Better Left Buried
Mary E. Roach
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
KNIVES OUT meets A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER in Mary E. Roach’s debut YA mystery Better Left Buried, in which two girls try to get to the bottom of a town full of secrets, a family full of mystery and an abandoned amusement park where people keep turning up dead.
Lucy Preston just wants to go on vacation. But being the daughter of a famous private detective means that sometimes, your beach vacay goes off the rails a bit. Think: a clandestine meeting at an abandoned amusement park—except instead of a meeting, Lucy and her mom find a body. Because of course they do.
As Lucy’s mom is swept into top-secret detective stuff, Lucy sets out to investigate her mom’s mysterious connection with this town. Lucy’s snooping sets her on a collision course with Audrey Nelson, the mysterious girl on the motorcycle who was there the night they found the body. Lucy has questions, and Audrey has answers, but there’s this tiny problem: Lucy’s mom is investigating Audrey’s mom . . . for murder.
Everyone has something to hide, and if Lucy and Audrey can’t work together to uncover secrets that go back generations, there will likely be another body found at the base of the old roller coaster. And this time it might just be Lucy’s.
Alternating between Lucy and Audrey’s point of view, and filled with suspense as secrets are spilled, Better Left Buried is sure to leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.
Lucy Preston just wants to go on vacation. But being the daughter of a famous private detective means that sometimes, your beach vacay goes off the rails a bit. Think: a clandestine meeting at an abandoned amusement park—except instead of a meeting, Lucy and her mom find a body. Because of course they do.
As Lucy’s mom is swept into top-secret detective stuff, Lucy sets out to investigate her mom’s mysterious connection with this town. Lucy’s snooping sets her on a collision course with Audrey Nelson, the mysterious girl on the motorcycle who was there the night they found the body. Lucy has questions, and Audrey has answers, but there’s this tiny problem: Lucy’s mom is investigating Audrey’s mom . . . for murder.
Everyone has something to hide, and if Lucy and Audrey can’t work together to uncover secrets that go back generations, there will likely be another body found at the base of the old roller coaster. And this time it might just be Lucy’s.
Alternating between Lucy and Audrey’s point of view, and filled with suspense as secrets are spilled, Better Left Buried is sure to leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.
Product Details
| Publisher | Disney Hyperion |
| Publish Date | August 06, 2024 |
| Pages | 304 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781368098403 |
| Dimensions | 8.5 X 5.8 X 1.0 inches | 0.9 pounds |
About the Author
Mary E. Roach is an author of thrillers and mysteries and a fan of all things spooky. (But ask about true crime podcasts at your own risk. There are hot takes).
When Mary is not writing stories for and about powerful girls, she can be found teaching martial arts, baking an unreasonable number of cookies, or taking off on thru-hikes through the wilderness of northern Minnesota.
When Mary is not writing stories for and about powerful girls, she can be found teaching martial arts, baking an unreasonable number of cookies, or taking off on thru-hikes through the wilderness of northern Minnesota.
Reviews
Praise for Better Left Buried:
"Propulsive and smart, Better Left Buried is a groundbreaking thriller that is as heart pounding as it is heartfelt. No one writes like Mary E. Roach. Fan for life."
—J. Elle, New York Times bestselling author of House of Marionne
"Roach's sapphic characters are messy, complex, and intensely readable in this page turning thriller!"
—Meryl Wilsner, USA Today bestselling author
“Intense and darkly romantic, Better Left Buried kept me turning the pages late into the night. A beautiful and empowering thriller. Roach is must-read talent.”
—Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author
★ "[An] expertly paced debut thriller."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An intriguing and quick-moving thrill ride of a whodunit with a fledging amateur detective driving the tension."
—Kirkus
"The pace and plot are intense and tightly wound. Roach is off to a great start with her debut mystery."
—Donna Scanlon, Booklist
Praise for Seven for a Secret:
One of Marie Claire's 18 Most-Anticipated Mystery-Thriller Books of 2025
“At once a gentle love letter to forgotten girls and a vicious indictment of the culture that pushes them to the fringes—just as wrathful as it is satisfying, like a furious scream that demands to be heard.”
—Codie Crowley, author of Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch
"An unflinching portrait of lost innocence, as well as a heartbreaking exploration of sisterhood and survival, Roach’s sophomore thriller is one not to be missed."
—MK Pagano, author of Girls Who Burn
"Roach carefully draws out the suspense, and her strong pacing allows the details fall into place, pulling readers into this story of vulnerable young women and the impact on their lives of powerful men with status in their community. A grimly atmospheric and unsettling mystery."
—Kirkus
"Propulsive and smart, Better Left Buried is a groundbreaking thriller that is as heart pounding as it is heartfelt. No one writes like Mary E. Roach. Fan for life."
—J. Elle, New York Times bestselling author of House of Marionne
"Roach's sapphic characters are messy, complex, and intensely readable in this page turning thriller!"
—Meryl Wilsner, USA Today bestselling author
“Intense and darkly romantic, Better Left Buried kept me turning the pages late into the night. A beautiful and empowering thriller. Roach is must-read talent.”
—Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author
★ "[An] expertly paced debut thriller."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An intriguing and quick-moving thrill ride of a whodunit with a fledging amateur detective driving the tension."
—Kirkus
"The pace and plot are intense and tightly wound. Roach is off to a great start with her debut mystery."
—Donna Scanlon, Booklist
Praise for Seven for a Secret:
One of Marie Claire's 18 Most-Anticipated Mystery-Thriller Books of 2025
“At once a gentle love letter to forgotten girls and a vicious indictment of the culture that pushes them to the fringes—just as wrathful as it is satisfying, like a furious scream that demands to be heard.”
—Codie Crowley, author of Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch
"An unflinching portrait of lost innocence, as well as a heartbreaking exploration of sisterhood and survival, Roach’s sophomore thriller is one not to be missed."
—MK Pagano, author of Girls Who Burn
"Roach carefully draws out the suspense, and her strong pacing allows the details fall into place, pulling readers into this story of vulnerable young women and the impact on their lives of powerful men with status in their community. A grimly atmospheric and unsettling mystery."
—Kirkus
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