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    Buried Secrets: A Nick Heller Novel
    Buried Secrets: A Nick Heller Novel
    Buried Secrets: A Nick Heller Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    Buried Secrets: A Nick Heller Novel

    Written by Joseph Finder

    Narrated by Holter Graham

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    About this audiobook

    Joseph Finder introduced Nick Heller, a "private spy" who finds out things powerful people want to keep hidden, to widespread acclaim from the critics and wild enthusiasm from the readers, in the New York Times bestselling novel Vanished. Now, in Buried Secrets, Nick Heller returns, finding himself in the middle of a life-or-death situation that's both high-profile and intensely personal.

    Nick has returned to his old home town of Boston to set up his own shop. There he's urgently summoned by an old family friend. Hedge fund titan Marshall Marcus desperately needs Nick's help. His teenaged daughter, Alexa, has just been kidnapped. Her abduction was clearly a sophisticated professional job, done with extraordinary precision. Alexa, whom Nick has known since she was young, is now buried alive, held prisoner in an underground crypt, a camera trained on her, her suffering streaming live over the internet. She's been left with a limited supply of food and water and, if her father doesn't meet the demands of her shadowy kidnappers, she'll die. And as Nick begins to probe, he discovers that all is not quite right with Marshall Marcus's business. He's being investigated by the FBI, he has a lot of shady investors, his fund is in danger and now he has a lot of powerful enemies who may have the motivation to go after Marcus's daughter. But to find out who's holding Alexa Marcus hostage, Nick has to find out why. Once he does, he uncovers an astonishing conspiracy that reaches far beyond anything he could have imagined. And if he's going to find Alexa in time, he will have to flush out and confront some of his deadliest opponents ever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJun 21, 2011
    ISBN9781427209580
    Author

    Joseph Finder

    Joseph Finder is the author of several New York Times bestselling thrillers, including Buried Secrets, High Crimes, Paranoia and the first Nick Heller novel, Vanished. Killer Instinct won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Thriller, and Company Man won the Barry and Gumshoe Awards for Best Thriller. High Crimes was the basis of the Morgan Freeman/Ashley Judd movie, and Paranoia was the basis for 2013 film with Liam Hemsworth, Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. Born in Chicago, Finder studied Russian at Yale and Harvard. He was recruited by the CIA, but decided he preferred writing fiction. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Association for Former Intelligence Officers, he lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

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    Reviews for Buried Secrets

    4/5

    195 ratings32 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is part of the NIck Heller Series. Nick Heller is a private investigator. He is contacted by Marshall Marcus who is one of the wealthiest men in Boston. His daughter, Alexa Marcus, has gone missing after she went out to a club with her friend the night before. Marshall wants Nick to find Alexa as he fears she's been abducted. The abductors send Marshall a link to a video of Alexa. She has been buried underground with a limited supply of air. It is up to Nick to uncover the clues and find Alexa before it's too late.This is the first Nick Heller book I've read and it read just fine as a stand alone. This story captured my attention throughout. I liked the character of Nick Heller and I may be looking for more to read. I liked the short chapters also because it made it easy when I needed a stopping point. A real page turner with some twists and secrets that unfold throughout the story. I received this book free through LibraryThing member giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      I love Nick Heller, but this book was about 100 pages too long.
    • 3/5
      An exciting book where Nick is hired to find a kidnapped teenage daughter of a family friend. The plot is pretty involved, Nick has to uncover layer upon layer of lies and cover ups. Nick Heller is a great character and mixes wonderful wit with a true taste of adventure. Another good read by this author.
    • 4/5
      Great action, good mystery, definitely suspenseful!
    • 4/5
      Loved this book by Joseph Finder. A surly teenage girl, Alexa, has been kidnapped. The question is why and by whom? If you read VANISHED, Nick Heller is back in this book. Nick is a family friend with Alexa's dad and is called in to find Alexa and rescue her. Lots of shady characters and twists and turns. Great read for my weekend!
    • 4/5
      I have heard great things about the first Nick Heller book, Vanished, so when I got the chance to review Buried Secrets I jumped at it. I was a little unsure of whether not having read Vanished would put me at a disadvantage for enjoying Buried Secrets, but it certainly didn’t seem to. Whilst I’m sure there may have been little references that I missed but I never felt confused or as if I’d missed anything.

      The plot is pretty gripping, we’re introduced to Alexa first and get to know her a little before she is kidnapped and buried alive. Her story is narrated in the third person, and I think this works well – reading the descriptions of both what is happening to her and what her kidnapper is doing lends itself to the narration. I found some of the passages describing her situation challenging to read, it really felt tense and claustrophobic.

      Nick is introduced after Alexa is kidnapped, we get to see him dealing with a client before he gets the call about her case. I liked this, it meant I got a feel for him before he was thrown into the kidnapping case. In contrast to Alexa’s story the Nick thread is narrated in the first person. I sometimes find shifts in storytelling like this a bit clunky and awkward, but Finder pulls it off brilliantly. I think again that it works well for the type of narrative, I liked being able to follow Nick’s thoughts as he progressed through the case.

      The plot is pretty involved, Nick has to uncover layer upon layer of lies and cover ups. I think Finder just about gets away with some of the more extreme plot points, though a couple did make me shake my head a little. It certainly felt like Nick had some convenient contacts and inside knowledge. That said, the reveal at the end of who was behind everything did work for me.

      The need at times to suspend belief didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book at all, once I’d started reading it I found it very hard to put down and finished it in two sittings. I loved the occasional mentions of comic books, I always enjoy geeky references in the books I read. I’m certainly going to be going back and reading Vanished, and I’m sure I’ll probably give some of Joseph Finder’s other books a go too.
    • 4/5
      A kidnapped teen leads a former intelligence agent to uncovering the reason he was harassed in his job. It is suspenseful and exciting. Good to listen to in the car.
    • 4/5
      I only occasionally read suspense novels. I'm glad that I had a chance to read this one. It is the second in the Nick Heller series, but the first one I have read. That was not an issue at all, only now I want to read the first.Nick Heller is a private spy for hire. A very wealthy acquaintance of his seeks his help in the disappearance of his daughter, Alexa. Nick immediately senses that he is not getting the full story from his friend and soon uncovers a bigger plot than he can imagine involving government and high level conspiracies. When the kidnapper reveals that Alexa is buried alive with a limited amount of air and water, the race to find her becomes desperate.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The character of Nick leaves you wanting to find out more about his past. There's plenty of plot twists, a slight touch of romance, and lots going on in the plot to keep you from figuring out how this one is going to end. Well done!
    • 4/5
      Another good read by this author. The storyline was a bit different than other books that I have read by this author. It was a page-turne,r even though the storyline was a bit creepy, as the reader wants to know how or if the kidnapped girl will get rescued.
    • 4/5
      Great book - an exciting read that kept my interest... I can't wait to pass this book on to others so they can enjoy the ride.
    • 4/5
      A taut thriller. Nick Heller is a PI charged with finding Alexa, the teenage daughter of a friend who has been kidnapped. The bad guys who have her put her in a very frightening place described graphically. The story alternates between Heller trying to locate the child and Alexa's torment.The ending is a bit trite and predictable. But otherwise I could not put this one down.
    • 4/5
      This is a enjoyable novel about the kidnapping of a multimillionaire's daughter, Alexa Marcus, who gets upducted from a bar in Boston with the help of her friend, Taylor Armstrong which is the daughter of a Mass. state senator. Marshall Marcus hires a old friend, Nick Heller to try to locate and return his daughter, the upductors have buried her alive, information and time are the only things that might bring her back alive. The clock is ticking, will they find her in time !
    • 5/5
      I don't believe in telling all the secrets so I'll just say I really enjoyed this one. It was a quick read and one that will lead me to his next book. I recommend it highly.
    • 4/5
      This book had my heart racing almost from the very beginning. From the victim’s horrifying ordeal to the frantic pace of the story, I was hooked. It is more than just action-packed though. It is filled with political intrigue and mystery. The author keeps the reader guessing and anxiety ridden, but he also manages to throw in sardonic humor and romance. Some parts are a bit cliché, but the exciting ride makes up for that. If you’re into thrills and chills, I recommend Buried Secrets.
    • 3/5
      This was a very easy read and a comfort book for me. I like Finder's writing style and simplicity and Heller's character is easy to connect with. I did not read Vanished but I wasn't lost with Buried Secrets because of it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or just wants a quick read.
    • 4/5
      Nick Heller is back! I read Buried Secrets within a couple of weeks of finishing Vanished and I have to say that this second book in the Nick Heller series is much more intense. In this instalment, Nick Heller is searching for Alexa, the kidnapped daughter of billionaire and family friend Marshall Marcus. The reasons for the kidnapping are not clear and Nick is not getting the information he should from Alexa’s father.Nick’s characteristic sense of humour (I got strange looks on the bus because I kept snickering as I read) is still present in this novel but the overall feeling of urgency makes you want to plow through the remaining pages to find out what happens. Alexa is being kept under some pretty horrific conditions which allows for some pretty gruesome scenes. In Buried Secrets, Nick Heller’s is conflicted as ever as he deals with some pretty nasty characters and a woman from his past and, like in Vanished, some of Nick’s investigative efforts lead him to uncover some questionable government deals.Buried Secrets is another fast-paced, enjoyable thriller full of suspense from Joseph Finder. I’m looking forward to reading his other stand alone books.
    • 5/5
      This is Joseph Finder’s second well-written, exciting, clever, and frequently humorous Nick Heller novel. Finder is the author of ten other books, all fiction, except for one. Two novels were award winners and one was made into a movie. Nick Heller is an ex-US Army Special Forces operative and former intelligence operative, who was recognized as one of the most proficient soldiers, but was fired by his general when he disagreed with him. Beside a wealth of skills, Heller has high-placed friends in the US, Russia, and other governments that he developed during his military career and whom he helped and who owe him favors, assets he can and does use in his current work as a private eye helping people in need. Heller has two somewhat quirky but highly competent women who work in his office and an ex-girl friend who is an FBI officer who is able to give him information.Alexa, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a flaky billionaire who lives with his fourth wife, was drinking in a bar with her girl friend. The two are approached by a handsome seemingly Spanish man. The girl friend leaves and the man drugs Alexa, takes her out of the bar, and hands her to another man. She is buried in a coffin ten feet underground, but is kept alive by a pipe that feeds in air. Alexa is claustrophobic and suffers greatly. The kidnapper demands that her father give him the Mercury file. Although he loves his daughter, her father doesn’t want to release the file. He had been acting strangely before the kidnapping, including installing a large security system in his house and hiring a guard to protect him. He requests Heller to find and save his daughter. Heller soon finds out that everyone is lying to him, things are not what they seem, and the senior FBI official has taken unlawful actions against him. He needs to discover what is going on, who is the kidnapper or kidnappers, and what is in the Mercury file. The novel moves like a race car, starting somewhat leisurely, but soon sprinting at breakneck, spectator entrancing, and award-wining speed.
    • 5/5
      At first look, BURIED SECRETS is the sort of book I generally don’t read. There are people with too much money, the children of people with too much money who are held captive because of it, the FBI, some very, very bad people whose cruelty makes the Mafia seem childish, government skulduggery, the FBI, and it is the second in a series and I like to read series from the beginning.In its favor is the setting, Boston, my hometown, and it was a Goodreads giveaway. These two pros outweighed the six cons (I only counted the FBI once). Happily, it turns out that everything about BURIED SECRETS is really, really good.Nick Heller has set himself up in business as a private spy. Nick had been the real thing in secret organizations in Washington, DC and in the military and now offers his services to rich people who need information that even they can’t access. Nick doesn’t expect that one of his first jobs is going to be something very close to home. Marshall Marcus is a billionaire financier who was a close friend of Nick’s father’s until Victor Heller ends up in prison for doing the same kind of thing Bernie Madoff did. Marshall calls Nick in a panic. Someone has kidnapped Alexa, his seventeen year-old daughter and is holding her for ransom. Problem for Alexa and her father is that he has also managed to lose billions of dollars that didn’t belong to him and he has made some very nasty enemies. Nick knows that Marshall isn’t telling him the truth but when streaming video of Alexa is sent to Marshall’s computer, Nick has no choice but to do what he can to rescue the girl.Almost everything about this book is right. Nick Heller is not superman. He has skills most people do not have but he doesn’t have superpowers. His relationship with his assistant, Dorothy, rings true. She has skills that complement his and Dorothy is not young and not in his bed. The dialog sounds right, not silly; there are acronyms and computer-speak but it isn’t irritating. Nick connects with a former girlfriend who works with the FBI but their mutual attempts to deal reasonably with their former relationship is grown-up.Finder knows Boston. One scene that locals will understand is a meeting between Heller and Senator Armstrong, the junior senator from Massachusetts, who lives on Louisberg Square, the ritziest address in the old money section of Boston, Beacon Hill. Finder didn’t need to use much imagination for the scene; he just needed to substitute senior senator for junior senator and he is describing a morning in the life of John Kerry. Joseph Finder is as good as the late William Tappley and Robert Parker in bringing the city to life.The only thing I did not like is the graphic violence that comes in toward the end of the book. I hope that the weapon used is the product of the author’s imagination. I read BURIED SECRETS in a day. I will read VANISHED in order to meet Nick Heller at the beginning of the series and then I will likely move on to the other books Finder has written.
    • 3/5
      The characters grabbed me and it was very readable but a little predictable.
    • 4/5
      A fast paced mystery that draws you in! The night I received it in the mail, I had to force myself to put it down at one in the morning! Luckily, I was able to finish it the next day. The story of a teenage girl who is kidnapped and the related search for her. A great summer read! I was forunate to receive an ARC- thank you to St. Martin's Press.
    • 5/5
      Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder (2011 St Martin's Press) ARC via goodreads.comMay 28, 2011 With an introduction quoting Edgar Allan Poe, a master of the macabre, Joseph Finder sets the tone for his newest Nick Heller novel, Buried Secrets. Alexa Marcus and her best friend, Taylor Armstrong set out for a night of partying at the hottest bar in Boston called the Slammer. It doesn't matter that the two young girls are underage, they're out to have a good time, and what could possibly go wrong? They've got each other. Until suave, sophisticated, and slightly older Lorenzo introduces himself to the pair. A few drinks, a little conversation later and Taylor excuses herself to allow Lorenzo and Alexa time alone. Alexa never makes it home.Nick Heller, owns and operates Heller's Associates, having discovered his investigative research methods were more suited to a broader spectrum then that allowed by previous employers. And still trying to escape the shadow of his father hanging over him when he receives a call for help from Alexa's father, Marshall, an old friend of the family, and one the of nation's wealthiest men. A live video feed of Alexa is played, via a social networking site, and the only ransom demand is for Mercury. What appears at first to be a simple kidnapping, soon becomes a maze of tangled lies and motives, with plenty of obstacles to thwart and misdirect Nick in his pursuit of finding and freeing Alexa. The FBI states their displeasure at his interference, his home is broken into, her parents lie to him, and he continually runs into dead-ends. Through it all Nick manages to hang on to a few close contacts to aid and assist him. Even an old ex is back in town, working for the Feds.Nothing is what it seems as Finder deftly twists the thrill dial up a few notches, never quite letting the reader catch their breath before grasping their hand and pulling them along on Nick's race against time. I started this book thinking it would be easy to put down in an hour or so, and then found myself staying up much too late to finish reading it. But I had to know the ending.The one word I would use to describe Nick Heller is dogged. He is akin to a pit bull when he gets his teeth into something and only discovering the answer will he possibly be persuaded to let go. Like his employee Dorothy, he refuses to give up and has a deep-seeded sense of family along with strong morals. Nick's a character I can't wait to read more of.
    • 5/5
      I thought I would need to have read Finder's first book "Vanished", but found it wasn't necessary. Buried Secrets centers on Nick Heller, who has been hired to find a billionaire’s kidnapped daughter. The FBI is investigating Alexa’s father, the Russian mafia is involved, billions have disappeared from an offshore account and secret information called Mercury is at the heart of the case. Nick is an ex-Army "private spy". He is smart, tough, and has a well defined ethical and moral center. The other thing that Finder adds to Heller is realism; he is not "superman," he gets tired, he loses blood, he does not totally recover by the next page. Quite simply, he is human. Adding to the enjoyment of the novel is the dialogue, which confirms that Finder actually listens to how real people talk to one another and is able to transfer that knowledge to the page. The characters are interesting, the plot tight with excellent pacing, and this novel will hold your interest until the last page is turned. It is a book that will make you uncomfortable, as Finder describes what it is like for kidnapped Alexa to be buried alive. I do plan to acquire "Vanished" because I enjoyed "Buried Secrets" so much.
    • 4/5
      Buried Secrets features Nick Heller, the spy-for-hire that Joseph Finder first intoduced us to in Vanished. As with the previous Heller plot, Finder uses a disappearing person as the hook. This time it's the teenage daughter of one of Heller's old friends, a man whose Wall Street maneuvering has the same shady qualities as those of Heller's own father. While this conspiracy thriller retreads the ground of others in the genre, it achieves a distinctly creepy level of suspense by employing a nasty, buried-alive device. Throw in a fittingly twisted villian and a rekindling of an old Heller romance and you have a solidly entertaining read. For me, though, I would rather see Finder return to writing corporate-centered thrillers like Paranoia that stand apart as a fresh thought-provoking subgenre.-Kevin Joseph, author of The Champion Maker
    • 5/5
      In Buried Secrets, Joseph Finder brings back Nick Heller, ex-Army special ops turned private investigator. Nick has relocated from Washington to Boston and brought some friends with him to work in his office. When he gets a phone call from his mothers former boss telling him that his daughter, Alexa, is missing Nick kicks it into high gear to find her. He soon discovers that it goes deeper than just kidnapping and ransom of a rich girl. For one thing they don't want money, the FBI is investigating her father, there are Russians, assassins, and plenty of secrets to go around. Time is of the essense as they discover that Alexa has been buried alive. There is not a dull spot in this book. The characters are very likable and Nick is written as an ordinary man, meaning he makes mistakes, gets tired, and when he gets hurt he needs time to recouperate. I loved Vanished and Buried Secrets is even better. This is a must read and I cannot wait for the next installment of Nick Heller and friends.
    • 4/5
      When I first was told that I would be receiving this book, I sought out the Vanished, the first book in the series. I find it helpful to have read both, but not necessary - this book could hold its own as a stand alone. In this book, Nick Heller has has to track down a teenager that has been kidnapped, but there is a complicated political sub-plot behind the kidnapping. I really enjoyed the suspense and action, but this book was a little bit more political and technical then Vanished, which did not quite make it a beach read.
    • 3/5
      I didn't read the first in the series but had absolutely no sense of having missed something important in this story because of that. It is completely stand alone, and the characters behave as you'd expect even without knowing the events of an earlier point in their lives.It's a great detective/investigation novel. However, it is not (as someone suggested) anything like Lee Child's Jack Reacher series - it's not nearly violent enough. Heller kinda works just outside the rules, but not really and he doesn't use the toe of his boot to deliver any justice.The story was suspenseful for the most part, but it did get quite political and Heller had a lot of help from characters who popped into the story just in time and just long enough to provide the skill that was needed at that moment to do the next miraculous thing that drove the plot forward. It was all a bit too convenient. All in all it was a decent read - not fantastic, but decent enough.
    • 5/5
      This could be a stand-alone book if you haven't read any of Finder's other Joseph Heller books. I think it is his best.A friend's daughter, Alexa, is abducted, but the motive doesn't seem to be money. The friend isn't telling Heller the complete truth. The investigation has many turns, but the tension builds throughout the book. The description of Alexa being buried alive is terrifying. This is a definite "stay up all night reading" book.
    • 4/5
      I tried reading another of Joseph Finder's books and couldn't get into it, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It grabbed my attention from the very beginning and kept it through all the twists and turns. I like the character of Nick Heller, as well as some of the peripheral ones. I will definitely be picking up the next in the series.
    • 4/5
      This is my first book by Joseph Finder but it will definately not be my last. I received a copy of the book through early reviewers and thank you, thank you, thank you! He does a fantastic job of character development - the characters are quite complex which makes them very real to the reader. Mr. Heller also does an amazing job in setting the context making you feel part of the story which at times is quite unsettling. Finally the pace of the book is such that it is impossible to put down. If you like PI mysteries with great characters and fast paced action READ THIS BOOK! I look forward to reading all of Mr. Finder's other books.
    • 5/5
      I was really excited when I learned I'd get "Buried Secrets" by Joseph Finder as an advance reader. The temptation to go track down and read Mr. Finders entitled "Vanished" where he first introduced the Nick Heller character was huge. Then because I have such a huge pet peeve about series and serial characters that do not stand independant of each other within the larger framework the author envisions I forced myself to wait and dive into "Buried Secrets" without any other knowledge of this author or his character. I'm so glad I did. This book passed all my tests with flying colors! Readers are not left with gaps in knowledge by not having read the first book and I trust that will remain the case as the character moves forward into more stories. Nor is the reader stuck with annoying story breaks where awkward chunks of background are tossed. The characters in this book are all interesting and have enough depth that it pulls you in and makes you want to get better acquainted. The story itself is action packed and full of suspence, I read the entire book in a day because I simply couldnt walk away.I will be watching for more of Nick Heller's adventures...thank you Mr Finder!