#debra webb

Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of October of 2025. Here are the 8 books I read and reviewed for October. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews. I love sharing my eclectic…

Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of February of 2025. Here are the 8 books I read and reviewed for February. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews. I love sharing my eclectic…

Synopsis: In the season of hope, someone’s out for blood. Police Chief Abigail Jensen is determined to protect her town — and avoid falling too hard for Riley, the new guy next door. But deciding who to trust can be deadly, especially when he has deep secrets…. Rating: 5-stars Agent Riley O’Brien’s mission is clear when he joins the CIA’s covert Specialist task force: protect a small-town cop…

REVIEW

Gone Too Far by Debra Webb

Devlin & Falco #2

 I have a feeling that this is a series better read in order and I did not read the first book in the series leaving me feeling that I didn’t really know the main characters as well as I should have. I ended up skimming to find out the gist of the story but must admit I did not read word for word – and there were a lot of words in this book with over 400 pages. I felt that the story could have been edited down a good bit to make it tighter and flow at a faster pace.

 This book had more than one storyline that eventually overlapped by the end of the book. It begins with a gut-wrenching prologue set five days before the story picks up in real time. Next up is a murder to be solved and that is for Devlin & Falco to sleuth out. Add in an issue with Tori, Kerri Devlin’s daughter, that is much deeper and more deadly than expected. AND, there is another thread of a woman who was an undercover agent who has lost part of her memory and her story also overlaps the others. There are a number of questionable characters, red herrings, evil doers, problems to solve, murderers to suss out, and…more. The threads of the various plots didn’t come together till the end and some of them left me scratching my head.

 So, this book is a mixed bag for me. I could see the way it was plotted and the way the story was being told would work for many but it did not draw me in, hold my attention, have me reading and hanging on every word, and eager to read the next book in the series. I had trouble relating to the characters and am not sure if that, again, is due to not having read the first book in the series.

 Did I enjoy this book? Not so much, it was “okay”

Would I read more by this author? Maybe, if the blurb really caught my attention

 Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 2-3 Stars

   BLURB

Before He Vanished by Debra Webb Winchester, Tennessee #6 Published 1 March 2020 by Harlequin Intrigue

His disappearance changed her life forever. Twenty-five years ago, Halle Lane’s best friend vanished from their Tennessee town. When a childhood photo brings Liam Hart to Winchester, Halle is certain the man is the same child who vanished. Now Liam seeks out Halle to help him investigate the…

Witness Protection Widow by Debra Webb Winchester, Tennessee #5 Published 1 Feruary 2020 by Harlequin Intrigue

Don’t miss the high-stakes police procedural thriller from USA TODAY bestselling author Debra Webb. Can the witness protection program keep her identity secret? After Allison James finally escapes her marriage to a monster, she becomes the star witness in the case against her deceased…

REVIEW

The Darkness We Hide by Debra Webb

The Undertaker’s Daughter #3 In the finale of this trilogy we finally have the answers that Dr. Rowan Dupont has been looking for. - and that I have been waiting for. By the end of this book many secrets had been revealed and I felt the conclusion had definitely been reached with this series even though it seems there is another series by this author in the same setting. It was a bit slow in the beginning, there was a bit of repetition in Rowan’s thinking at times and it took awhile to get into the story but about midway the pace began to pick up speed and so did my interest. What I liked: * The twists and turns * That I didn’t always know what would happen next * The twisted thinking of more than one character * Not necessarily knowing who was good and who was evil * The look into the life of an undertaker * Billy – seemed to be a truly good man and he definitely loved Rowan * Rowan – mostly – though sometimes she did some silly things that didn’t seem very wise related to her safety * Charlotte – a good friend to Rowan * The baddies did get there comeuppance What I did not like: * The twisted evil characters that were in this book/series – they were warped beyond belief * Realizing once again that evil is real and that real people are evil – sometimes fiction is just the tip of the iceberg. * Wondering if there might have been more information in the first book that would have explained some of my lingering questions... Did I enjoy this book? I think so Would I read more by this author? Yes Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins – Harlequin - Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4 Stars  (less)

 BLURB

In the thrilling conclusion to The Undertaker’s Daughter series, THE DARKNESS WE HIDE, Doctor Rowan Dupont has been staring death in the face for so long, she’s willing to meet it for the secrets it holds. Death has followed her back to her hometown of Winchester, Tennessee, ten months ago, cloaking the walls of her family’s Victorian funeral home like a shroud. In investigating the mysterious deaths of her loved ones, Rowan has unearthed enough family secrets to bury everything she’d previously thought true. But each shocking discovery has only led to more bodies and more questions; the rabbit hole is deeper than she ever imagined.

Despite settling into a comfortable life with Police Chief Billy Brannigan, Rowan knows dangerous serial killer Julian Addington is still out there. She can’t let her guard down now. Not when she’s this close to ending it once and for all. But with a storm brewing on the horizon, she’ll get only one shot before the impending darkness takes hold, threatening to wipe away every truth she’s uncovered—and everything she holds dear.

THE DARKNESS WE HIDE

Author: Debra Webb

ISBN: 9780778309475

Publication Date: March 31, 2020

Publisher: MIRA Books

Buy Links:

Harlequin

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

EXCERPT

One

Winchester, Tennessee

Monday, March 9, 7:35 a.m.

Rowan DuPont parked on the southeast side of the downtown square. The county courthouse sat smack in the middle of Winchester with streets forming a grid around it. Shops, including a vintage movie theater, revitalized over the past few years by local artisans lined the sidewalks. Something Rowan loved most about her hometown were the beautiful old trees that still stood above all else. So often the trees were the first things to go when towns received a face-lift. Not in Winchester. The entire square had been refreshed and the majestic old trees still stood.

This morning the promise of spring was impossible to miss. Blooms and leaves sprouted from every bare limb. This was her favorite time of year. A new beginning. Anything could happen.

Rowan sighed. Funny how being back in Winchester had come to mean so much to her these past several months. As a teenager she couldn’t wait to get away from home. Growing up in a funeral home had made her different from the other kids. She was the daughter of the undertaker, a curiosity. At twelve tragedy had struck and she’d lost her twin sister and her mother within months of each other. The painful events had driven her to the very edge. By the time she finished high school, she was beyond ready for a change of scenery. Despite having spent more than twenty years living in the big city hiding from the memories of home and a dozen of those two decades working with Nashville’s Metro Police Department—in Homicide, no less—she had been forced to see that there was no running away. No hiding from the secrets of her past.

There were too many secrets, too many lies, to be ignored.

Yet, despite all that had happened the first eighteen years of her life, she was immensely glad to be back home.

If only the most painful part of her time in Nashville—serial killer Julian Addington—hadn’t followed her home and wreaked havoc those first months after her return.

Rowan took a breath and emerged from her SUV. The morning air was brisk and fresh. More glimpses of spring’s impending arrival showed in pots overflowing with tulips, daffodils and crocuses. Those same early bloomers dotted the landscape beds all around the square. It was a new year and she was very grateful to have the previous year behind her.

She might not be able to change the past, but she could forge a different future and she intended to do exactly that.

Closing the door, she smiled as she thought of the way Billy had winked at her as he’d left this morning. He’d settled that cowboy hat onto his handsome head, flashed that sexy smile and winked, leaving her heart fluttering. Four months ago he’d moved into the funeral home with her. The one-hundred-fifty-year-old three-story house didn’t feel nearly so lonely now. She and Billy had been friends most of their lives and, in truth, she had been attracted to him since she was thirteen or fourteen. But she’d never expected a romantic relationship to evolve. Billy Brannigan was a hometown hero. The chief of police and probably the most eligible bachelor in all of Franklin County. He could have his pick of any of the single women around town. Rowan hadn’t expected to be his choice.

She had always been too work-oriented to bother with long-term relationships. Too busy for dating on a regular basis.

Billy had made her want long-term. He made her believe anything was possible, even moving beyond her tragic past.

The whole town was speculating on when the wedding invitations would go out. Rowan hadn’t even considered the possibility. This place where she and Billy were was comfortable. It felt good. Particularly since fate had given them a break the past four months. No trouble beyond the regular, everyday sort. No calls or notes from Julian. No unexplained bodies turning up. And no serial killers had appeared looking for Rowan.

Life was strangely calm and oddly normal.

She would never say as much to Billy, but it was just a little terrifying. The worry that any day, any moment, the next bad thing would happen stalked her every waking moment. Somehow she managed to keep that worry on the back burner. But it was there, waiting for an opportunity to seep into her present.

“Not today,” she said aloud.

Today was important. She and Burt Johnston, the county coroner, had breakfast on Monday mornings. She locked her vehicle and started for the sidewalk. The Corner Diner was a lunch staple in Winchester. Had been since the end of the Great Depression. Attorneys and judges who had court often frequented the place for lunch. Most anyone who was someone in the area could be found at the diner. More deals and gossip happened here than in the mayor’s office.

But breakfast with the coroner wasn’t the only event that made this day so important.

Today she intended to offer her assistant, Charlotte Kinsley, a promotion and a part-ownership in the funeral home. Since there were no more DuPonts—Rowan had no children and couldn’t say if that would ever happen—she needed to bring someone into the family business. Someone younger who could carry on the DuPont legacy.

Rowan paused outside the diner. The iron bench that sat beneath the plate glass window was empty. Surprise furrowed her brow. Burt usually waited there for her. She surveyed the cars lining the sidewalks as far as the eye could see. No sign of Burt’s. He was never late but there was always a first time. After all, he wasn’t exactly a young man anymore.

She sank down onto the bench, dug her cell phone from her bag and sent him a text. She was the one who generally kept him waiting and he never once complained. She certainly wasn’t going to do so. His car was a little on the vintage side as well. Maybe he had car trouble this morning. Worry gnawed at her. A dead battery or a flat tire. Surely he would have called her.

“Morning, Rowan.”

She glanced up, smiling automatically. Lance Kirby, one of the attorneys who was not fortunate enough to have an office on the square. The ones who had been around a lifetime held on to that highly sought-after real estate. The others, like Kirby, waited patiently for someone to retire or to die. Meanwhile they showed up for coffee in this highly visible location bright and early every morning.

“Good morning, Lance.”

Kirby was a couple of years older than her. He’d lived in Winchester his entire life other than the years he spent at college and law school. He was divorced and had three kids. He’d asked Rowan out to dinner on several occasions. She hoped he didn’t ask again this morning. Coming up with an excuse to turn him down was becoming tedious. Surely he was aware that she and Billy were a couple now.

The idea startled her a little. This was the first time in her life that she was half of a couple in the truest sense of the word.

“If you’re waiting for Burt, he’s parked around back. Every spot around the square was taken before seven this morning.” Kirby reached for the door. “People have come early hoping for a chance to get into the Winters trial. Everyone wants to hear the story on that family.”

Rowan had been reading about the trial for weeks in the Winchester Gazette. “That explains why I had to circle around for a while before I found a spot.” She’d forgotten about the small parking area in the back alley behind the diner. “Thanks for telling me. I was worried he’d stood me up.”

Kirby laughed. “I don’t think any man still breathing would stand you up, Rowan.”

She glanced at her cell phone as if it had vibrated. “Oops. I have to take this.”

The instant she set the phone to her ear, Kirby went on inside the diner, the bell over the door jingling to announce his entrance.

Thank goodness.

For appearances’ sake she kept the phone to her ear a half a minute, then put it away. To pass the time she counted the yellow daffodils brimming in the rock planter built around the tree at the edge of the sidewalk. Those lovely yellow flowers were coming up all around the funeral home, too. Her mother had loved gardening. Early-spring blooms were already bursting all over the yard. Maybe her mother had hoped to chase away some of the gloom associated with living in a funeral home.

Since her father’s death, Rowan had hired a gardener. Somehow her father had managed to keep her mother’s extensive gardens alive and thriving for all those years. Rowan did not have a green thumb at all. She had killed every plant she’d ever tried to nurture. She was not going to be the one who dropped the ball on the family garden.

She glanced up then down the sidewalk. Still no sign of Burt. With a sigh, she pushed to her feet. Maybe he was on the phone, which would explain why he hadn’t answered her text. Rather than keep waiting, she cut through the narrow side alley to the small rear parking lot. With his taillights facing the back of the diner, Burt’s white sedan was nosed up to the bank that faced North Jefferson Street.

Rowan quickened her pace and walked up to the driver’s side of his car. Burt sat behind the steering wheel, staring out the windshield.

For a moment Rowan waited for him to glance over and see her but he didn’t move. Whether it was the lax expression on his face or some deep-rooted instinct, she abruptly understood that he was dead.

She tugged at the door handle. Thankfully it opened. Her heart pounding, she bent down. No matter that her brain was telling her he was already gone, she asked, “Burt, you okay?”

Her fingers went instantly to his carotid artery.

Nothing.

Rowan snatched her cell from her bag and called 911. She requested an ambulance and the chief of police, then she laid the phone on the ground and reached into the car and pulled Burt from his seat. She grunted with the effort of stretching him out on the pavement. On her knees next to him, she pressed her ear to his chest. No heartbeat. She held her cheek close to his lips. No breath.

Rowan started CPR.

The voice from the speaker of her cell phone confirmed that the ambulance was en route. She informed the dispatcher that she’d started CPR.

Rowan continued the compressions, her eyes burning with emotion. Burt was her friend. She had been gone from Winchester for a very long time and he had made her feel as if she’d never left. She did not want him to die. Other than Billy, he was the person she felt closest to. The voice of logic reminded her that Burt was just two months shy of his eightieth birthday.

She ignored the voice and focused on the chest compressions. “Come on, Burt. Don’t you die on me.”

Facial color was still good. Skin was still warm. He couldn’t have been in this condition for long. Hope attempted to make an appearance. But it was short-lived. Even a few minutes could be too many.

Damn it!

The approaching sirens drove home the realization that this was all too real.

AUTHOR BIO

Debra Webb is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 130 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra's love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at www.DebraWebb.com

or write to her at PO Box 176, Madison, AL 35758.

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @DebraWebbAuthor

Instagram: @DebraEWebb

Facebook: @DebraWebbAuthor

Goodreads

Q&A

 How did you decide on the location for the series?

 My husband, family and I lived in the Winchester area for fifteen years. We have family and friends there and adore the area! The town of Winchester is historic and has that “old west” feel and it felt perfect. Particularly since the old, old funeral home there is totally inspiring!

 Coffee or tea?

 Hot coffee, iced tea!

 What is your favorite genre to read, and why?

 Psychological or domestic suspense!

 What do you use to inspire you when you get Writer’s Block?

 A long ride in the countryside. Great music. Good movies!

 Best TV or Movie adaptation of a book?

Outlander!

 Do you plan your books in advance or let them develop as you write?

 I plan to a degree and then let the story take me where it will.

What has been the hardest thing about your publishing journey? What has been the most fun?

 The hardest thing was an injury in 2010 that left my right arm and hand basically paralyzed. Three years of physical therapy was required for regaining partial use of the arm and learning to even write my name. But I never stopped writing. Slowed down a bit, but didn’t stop! The most fun without question has been reaching a place where I could write the books of my heart rather than what had a better chance of selling to a house.

Do you prefer writing in silence or to music?

 Both. Sometimes I need quiet, other times I want music.

What are you working on next?

 I have a new series percolating!

 What is the significance of the title?

 Very important to suspense and mystery are the things a character doesn’t know or doesn’t see coming. The secrets, the lies and even the darkness can trickle into the lives of most people. Most people have secrets, most lie occasionally—if only to protect feelings—and we all have feelings sometimes that aren’t happy or light or maybe nice. Thus the titles, The Secrets We Bury, The Lies We Tell and The Darkness We Hide!

What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?

 Making sure the body preparation and tasks of a funeral director were accurate.

Do you have stories on the back burner that are just waiting to be written?

 Always!

What does a day in the life of Debra Webb look like?

 I like to do my writing early. Then, hopefully by lunch time, I’m off the do the necessary and the fun. I love junk shopping and decorating. My husband and I are always renovating something!

What would you tell a hopeful content creator about trying to break out in publishing?

Happy Monday!  The Darkness We Hide by Debra Webb has Rowan trying to protect her loved ones from a dangerous serial killer.  Stop by to learn more about 3rd novel in The Undertaker’s Daughter series & read my review.  Stay safe & Happy Reading!