING: 
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