Before the Dawn

Narrator Summer Morton uses a low, serious tone to deliver this mystery. FBI profiler Tucker Frost can't forget the pain his brother, a serial killer, once inflicted on his girlfriend, Dawn Alexander. Now, years later, a copycat killer brings Tucker to New Orleans, where Dawn is a private investigator. Drawn back together, Tucker and Dawn face deadly peril from an unknown killer whose motives seem personal. Morton's measured pace builds the suspense of the escalating violence. And her controlled portrayal of Tucker captures his laser focus on keeping Dawn safe as the investigation whirls around them. For Dawn, Morton uses a light, yet determined tone. Distinct character voices with hints of Southern accents round out the performance. C.A. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 12, 2017
Eden expertly twines terror and true love in her second Killer Instinct contemporary romantic thriller (following After the Dark). As a teen, Dawn Alexander was the sole survivor of a serial killer named Jason Frost; she was saved by Jason’s brother, Tucker, who shot him to save her. Seven years later, Dawn is working as a private investigator in New Orleans and is determined not to be a victim ever again. Tucker, who joined the SEALs and is now with the FBI, is an honorable man—unlike his sadistic father and evil brother. When a serial killer starts operating in New Orleans with his brother’s hallmarks, Tucker and his FBI team move in, not sure whether they’ll find a copycat or Jason somehow returned from the dead. Either way, Tucker believes Dawn is in danger, and he’ll do anything to keep her safe, even if it means sacrificing his own life. Eden employs countless red herrings, making it impossible to tell who the real killer is until the book’s end. This winning tale is a tightly plotted, expertly characterized adrenaline rush from start to finish.