Senseless

October 4, 2010
Stieg Larsson fans will find a lot to like in Burton's taut, well-paced novel of romantic suspense. Eva Rayburn returns home to Alexandria, Va., after serving 10 years in prison for a crime she's not sure she committed—the murder of Josiah Cross—after the terrible night when Josiah, the ex-boyfriend of one of Eva's college sorority sisters, terrorized Eva and the other residents of their sorority house, branding each with a four-pointed star. Now, the women who survived are starting to die at the hands of a serial killer, who first brands each victim with a four-pointed star. Eva joins forces with Deacon Garrison, an Alexandria city homicide detective, to find the revenge killer. Despite their initial distrust, Deacon and Eva end up unable to fight the spark between them. Burton (Dead Ringer) surrounds her appealing protagonist with a strong supporting cast, including a largehearted bar owner, a ruthless crime reporter, and a self-preserving socialite.

October 1, 2010

Ten years after surviving a brutal attack that led to her subsequent arrest and ten-year imprisonment because of the death of her attacker, Eva Rayburn returns home to Alexandria, VA, to rebuild her life. Only now bodies are being discovered, and they're somehow related to that long-ago crime, an event she could never fully remember. Homicide detective Deacon Garrison must battle his attraction to Eva and figure out whether she's involved in these new killings, and if so, why. VERDICT In the first of two linked novels, rising romantic suspense star Burton (Dying Scream) gives us a fast-paced thriller with a touch of romance. With hard-edged, imperfect but memorable characters, a complex plot, and no-nonsense dialog, this excellent novel will appeal to fans of Lisa Gardner and Lisa Jackson. [Merciless, the second book, will be published February 2011.--Ed.]--Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City/Cty. Lib. Dist., St. Peters, MO

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