Together with his new partner, Detective Inspector Louise Porter from the Kidnap Unit, Thorne searches Mullen's career to discover any potential revenge factor. They discover a connection to unsolved hate crimes. They search for Grant Freestone, a wanted child molester, who had a grudge against Mullen. But then the kidnapper is found slashed to death with Luke’s fingerprints on the knife. Luke has disappeared. Thorne believes Luke has been re-abducted. The search into Mullen’s background begins again with the final solution coming as a surprise.

To add to Thorne’s problem, he has to cope with a worsening back injury, delusions of the appearance of his dead father, his possible romantic feeling for Porter, and sympathy for the romantic troubles of his best friend, gay pathologist, Phil Hendricks. (Is it any wonder that he solved this case?)

Buried is an excellent police procedural. The story is well plotted, with chapters alternating between the police search and the travails of Luke and the kidnapper, creating a sense of participation. There are enough twists and turns to keep the reader’s interest throughout. The characters come alive as human beings with human frailties and secrets.