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

Book Review- I See You by Mary Burton

An FBI agent joins forces with her on/off lover, a homicide detective to help solve a cold case that has a killer determined to not get caught.

My Rating for I SEE You: 4 Stars

Find I See You at Amazon

FBI Special Agent Zoe Spencer has a gift of revealing who the people are behind the skeletal remains through sculpture. The process is scientific but also intimate and sensitive to the degree that Zoe always gets attached to the people she is identifies and tries to get justice for. When she gets some remains that go back to a decade old cold case, she finds herself into a case that has more victims than they imagined. As Zoe travels to the victim’s hometown and finds herself enmeshed in a case that will bring danger to her door. Time’s running out and it’s up to Zoe and her on/off lover, homicide detective William Vaughn to bring the killer to justice…if they can stay alive to do that.

Wow is all I can say about the latest thriller from Mary Burton. Filled with twists and turns you don’t see coming, the author does an amazing job in capturing the reader’s attention right off the bat. I SEE YOU is an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish and I was glued to the pages along side William and Zoe as they raced against the clock for a killer determined to keep them from catching them. The action started right off the bat and I loved how the author kept the reader in the dark about the case as Zoe and William got deeper into it, making those twists that showed up all more intriguing and surprising. The author does a great job in capturing the suspense of the case and the characters at center of said cold case kept me guessing till the very end.

I SEE YOU is one that is multilayered and will keep the reader glued to the edge of their seats till the very twisty end. I loved how the author kept me in the dark on who the killer was and why. I found it to be quite a surprise and one I sure did not see coming. The characters were intriguing, multilayered and complex. I liked knowing more about Zoe’s job in the FBI and found it fascinating to see how the process comes about. The author does a great job in keeping the reader guessing and I, for one, can’t wait to see where the author goes next in the series. The cold case is interesting and intriguing as all the players made themselves known and kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen next.

If you enjoy a complex thriller with intriguing characters, then grab this author’s newest book, I SEE YOU, second in the Criminal Profiler series. Each book is a standalone, so you don’t really have to read book one, Hide and Seek, to get the sense of the series at all.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Criminal Profilier series:

Book 1: Hide and Seek

Book 2: I See You

Release Week Spotlight & Giveaway- I See You by Mary Burton

Please welcome one of my favorite authors, Mary Burton, here to the Reading Nook for a spotlight on her brand new book, I See You, out October 8th world-wide. Check it out below after a note from Ms. Burton and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post either.

An Affair (and a Murder) To Remember with Author Mary Burton

I SEE YOU, my latest romantic suspense, features two of my very favorite characters: Homicide Detective William Vaughan and FBI Special Agent Zoe Spencer. 

Zoe Spencer is a member of an FBI criminal profiling team dedicated to finding the most violent and prolific killers. Zoe, a talented artist and agent, specializes in forensic reconstruction. She skillfully merges her interview skills with pencil and paper to create stunning likenesses. And when only bones remain, she molds clay over bone to recreate the faces of the lost.

Zoe’s work generates a high case-closure rate, which draws the attention of the law enforcement community. Her lectures at the FBI headquarters at Quantico are often standing room only. Among those interested in her work is Homicide Detective William Vaughan.  

Detective Vaughan, divorced and raising a college bound teenager, is a man of few words and when he does comment, his observations are always thoughtful and insightful. He not only hears what is said and but sees what is communicated via body language.
The more time Vaughan spends with Zoe, the greater his desire to breach her cool demeanor. He draws upon all his powers of observation, practiced detective skills and his somewhat rusty charm to win her. Though they begin an affair, she still remains elusive.
When a charred skull is found in Vaughan’s jurisdiction of Alexandria, Virginia, he turns to Zoe. Zoe recreates a stunning clay bust that leads to the identification of a girl who has been missing for fifteen years.

As Vaughan and Zoe dig deeper, the cold case heats up when several more women, similar to their victim, are discovered brutally murdered. This killer, who has avoided capture for so many years, is still hunting women. It becomes a race against time to catch a madman who shifts his sights to his next victim: Zoe Spencer.

I hope you enjoy I SEE YOU and this magnetic couple who I’ve pitted against one of my most chilling villains so far.  

Title: I See You

Author: Mary Burton

Release Date: October 8, 2019

Publisher: Montlake

Summary

FBI special agent Zoe Spencer uses skeletal remains to recreate the faces of murder victims through sculpture. Though highly scientific, the process is also sensitive and intimate; she becomes attached to the individuals she identifies, desperate to find justice for each.

As Zoe examines old remains, she sees a teenage girl looking back at her—the victim in a cold case from over a decade ago. Zoe wants nothing more than to tell this young woman’s story and to bring her killer to justice.

Zoe’s case leads her to the victim’s hometown and to homicide detective William Vaughan, Zoe’s on-again, off-again lover. As the two become more involved in the case, they quickly realize that it isn’t as cold as they first believed: someone’s still out there hunting women. And with more women gone missing, time’s running out. Can they work together and stop this madman before he kills again?

***

I See You Excerpt

The instant Vaughan woke, he knew she was gone. He should not have been surprised. She never stayed long, but he’d thought last night would be different. 

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and instantly spotted the note on the mirror. It was written on the back of the fast-food receipt in fluid and graceful handwriting. 

Called a car. Didn’t want to wake you. 

Spencer. He knew how to make that woman’s body tighten with desire and how to make her moan in a way that told him she was fully attuned to his body. But beyond that, she was still a complete stranger. 

He flicked the edge of the note, surprised he had not awoken. Since he had become a cop and father, he had turned into a light sleeper. Both incarnations, like a doctor on call, were summoned at all times of the day and night. His ability to shake off sleep in seconds and then think clearly was well honed. But yesterday had been long, even for him. 

He laid the note on his dresser as he glanced at the pillow that still held the impression of her head. It was not like him to be sentimental, but he was sorry he likely would not see her for a while. 

He showered, and fifteen minutes later he was dressed, his badge and sidearm on his belt. As the coffee brewed, he scrambled five eggs before he realized Nate was gone. He toasted a bagel and ate alone at the kitchen table. 

He filled a travel mug with more coffee and was on the road by six o’clock. Moonlight mingled with the lights looming over I-395 as he looped around the beltway and headed north toward his exit. The traffic was already building, and soon it would slow to a snail’s pace. 

With luck, the first wave of files from the Prince case would be in his office. He had been warned that there were a dozen file boxes, but he did not care. He also had the autopsy of the Jane Doe stabbed to death in the motel room to attend. It was going to be another long day. 

Fifteen minutes later, he had parked and was in the break room, refilling his coffee. When he flipped on the lights of his office, there were six file boxes stacked in front of his desk. A green sticky note read More to come. 

It was too early to call the medical examiner about his Jane Doe from the motel room, so he set his cup down and flipped through the first set of files. 

He spent the next hour and a half reading through the detectives’ notes. At the time of Marsha’s disappearance, the detectives had exhausted every lead and tip that had come into the station, but in the end came up with nothing.

***

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Author Biography

New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Mary Burton is the popular author of thirty-five romance and suspense novels as well as five novellas. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband and three miniature dachshunds. Visit her at www.maryburton.com.

Social Media Links

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