I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A woman must contend with long buried secrets that could shake the foundations of her entire family in author Robert Hoffman’s “Taken to the Grave.”

The Synopsis

Maria Abrams has always needed answers. A college professor with a gift for logic, she believes that if you dig long enough, the truth will rise to the surface. But when she turns her relentless curiosity toward her own family, she unearths more than she bargained for: a web of secrets her mother carried silently to the grave.

A precious gift from her favorite niece reveals a hidden relationship and its lasting consequences, Maria’s pursuit of clarity collides with the resistance of relatives who would rather leave the past buried. Her journey takes her from small-town New York to séances with reluctant mediums, forcing her to confront uncomfortable truths about loyalty, betrayal, and the fragile bonds that hold families together.

Taken to the Grave is a layered family mystery about identity, silence, and the cost of uncovering what was meant to remain hidden. At once intimate and suspenseful, it asks the ultimate question: when does the truth set us free, and when does it break us apart?

The Review

This was a compelling and gripping read. The tension and drama that unfolds as the story progresses will keep readers on the edge of their seat, and the powerful imagery the author uses in their writing felt almost cinematic in nature, allowing readers to be immersed in the world the author brought to life on the page. The balance of character dynamics and powerful themes was on point in this narrative, as these characters helped drive the story forward and kept the reader invested.

Yet it was the themes and the story itself that really shined the brightest. The harsh realities that our parents are people too and are often holding onto their own secrets from the world, including their own families, is a hard pill to swallow, and the realization also comes with many doubts about one’s identity and place in the world. The fear is that discovering a secret that changes everything isn’t the worst thing, but the way that secret reframes the relationship you had with a person and/or your memories of them is. The emotional depth of the protagonist’s exploration of this secret and the ultimate revelations it brings to life will leave readers breathless.

The Verdict

Compelling, thrilling, and memorable, author Robert Hoffman’s “Taken to the Grave” is a must-read contemporary drama. The twists and turns this story takes and the emotional journey the protagonist goes on, as well as the shocking revelations and heartfelt connection between the protagonist and their late mother will keep readers both emotionally invested and on the edge of their seats as these revelations come to pass. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

It’s about time somebody asked that question.  Rob Hoffman is originally from a town on Long Island called North Massapequa.  He attended SUNY Oswego where he majored in Communications, a degree that it turned out he had little use for.  He did however meet  the woman who would eventually become my wife, the former Michelle Lindell.  Rob and Michelle lived in the aptly named Flushing, Queens for six years before moving to a town called Clifton Park, New York just south of Saratoga Springs.  Finding little value in his degree in communications, Rob became a social studies teacher, teaching in Long Island City, Queens for four years before spending the remainder of his career in Rensselaer, New York, a small city on the banks of the Hudson River just across the water from Albany.  Rob taught for 31 years before retiring in June of 2021, only to come back as a part-time teacher in September of 2021 at Rensselaer High School.  Rob had always been interested in becoming a writer and he began his blogging career as a contributor at the “Times Union” of Albany for six years.  In this time Rob also blogged for a variety of sites including Fark.com, Crooks and Liars.com, Albany.com, and Knees and Fists.com.  Rob has remained happily married to Michelle for 34 years and counting, and has two grown sons, Andrew and Alex, ages 29 and 23.  Most recently, Rob and Michelle became grandparents to the newest addition to the family, Sam Hoffman, son of Andrew and his wife Katie.

“Blind Spot” represents Rob’s first true attempt at writing fiction, an experience Rob both fun and exhausting.  Rob had thrown around several ideas as he began to think about what it was he wanted to write about, and then one day his wife had sent him to the supermarket on an errand where he saw somebody he really didn’t want to spend anytime talking to, so he raced out of the store, got in his car, turned it on, slammed it into reverse and was about to speed out of the spot when he stopped himself and said, “Dumb-ass, be careful, you could hit somebody.”  Then, as Rob began to slowly and carefully pull out of his parking spot, he thought for another second and it occurred to him how ironic it would be if he accidentally hit the person he was trying to get away from and “Blind Spot” was born.  The character of Doug Kaplan, while not autobiographical, is sort of based on the best and worst of Rob’s traits.  Doug is at times the guy Rob always wanted to be, and yet at the same time, Doug also represented the guy Rob was relieved to know he never became. The other characters according to Rob are combinations of people that he knew from his childhood, as well as college and work experiences.