Review: The Grave Artist by Jeffery Deaver & Isabella Maldonado

    

Print Length: 396 pages

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (September 9, 2025)

From Goodreads.com: A wedding reception is coming to a close in the Hollywood Hills when the blissful day is shattered by the death of one of the newlyweds. Though the incident appears to be an accident, Homeland Security Investigations agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner, security expert Jake Heron, discover that the tragedy is the third in a series of similar deaths and conclude something far more sinister is at play.

The two uncover chilling evidence pointing to a serial killer who has taken evil to the next level. Dubbed the Honeymoon Killer, this man isn’t interested in his victims but in creating his own macabre masterpiece from their graves—focused on the survivors and reveling in their grief. And now his dark obsession has turned to Carmen and Jake…

The Honeymoon Killer has decided they are the perfect next target. Take one out and delight as the other crumbles. Time is running out as a deadly game between predator and prey begins.

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Right off the bat, let me begin by saying that although there are two plot-points that carry over from the first novel (I assume based on information given as personally have not yet read the first one), this one can be read as a stand-alone. You are given a pretty good sense of the characters and their relationships with one another. It is also easy to follow the plots that have carried over as they are explained with enough detail that it's easy to familiarize yourself with them without it feeling overwhelming. I also enjoyed the way these authors were able to blend the story so seamlessly that it was impossible to tell who wrote what. 

However, part of the problem I had was the fact that two of the secondary characters were so over the top that at times, they overshadowed the main characters, and not in a good way. The first being Renyolds; I understand that he was passed over for a promotion and is bitter because of it. But the way they he just cannot let go of his ideas, even when there is no evidence supporting his theory just grated on my nerves. And then you have Carmen's little sister Selina. And man, I get it. She had a lot of grief, a lot of guilt and a lot of rage pent up inside of her, but she had to be one of the dumbest characters that I have read in a while. Not only is she immature, spoiled and selfish, but she runs off into the worst possible situations by herself with no real plan of action. And the way she berated her sister for being unable to stop hunting a serial killer in order to chase down something that happened years ago instantly turned me off of her. In fact, at one point I found myself rooting for her to get exactly what she deserved. 

The second problem I had was with the Honeymoon Killer themself. The concept was a good one, murder staged as accidental death. Even his true reason for the murders was an intriguing one, as was just how he came up with the idea. The problem for me became when the murder became fixated on Sanchez and Heron (which I mean is understandable since they meant to stop him), but he became more erratic because of it and his fixation made him lose that spark that had been so intriguing at first. I do also wish we would have gotten more details about the first two murders, as they seemed to only have been thrown in to show there was a pattern. I was also intrigued by not only by Ms. Person of Interest as they called her, but also the woman the Honeymoon Killer met later on and just how they fit into the story. 

So far, this book is listed as book 2 of 2, but I definitely see potential for the authors to continue on with this as a series, and if that is the case, I will definitely read more from them.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.