The Buried Hours

A Novel

By: R.S. Grant

Narrated by: Kathleen Early, Tim Lounibos, Thor Knai

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Is she following a path of redemption or an enemy’s revenge? A crime reporter’s traumatic past comes back to haunt her in a twisting novel of lies, betrayals, and killer secrets.

Investigative crime journalist Signe Gates’s life became a nightmare the day she was kidnapped and drugged. After forty-eight missing hours, she woke to a blur of unsettling memories and a warning from her unknown abductors: tell anyone what happened and they’ll die. They’ve already proved they will deliver on that threat.

For two years, Signe has been haunted by what she knows she did and terrified of what else could be buried in her memories.

Then an informant tells her two men recently found dead in Yosemite are connected to her missing hours, and more answers await her in the park’s backwoods. But she must hurry. Desperate to know who targeted her and why, she has no choice but to embark on the dangerous journey.

With a seasoned hiker acting as her guide, Signe ventures into the wilderness to solve a crime, get justice for the crimes committed against her, and overcome her demons. If only she could trust the man leading her into the backwoods…

Because with each new suspicion, deliverance is starting to look more and more like a trap.

©2023 R.S. Grant (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Grant skillfully shuffles familiar tropes and writes with precision and pace, keeping the stakes high by intermittently casting suspicion on the three most prominent men in Signe’s life.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The plot clips along at a satisfying pace, and Grant pulls off several successful surprises…”—Publishers Weekly

“The Buried Hours is an intensely emotional ride, dark yet so very satisfying. Grant's characters are immediately compelling, her storytelling taut and intelligent. I couldn't put it down!”—Karen Rose, New York Times bestselling author

Twisted Tale

I really enjoyed the twists in this story. It’s a story of brutal betrayals and deceit, not for the faint of heart, but uncovering the truth is freeing for both the characters and the reader.

So damn good!!!

Ok so it’s weird to hear Kathleen early as anyone other than Sara Linton (Will Trent) but she is one of my favorite narrators and the reason I picked this book!
It was so good. So gripping. I loved the crime aspect - the twists and turns. Just so good. 10/10 recommend.

Her characters story

Compelling to listen to. The details and events description, the twist she adds to the book and the fast pace of the book…all very good as expected. Her characters- make you want to cry, laugh and smile sometimes all three in one sentence!

Dark and Gritty

This was a lot darker than any of Ms Grant's previous novels. I suppose, that's one reason to publish this story under RS Grant. I was very disappointed that the narrators consistently mispronounced tagalog. People, it's pronounced tuh-gaa-luhg. That's the only criticism I have. While this story was darker than I expected, it was gritty, filled with twists and betrayal... and a happy ending!

Who Do You Trust?

Holy cow. I can always trust Rachel Grant to provide a tightly woven romantic suspense novel, and this one completely falls into that category. From the intrepid female reporter who has a haunted past to the sadistic beast who keeps texting/taunting her, this is a pure thrill ride. Add a man who looks like he's ready to audition for Hollywood, an ex-husband who couldn't stand his wife's past, and some crazy dirtbags and you've either got a great thriller or the makings for an epic party at the national park.

The characters here are well-developed, and most are engaging. Some are just easy to loathe... But they all catch the reader's attention for some reason. The plot travels at a sprinter's pace through this marathon of broken dreams, violent threats, and frightening realities. It's nearly impossible to know who to trust here as Signe and the Hollywood Hunk face challenges no one should have to deal with.

Keeps you wondering

All the twists in the plot were great for keeping you guessing and not knowing what was coming next.

Human Trafficking

Grant’s story about human trafficking brought new thoughts to my mind - about who traffickers really are. For the first time I considered how many of these slavers could be hiding in plain sight, folks who are liked and trusted by neighbors and colleagues. For the tragedy of trafficking to continue in first world countries, and continue to increase dramatically in the last couple of decades, the perpetrators have to have become more mainstream. This book is not an easy read, as sex and violence are such a big part of the story, but should be an essential on everyone’s reading list. The United States fought a Civil war to supposedly end slavery, yet both abductions, trafficking, and the sale of humans is occurring all around the US each day. The story may be fiction, but it is based on current events that should shock us! Reading Grant’s well written novel is a call to notice those around us, pay attention to their actions, and help to end trafficking in our country. Many thanks to R. S. Grant for bringing this subject into the world of readers.

Kept me interested and surprised the entire time

First off-there should be a major trigger warning, especially around rape. With that said, this book had me thinking about it anytime I wasn’t listening to it. There were so many twists and surprises and I was so invested, from the first chapter and all the way to the end.

Excellent Audiobook!

I loved this book written by R.S. Grant aka Rachel Grant. I was completely invested in the characters and the suspenseful storyline had my jaw clinching. My heart went out to Signe for pain she's endured. The twists and turns had me glued to the audiobook. I didn't want to pause it when necessary. I recently found this author through Kindle Unlimited and I'm working on listening to the audiobooks available through the program.

Kathleen Early, Tim Lounibos, and Thor Knai are excellent narrators. They brought this book to life. Each are new to me narrators and I hope to listen to them again in the future. Their performances were perfection.

#kindleunlimited

A nice surprise Solid 4.5

I didn't know what to expect coming into this one, but was pleasantly surprised. Kathleen Early always does a bang-up job with narration. Well paced plot, enjoyable characters, and a strong female lead. Human Trafficking definitely needs more awareness. I appreciate the author's dive into that dark world.