Scorched Grounds is the second book by Debbie Herbert in the Normal, Alabama series. For those wondering, yes there is a Normal Alabama. It’s an…. unusual place and one I don’t care to drive through again. The series is set in the same location but with totally different characters so join us as we get to know the people from Normal.Della Stallings’ father went to prison for murdering her mother and brother. Della was the sole survivor of this tragedy, one that has left her with a debilitating p...

What a stunner this is! Scorched Grounds by Debbie Herbert is a southern gothic thriller of devastating family drama that will have you on the edge of your seat. Della Stallings was eight when her father was sent to prison for setting the fire that killed her mother and brother. Eighteen years later, she has grown into a frightened and traumatized loner. Her fears worsen when her father is released from prison on insufficient evidence, and then more gruesome murders occur that seem to implicate

Debbie Herbert kept me guessing until the big reveal and them some. The tension was high and the detail was superb. My only complaint was that there were a lot of mentions of Della's friendship with Libbie that weren't backed up anywhere. I think the story would have been just as strong without them.

4.5 StarsI think SCORCHED GROUNDS is a taut and suspenseful thriller and I enjoyed it even better than the previous story COLD WATERS. Years ago, Della's mother and little brother were murdered presumably by her father and he is now being released from prison. And now she has to come to grips with the fact that many people in her hometown are starting to believe him. She works the night shift at the local hospital and begins to feel as if she is being watched. Then another murder occurs implicat...

This was my first book by this author. I think she is one to watch. The book was about a woman Della whose father was arrested 18 years ago for murdering her mother and brother. In the beginning of the book her father is released from prison and she is not happy about it because she believes he did it. Then soon after he is released a woman is found murdered. Della thinks it can't be a coincidence and she begins her own investigation to determine whether her father killed her family or not.I fou...

The second book in the Normal, Alabama series. Della lives a quiet life in Normal, working the night shift at the hospital. Her father is in prison for the murder of her mother and brother, but he is being released on a technicality. Della believes him to be guilty. When another woman is killed, Della questions if her father is a killer or someone else is behind the deaths. An atmospheric thriller. Vivid setting. Interesting characters. Gripping story.

The intrigue in the second book of the Normal, Alabama series is immediate, as the prologue is dramatically unsettling. As I continued reading, my attention never lessened as Debbie Herbert kept the conspiracies mounting along with my desire to uncover the facts. Uncertainties about a prior incident continue to haunt one woman throughout SCORCHED GROUNDS, and when current circumstances could perhaps be tied to what occurred many years ago, she makes it her mission to expose the truth. I have alw...

In my younger years, I loved reading books by Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney and others who wrote in the Gothic romance genre. I am happy to have found a similar author in Debbie Herbert.Della Stallings is traumatized at the age of 8 when her mother and younger brother, Jimmy, are brutally stabbed and the killer chases her through the woods. When her father is convicted of the heinous crime, Della goes to live with her Aunt Sylvie. Fast forward 20 years and Della's father, Hunter, is released fr...

Scorched Grounds by author Debbie Herbert keeps the reader turning the pages without taking a break! Scorched Grounds is the second in the Normal. AL series and the suspense before the end of the book had me almost on the edge of my seat. Della Stallings is trying hard to live a somewhat normal life after witnessing the horrendous murder of her mother and younger brother. Her father was convicted of the murders and sent to prison. It is eighteen years later and Della has found out her father is

"The word that immediately comes to mind while reading SCORCHED GROUNDS by Debbie Herbert is I-N-T-E-N-S-E. Not the usual run of the mill white knuckle stuff, but the kind of heart-stopping intensity that only comes along every great once in a while. My jaw still aches from being in a state of perpetual drop throughout the entirety of the book. I highly recommend this compelling read!"

Wow, what a wonderful, intriguing book!After losing her mother and brother, having to deal with her fathers release from prison is just too much to bear.When similar crimes begin happening, all fingers point to the father as the culprit, but is he really guilty?I had guessed it totally wrong! I kept trying to figure it out, but I was so wrong!I was left absolutely speechless at the reveal. I will have to keep my eye out for other books by this author.

Mystery and suspense in a story and has you hanging on every word. At no point was I bored. The author makes you really think about what's going on and who the killer really is. Is it Della's father or could it be someone else but does that make sense? So many questions and you need to read until the end to find out the truth and then some. If you like mystery then it's a definite must read and if you're not sure it's a definite must read!

Debbie Herbert has done it again. From page one, you are drawn into the story. The book has everything you could want; excitement, mystery, emotion, & suspense. This is book two in a series, but the characters are not the same from Cold Waters. As with the first story, the characters come alive through the author's writing, and you feel like you've known them forever. The story not only entertains you, but makes you think. I was a tad confused about Libby. I think that relationship needed to be

This book is entertaining, action packed and thoroughly enjoyable. The chemistry between the characters is wonderful. I can't wait for more from this author. I received this book as a FREE ARC copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.

This was a very crafty story. I just love this author. She was able to weave mystery and suspense in and out of the lives of so many in the town of Normal, Alabama. I have to say, I didn’t see this ending this way. I sort of wondered about who the killer was but I never suspected the part of someone else. Shoot, I want to talk about it but it would spoil it. Goes to show you that some people aren’t always who you think they are. It kept me turning pages way into the night. I liked even better th...