Release Day Review: The Dollmaker by Mary Burton (The Forgotten Files Book 2)

 

The Forgotten Files series ups the suspense when the next serial killer comes out of the woodwork and their victims look just like dolls.

Find The Dollmaker buy links HERE

Release date: December 26th, 2023

Genre: Suspense/Thriller, Crime Fiction

My Rating for The Dollmaker: 4.5 Stars and a series recommended read

My Review:

For Dr. Tess McGowan, returning to Richmond, Virginia was fraught with memories and a man who turns her inside out. But in her job as a forensic pathologist, she finds her latest case file to be the most gruesome. Mutilated bodies are being found telling a macabre tale of a sadistic killer who is kidnapping women and turning them into life-like dolls. It’s her job to aid the leading agent on the case, Dakota Sharp, except working together with her estranged husband will cause them both to face their pasts.

Twelve years before, Dakota Sharp’s world was destroyed in a tragedy that caused him to focus on hunting down killers and neglecting his marriage to Tess. When he finds out that Tess is back in town and working in the medical examiner’s office, Dakota is determined to be professional even as he is drawn to this determined woman. But this killer is smart, determined and as they get closer to the deranged psychopath, the killer sets his sights on Tess. Can Dakota and Tess figure out the clues and solve the case before Tess becomes the next victim of THE DOLL MAKER?

Wow, Mary Burton delivers a fast paced story that will chill you to the core even as you flip the pages to see what happens next. Ms. Burton delivers a story that is at times fraught with twists and turns that the reader doesn’t see coming and a secondary story of two people reconnecting and trying to work out their differences. This book is like a puzzle the reader has to figure out. It has a devious and diabolical killer that just chills you to the soul, a mystery that pulls you in and characters that you can’t help but enjoy.  The story moves quickly, keeps the reader glued to the pages and entertained till the very end.

Meet Tess and Dakota. Two headstrong people who are made a mess of their marriage but finally figure out they are meant for one another. I got to admit when I first met Dakota Sharp, he was a bit rough around the edges for my taste, quite focused to point of ignoring everything and everyone around him. That is until Tess comes back into his life. Then my lord, the sparks flew between them. Tess needed that time away from Dakota to see what she needed and wanted while doing work over seas. These two characters are quite entertaining, enjoyable and made me root for them to succeed as a couple even as I tried to figure out the clues left by the killer alongside them. They had substance and were written so life-like I half expected them to pop up in my living room at times while reading THE DOLL MAKER. The killer is just creepy and the author does a fine job in getting into the mind of them to show the reader just how diabolical they can be. The secondary characters are just as well written as our main players and keep the story moving along nicely.

THE DOLL MAKER is a wonderful story that will thrill and chill you this winter’s night as it keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you enjoy a romantic suspense story that is full of twists and turns, a killer that will give you nightmares and a mystery to solve then you will enjoy Ms. Burton’s latest installment in the Forgotten Files series. You don’t have to read book one, The Shark, in order to read this installment. The books stand alone and I know I am eager to see where the third book, The Hangman, goes next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

New Release Book Review: The Shark by Mary Burton

 

When a serial killer is back and dropping bodies left and right, Virginia State Trooper Riley Tatum is determined to help former FBI agent Clay Bowman solve the case even as she gets in the crosshairs with the killer.

Find The Shark Buy Links HERE

My Rating for The Shark: 5 Stars and a Recommended Read

My Book Review:

For Virginia state trooper Riley Tatum, this grisly murder scene is one straight from her nightmares and comes back to haunt her in a big way. For when Riley was a teenage runaway, she was abducted and drugged then left unconscious on the streets days later with only a pack of playing cards in her back pocket and more questions than answers. After finding out the similarities to her past, Riley finds herself working with former FBI agent Connor Bowman and her long ago one night stand from Shield Security. He is determined to keep Riley safe even as he tries to get her to trust him again in order to bring down this serial killer. For Connor keeping Riley is just the tip of the ice burg as ‘The Shark’ is determined to make sure he goes out in winning style by going after the one that got away-Riley.

Wowser is all I can say after reading the first book in Ms. Burton’s brand new series, The Forgotten Files. I absolutely loved THE SHARK and was drawn in by Riley and her determination in moving forward with her life, forgetting all that has happened in her past and try to make a life for herself as a state trooper. She thought she put it all behind her, the weird memories of two people playing poker, cigar smoke and more but when a dead prostitute brings it all rolling back, well  let’s just say Riley is about to confront her past in a way she never expected. Ms. Burton does a great job in capturing the characters personalities perfectly. From The Shark’s determination to win no matter what to Riley letting Connor into her life bit by bit, this is an author who captivates you even as she teases you with glimpses and glimmers of  who the shark is playing with in his high stakes poker games. The cast of characters are interesting even as they are varied. With her deft touch, she created strong likeable characters that just draw you in and fall in love with even as she takes you on a twisted game alongside the killer. I found myself glued to the pages as I tried to see where The Shark was going in his twisted game and how it would end up. I was pleasantly surprised at the ending and that twist alone left me reeling.

THE SHARK is a fast paced thrill ride from start to finish that will leave you guessing till the very end. With top notch characters that fairly jump out of the story to a serial killer that gave me chills as he goes after the one that got away, Ms. Burton delivers a powerful new introduction into a series that is surely going to be my favorite in the future. Now I can’t wait to see where she takes the reader next and hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next installment of the Forgotten Files.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

The Forgotten Files Trilogy:

Book 1: The Shark

Book 2: The Dollmaker

Book 3: The Hangman