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Before She Dies

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 342 ratings · 70 reviews

Romantic suspense star Burton infuses every sentence with suspense in "Before She Dies," her chilling new thriller in which a serial killer obsessed with the occult plays judge, jury, and executioner. Original.

In death, they are purified. Holding his victims under water, he washes away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the gr...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published February 1st 2012 by Zebra (first published January 31st 2012)

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Feb 22, 2012 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-vixen-reviews, first-reads-arcs-won-a-copy, sucked, boring, contemporary, crime-police-mystery-private-invest, read-2012, serial-killer, suspense

Despite its label of Romantic Suspense, this book has barely any romance. In the beginning of the book, when I was enjoying it, I thought I might like the overall story despite my irritation with not delivering on the promised “R” in “RS.” Unfortunately, that optimism only holds true when I’m actually enjoying said book.

I really liked the beginning of the book. It opens with the hero and heroine already sleeping together, which I haven’t seen very often in Romance. But don’t get the impression...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Wanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-book, suspense-mystery, kindle-books

The dead body is positioned on her back, limbs outstretched and staked to the ground. The victim is fully dressed, hair splayed out behind her head. A ring of salt encircles her body. The word witch is tattooed on her forehead in black letters.

This is a story of suspense that will invade your dreams. From beginning to end, the story captured my interest with its haunting storyline.

Charlotte Wellington, aka Grace Tate, is a defense attorney, living a good lifestyle, but carrying dark secrets fr...more The dead body is positioned on her back, limbs outstretched and staked to the ground. The victim is fully dressed, hair splayed out behind her head. A ring of salt encircles her body. The word witch is tattooed on her forehead in black letters.

This is a story of suspense that will invade your dreams. From beginning to end, the story captured my interest with its haunting storyline.

Charlotte Wellington, aka Grace Tate, is a defense attorney, living a good lifestyle, but carrying dark secrets from her past. Charlotte lived as a lowlife carnie who did what she had to do to put pennies in her pocket. Grady Tate, her stepdad, entered her life when she was eight and her sister, Mariah, ten. Her mother had met Grady when the carnival came to town and moved in with him, along with Grace and Mariah, three weeks later. Her mother worked as the carnival's Madame Divine as a psychic until she died. It was then up to Grace and Mariah to take over the position of Madame Divine. When Grace is sixteen, Mariah is found murdered. Grace leaves the carnival life, her stepdad, and Mariah's eight day old baby girl, Sooner. She is determined to put her past behind her. She changes her name and becomes educated and soon a successful lawyer.

Eighteen years later, the carnival comes to town along with Grady. He threatens to expose Charlotte's past if she doesn't help Sooner, whom she hasn't seen since a baby. Sooner has been arrested for shoplifting and has developed a tough facade from growing up too fast.

Daniel Rokov, a detective working on the gruesome murders in the area, is having gratuitous sex with Charlotte. Charlotte wants only the clandestine encounters with no strings attached, but Rokov recognizes early on that he is much like Charlotte, closed and guarded, and wants more from the relationship. Charlotte's childhood has taught her to savor the good moments because they could be fleeting and rare. She is afraid of a relationship. And the story continues with many secrets unfolding throughout.

This was my first time reading a Mary Burton book and I'm sure I'll be reading more. One negative comment - I felt the story's conclusion came about too quickly - almost like the writer ran out of steam. That being said, I found the book to be a great read and I do highly recommend it. (less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Nell rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Mary Burton, and I have to say I was awe-struck. This was a really good book. Usually, when I read books about carnivals, I don’t see the other side of things like I did in this book. You never think about how shady some people can be and how their lives are changed by all the traveling and hardship associated with the state fairs and carnivals. All you think about when you go to the fair are the rides, the good food, games, and the cotton candy. In this...more This is the first book I’ve ever read by Mary Burton, and I have to say I was awe-struck. This was a really good book. Usually, when I read books about carnivals, I don’t see the other side of things like I did in this book. You never think about how shady some people can be and how their lives are changed by all the traveling and hardship associated with the state fairs and carnivals. All you think about when you go to the fair are the rides, the good food, games, and the cotton candy. In this book, you learn a little bit more about the lifestyle and how people who are not a part of the carny life see them. I never thought to look down my nose at someone for being a carny; I just thought it was fun to go to the fair, ride the rides, eat the food, buy things, play the games just to loose, and try to con someone out of giving me a stuffed animal that I could never hope to win. It’s fun and exciting as a kid, and as an adult, normally you take your kids or your niece in my case to find joy in seeing them enjoy themselves. This book gives you a whole different view of the carnival life.

Okay, enough about that. The book was great. From the start I was enthralled, snapped up and pulled into the action, the character’s lives, their past, the case, and the investigation. Usually, when I read a good mystery, I get caught up in the mystery and who did it; this time, I was caught up in everything. The whole book was a kind of mystery. Secrets are revealed throughout the book, people’s lives are at stake, and you’re not really so much worried about who the killer is as much as you are about the characters and their lives. I was so caught up in Grace, the lead female’s life and all the secrets she kept that I nearly forgot to try to figure it all out. In the end, it didn’t even matter because I didn’t guess right anyway. Well, the killer was on my suspect list, but I kept saying, “No, it can’t be that person.” Then all is revealed and I’m going, “seriously, this is really happening.” There was a little mysticism thrown in there for even more mystery and through provoking moments. I really enjoyed the book altogether, and I was a little disappointed when it ended because I wanted to keep knowing the characters, to keep learning about their lives and their pasts. This will be a book I’ll remember for a long time; I know I’ll more than likely read it again.
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May 01, 2012 Marilyn Rondeau rated it 5 of 5 stars

During their death, they are purified as the killer holds his victims under water to wash away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the ground to expose them for what they are - witches - sent to tempt and corrupt him.

No one knows a thing of defense attorney Charlotte Wellington’s childhood past with the carnival that just arrived in town, or about her murdered sister. Including Detective Daniel Rokov who would like to be more than just Charlotte’s be...more During their death, they are purified as the killer holds his victims under water to wash away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the ground to expose them for what they are - witches - sent to tempt and corrupt him.
 
No one knows a thing of defense attorney Charlotte Wellington’s childhood past with the carnival that just arrived in town, or about her murdered sister. Including Detective Daniel Rokov who would like to be more than just Charlotte’s bed partner. Charlotte wants to forget that past, she won’t let anyone get that close. However others are not willing for that to happen, especially the psycho killer that plans to have Charlotte as his final victim and only by sharing her past with Daniel will she ever have a chance for a future.  

*** If you have read her earlier novels SENSELESS or MERCILESS you will have some idea of the fabulously crafted villains, Mary Burton creates and the edge of the seat suspense one gets with each turn of the page. Burton’s books are not for the faint of heart, nor are they the books that you want to start in early evening as you will become so involved that the ‘wee hours of the morn’ are when you are most likely to lay the books down, if at all until done 

After reading the above mentioned SENSELESS and MERCILESS, followed by BEFORE SHE DIES, I have discovered that Burton can dream up some of the nastiest villains who she then gives some of the most creative and terrifyingly ways to both torture, maim, and kill their victims.  

Actually, the heroine in this book played somewhat small parts in the others so that now you are getting the whole background on the super tough defense attorney Charlotte “Ice Queen” Wellington. Charlotte has always played her cards close to her vest, not allowing anyone in who might recognize her as the ‘carny’ kid. Burton enforced Charlotte’s wall of reserve in many ways, no one was allowed in - ever. As much as Charlotte liked Daniel, whom she was having the most colossal sex with, and was also a most divine ‘take charge’ kind of protective guy he knew little of her background.  

Bottom line: Burton writes the kind of books that absorb and keep you looking over your shoulder wondering who might be the villain - SURPRISE - you never see it coming. BEFORE SHE DIES is a stellar example of what you want most in a romantic suspense book. Highly recommended reading! (less)

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Mar 11, 2012 Viviane Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Charlotte is determined to let nothing get in the way of justice! After a night of sex with colleague Rokov in which he hopes for more in their relationship and she hopes for nothing, they are called to the site of a grisly murder. It's clearly one with occult connections as the body's appearance reveals, a startling sight, a case which Rokov will be struggling to solve and close.

Charlotte has the reputation of a no-nonsense, effective lawyer whose world is about to become unraveled when Grady T...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense

Reviewed By~Ursula
Review Copy Provided By~Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting

Charlotte is a strong, independent ball buster of an attorney. Time is money and work is everything...at least that is how Charlotte feels. She's viewed by others as a no nonsense, no holds barred defense attorney that was raised in high society. But she has secrets, big secrets! She prefers to be alone and not have to depend on or confide in anyone, but Rokov, a local detective wants to change that.

The carn...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Jaime rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romantic_suspense

Though not technically part of a series, Before She Dies closes off a loosely connected trilogy that started with Burton’s Senseless and Merciless. I think it was on par with those two books. In some ways, it was stronger. The romance is there from the very beginning rather than materializing towards the end, so we get a chance to root for it a bit longer. I would have liked to see a little more wanting from Charlotte’s point of view, but overall I’m not disappointed in how it developed.

I also t...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, suspense-mystery

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...

She makes him crave dark, evil passion. She must be a witch. The “voice” whispers, she’ll steal his soul. He must kill, but first he must purify her.

Better go lock the doors, close the blinds, and turn on the night lights. Before She Dies is hard to put down once started and if night comes, one surely wants to be locked in safe and secure.

The undercurrent of chilling, terrifying violence threatens to suck Charlotte Wellington and Soon...more Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...

She makes him crave dark, evil passion. She must be a witch. The “voice” whispers, she’ll steal his soul. He must kill, but first he must purify her.

Better go lock the doors, close the blinds, and turn on the night lights. Before She Dies is hard to put down once started and if night comes, one surely wants to be locked in safe and secure.

The undercurrent of chilling, terrifying violence threatens to suck Charlotte Wellington and Sooner Tate under as each works to make a life outside the hocus-pocus of Madame Divine’s carnival tent—a place Grady Tate had demanded they work.

Charlotte Wellington, a hard-edged defense attorney made it to where she is with determination, hard work, and hard lessons learned from Grady Tate. Her colleagues believe her to be a trust-fund baby—she acts the part. She guards her secrets well—past and present. Her newest secret is having sex with the intense detective Daniel Rokov—strictly for sexual gratification with no strings attached. Where this connection takes them makes spellbinding reading.

Even after eighteen years, Charlotte’s life as a carnie still influences and shadows her. She is still haunted by memories of her dead sister Mariah; the baby Sooner; her own dead mother who had come to believe she was truly psychic; and the alcoholic, dyed-in-the-wool carnie Grady Tate. When the carnival comes to town, Sooner and Grady Tate storm back into Charlotte’s life big time.

Old ties that still bind tangle them all in the snare of a killer that believes his mission in life is to trap, purity, and then kill “witches”. This character chills the blood. WOW!

Detective Rokov and his colleagues, with skill, dedication, and tenacity, work the case of the vicious killer who is unspeakably cruel to his victims. Detective Rokov can be as hard-edged as Charlotte is when the need arises, but he is also gentle with giving bad news to victim’s families, respected by his coworkers, and truly caring with his own family—particularly with his grandmother. She’s a sweetheart.

The secondary characters, many as complex and memorable as the primary characters, make Before She Dies a gripping story. Grady Tate has as many layers as an onion. As the layers are peeled away, the reader sees not only his flaws and saving graces but also sees how Charlotte and Sooner came to have their hang-ups.

Sooner who, at eighteen, is determined to spread her wings, fly away from the carnival, and make her way in the world, stirs up a hornet’s nest. Secrets, fears, hatreds, and horrific tortures boil to the surface as author Mary Burton, with subtle clues and foreshadowing, weaves the antagonist into the plot as she continues to weave in the “not-to-be-denied” love that claims Charlotte and Detective Rokov for its very own. However, the multi-layered, memorable characters, the complex plot, and spine-tingling horror are so engrossing; it is easy to overlook the subtleties. Who the antagonist is may be a real surprise.

Ms. Burton’s amazing ability to weave together a tapestry of a tale that keeps one turning pages with bated breath is phenomenal.

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Feb 09, 2012 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

At a crime writing convention I went to last year, there was a good deal of discussion on one panel about why it is that the victims in crime novels are almost always women. Needless to say, it was a heated debate, and a good many reasons were offered. Among these were the fact that it’s easier to elicit an emotional reaction when a female is involved–particularly when that reaction needs to be elicited in the opening pages before the story begins and main characters are introduced. But there’s...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Eleanor rated it 4 of 5 stars

***Though the publisher provides the free book, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

Defense attorney Charlotte (Grace) Wellington is not who everyone thinks she is, but her secrets are safe until the past comes bounding up to her present day door.

Eighteen years ago, when she was a teen, Grace's mother died, and her sister was murdered by a ritualistic nightmare. Grace fled leaving her mother's infant and her baby sister, Sooner, to be adopted.

Now, Charlotte has managed to turn her life into a picture...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Bookaholics rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before She Dies by Mary Burton
Romantic Suspense - Jan. 31st, 2012
3 1/2 Stars

Before She Dies is the story of Defense Attorney Charlotte Wellington. She is working hard and trying to make a name for herself. But what most people don't know about her is the well of deep secrets she keeps that include a childhood spent and working at a carnival and her sister who was murdered there years ago. Charlotte tries her best to keep everyone at a distance but that doesn't stop her from getting involved with...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Rhianna Aspinall rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone suffering a reader's block

Shelves: 2013-reads, on-my-bookshelf-read

This was a very unexpected read and I literally only own it because I thrifted it for £2.00 this week. I didn't know any information about the book, and I've never heard of Burton, so I thought it was the right book to get me out of my reader's block that I've currently been experiencing. I couldn't have picked a better book.

This was such an interesting read and I just cannot bring together a collection of words that do this weirdly fascinating book justice. I found that the characters were dev...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Serial killer romantic suspense readers

Shelves: romantic-suspense, owned-copy, arc, adc-reviews, read-by-december-2011, all-things-winter-challenge, read-the-season-geimhreadh, psychopaths-and-serial-killers, human-monsters, deep-dark-secret, russian-hero-or-heroine, legal-lawyer, police-federal-agent-law-enforcemen, affair-turns-to-love, the-lost-heir, 2011-reading

This is not my personal taste as far as romantic suspense (don't like reading about twisted serial killers), so I don't have much of a basis for comparison. Overall, it was pretty decent, and I did appreciate Charlotte and Daniel Rokov (of Russian heritage) as main characters, and they had good chemistry. The killer was one sick puppy!

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.

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Feb 18, 2012 Wendy Hines rated it 5 of 5 stars

Charlotte Wellington has spent years trying to mak something of herself. Growing up in a carnival, when her sister drowned, she took off on her own. Now, a defense attorney, she has created a very good life for herself and prefers to leave the passt in the past.

When women are found murdered with the word witch tattooed into their foreheads, she doesn't think much of it. Her sometime lover, Detective Daniel Rokov has the lead on the investigation and is stumped on who the killer is. He is determi...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

From Mary Burton's webpage
He Is Their Judge. . .
In death, they are purified. Holding his victims under water, he washes away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the ground, exposing them for what they really are. Witches, sent to tempt and to corrupt. . .
Jury. . .
No one knows about defense attorney Charlotte Wellington’s murdered sister, or about her childhood spent with the carnival that’s just arrived in town. For Charlotte, what’s past is past. Bu...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Nikki Brandyberry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Before She Dies is a wonderful, suspenseful read that will keep you coming back for more of the evil lurking in the dark. Mary Burton has created a nasty villain in the witch hunter/serial killer that would make even the most nonchalant woman quake in her boots.
I found that I instantly liked Charlotte and her see through tough facade. She is your typical woman that has risen from nothing to achieve what most only dream about. She has become more then the carnie and the environment she was raised...more Before She Dies is a wonderful, suspenseful read that will keep you coming back for more of the evil lurking in the dark. Mary Burton has created a nasty villain in the witch hunter/serial killer that would make even the most nonchalant woman quake in her boots.
I found that I instantly liked Charlotte and her see through tough facade. She is your typical woman that has risen from nothing to achieve what most only dream about. She has become more then the carnie and the environment she was raised in. Having to put the past behind her but still not ever truly shaking her roots. She keeps herself hidden from everyone around her. A product of the grief of losing her sister and her mother. I was rooting for her to open up to Daniel and realize that who she was may not be an integral part of her life now, but it did shape her into the strong woman she became. I did have to snort at one point when she reveals she stripped her way through law school. I thought that was so cliche and that Charlotte would have been better served to hold down 3 jobs then to do something that seemed far and gone from her character. For his part, Daniel was a incredibly devoted and talented detective who was willing to do most anything to make his city safe again. I loved the way his mind worked and the thought processes he went through to come to his conclusions about the killer.
My problem came with the connection with each other. I didn’t feel it and even though this is listed as a romantic suspense I’d say the actual romance part was lacking. Both Charlotte and Daniel were so busy with their own story lines that we didn’t get much of a combined one. As a suspense I’d say Before She Dies was spot on. As a romance, it definitely faltered.
The array of secondary characters really revved the book up for me. Daniels Russian grandmother was such a great addition. I loved her being a seer and thought she really fit in with the essance of the book. So many people claiming to have the sight and yet the only one that truly does is a unassuming Russian grandma. She was as mysterious as she was loving and for that I feel she stole the show.
Sooner was a great addition as well. She kept me guessing for a lot of the book and in the end I was surprised with the outcome with her character. She took me by surprise and a million scenarios about her went through my mind while I was reading. While I found her to be a typical teenager in many ways she was also wise beyond her years from having to grow up way to fast. The other carnies looked out for her and typical of most families, guarded their secrets with their lives. Carnival workers seen to have a hierarchy all their own, and in the head position was Charlottes stepfather, Grady. He was creepy and while I never got on board with the doubt Burton was trying to shadow him with I knew he was much more then he seemed.
The ending of Before She Dies in which the source of the killers hatred is revealed felt too much like Burton was trying to neatly tie up all the ends. Sometimes a killer is just crazy, no ulterior motive. I felt a bit let down with the entire back story and thought it seemed like Burton was just trying way to hard.
Before She Dies is a twisting and turning ride through a demented killers mind that is sure to leave you checking your windows and looking behind you as you walk. The characters will stay with you long after the last page and as a suspense, it holds its own.

I give Before She Dies by Mary Burton 3.50 stars!(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book! Mary Burton's best book to date. I didn't want to put it down read in two days. This is a suspense book with just the right amount of romance.The story is about Grace who ran away from her life living and working at a carnival after her sister Mariah was murdered.She worked hard at reinvented herself in a new life as defense attorney Charlotte Wellington.Her past and present collide when a serial killer is killing close to home. There is a budding romance in the book between Charlott...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Sar2them rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

another good read from this author. I've read a lot by this author and whilst it was a good book it wasnt her best.

it was a thoroughly enjoyable plot centering around a serial killer, carnival and "witches". I just had a couple of niggles. Firstly I guessed the killer quite early on in the story and thought the red herrings dropped in were slightly poor and overused. secondly the ending of the book seemed quite rushed; almost as though the author had a page limit to stick to and rather than edi...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Dorota rated it 2 of 5 stars

The book was ok but ot had three major inconsistencies, one of which drove me mad! I can't believe that someone edited and possible proofread this book and hasn't spotted it! In the chapter headed 'Monday', the woman which will get kidnapped is in a cafe and a waiter talkes about her usual Friday order. Couple of chapters later she's being reported to hasving been missing since Friday which again isn't true!
And the killer has killed 18 women before his last planned double murder but when asked b...more

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May 23, 2012 Tabby - IMReviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Original Review Posted - here

Romantic Suspense. My all time favorite genre. It's very hard to disappoint me when it comes to reading these kinds of books! I am proud to report that this book was no exception! I love knowing that even though I have read book after book from Mary Burton, she can still keep me guessing!

Charlotte - a head strong, no nonsense lawyer - has developed quite a name for herself. A week after her sister was murdered at the carnival they worked at, she left that life behin...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Kathy Jund rated it 5 of 5 stars

Charlotte Wellington is a self-made attorney with all the polish expected of someone as successful as she is in this posh Alexandria community. A thriving private practice and a lush condominium overlooking the river mask a past life no one would imagine. Charlotte ensures the secrets of her past remain protected in the solitary life she leads, allowing no one a glimpse into her personal life. Charlotte only projects the professional persona she wants everyone to see, the continuing success of h...more

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Mar 31, 2012 A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-requested, kensington, home-library

Charlotte Wellington is a damn good defense attorney. No one knows that she grew up in a carnival or that she left it at age 16, a week after her sister was murdered. However, 18 years later when the carnival comes into town and a woman is murdered, I didn’t need Madame Divine to tell me Charlotte’s past and present were about to collide.

This book didn’t lure me in from the beginning with sweet words. It grabbed me by the collar, yanked me down a hall, tossed me in a room and sat on me until I j...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

A creepy chilling thriller with a demented villain. A page turner that will stay with you after you turn the last page.

Defense Attorney Charlotte Wellington has a past no one knows about. When she was teenager she traveled from town to town with the carnival. After her older sister Mariah is found dead she leaves, changes her name and sets out to make a life for herself. Now after 18 years the life she left behind turns up on her door step.

Detective Daniel Rokov and his partner Jennifer Sinclair...more A creepy chilling thriller with a demented villain. A page turner that will stay with you after you turn the last page.

Defense Attorney Charlotte Wellington has a past no one knows about. When she was teenager she traveled from town to town with the carnival. After her older sister Mariah is found dead she leaves, changes her name and sets out to make a life for herself. Now after 18 years the life she left behind turns up on her door step.

Detective Daniel Rokov and his partner Jennifer Sinclair of the Alexandria Police are called to the scene where the body of a women who has been sexually assaulted is found staked to the ground surrounded with a circle of salt and 'witch' wrote across her forehead. While investigating this murder, it comes to light this women was drowned first. There is a second women found in the same manner. There are connections to the carnival.
When Grady Tate, carnival owner shows up at Charlotte's office needing her help with Sooner who is being charged with shop lifting, she helps get the charge dropped. She hasn't seen Sooner since she was a baby who now looks just like her sister Mariah. She is enraged because Grady promised when she left that Sooner would be given up for adoption, but he kept her and she is now working as Madame Divine, the teller of fortunes. The same job Charlotte held all those years ago.

Daniel and Charlotte have know each other for a while and have been intimate but Charlotte has made rules, she has drawn a line there is no commitment just sex. Wow did she ever mean it, I had to smile at the formal titles, professional to the core outside the bedroom. It soon gets out about Charlotte being with the carnival and she tells Daniel about her sister, he looks into her death. We meet his family. his grandmother who is a bit of mystic, his parents who are all Russian born.

If you have read Ms. Burton books before you will know that the mystery/suspense takes center fold in her stories and the romance is there to add that bit extra intrigue. Familiar characters from two previous books which is great to have back. A well crafted thriller that really had me guessing till the end. (less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Zinaid rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stumbled upon this book on the Amazon daily deals and decided to give it a try. It did not disappoint. Charlotte is a mysterious woman
who keeps everyone at arms length. Daniel, a detective, is stubborn and dedicated. Their "relationship" brings a lot to the storyline. The storyline itself is interesting although not difficult to solve. There are clues that are easily picked up on. Overall would recommend if you're into a light quick read!

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Aug 01, 2012 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Its says "No one knows about defense attorney Charlotte Wellington's murdered sister, or about her childhood spent with the carnvial that's just arrived in town. For Charlotte, whats past is past. But other's don't agree. And as a madman's body count rises, she and Detective Daniel Rokov are drwan into a mission that's becoming terrifyingly personal."

This book pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let go until the last. This is my first Mary Burton and I really loved the character Charlot...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Amblingbooks.com marked it as to-read

Shelves: audiobooks, thriller-suspense, romance

From New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton, a chilling new thriller in which a serial killer obsessed with the occult plays judge, jury, and executioner.

Listen to Before She Dies on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.

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Feb 13, 2013 Pennyboller rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I couldn't put the book down - a fast read!

A man is killing "witches" by drowning them. His first victim was supposed to be Grace, a Carnival pyschic/fortune teller, but Grace and her sister swapped places one night and he killed the wrong woman...

Years later she's now a lawyer (and changed her name to Charlotte) and the killer is after her and her daughter, Sooner!

I didn't guess who the killer was

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Oct 02, 2012 Patricia Zashkoff rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a fast paced story about a serial killer with a grudge against "witches." I was totally absorbed in the story and the characters. Of course, there's a twist at the end which just adds to the appeal. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be scared but enjoys a good read.

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Jan 03, 2013 Laura added it · review of another edition

Romantic suspense should be clearly labelled as such, so that it can be avoided. Full of the usual ghastly alpha male tropes, which basically translates as possessive bully. The mystery was poor and every twist well-telegraphed, including the identity of the murderer.

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Apr 11, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mary Burton did a great job with the two main characters Charlotte and Daniel. I was absorbed in the plot from the beginning to the end. Before She Dies was hard to put down. The secondary characters were just as intriguing as the main characters.

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About Mary Burton

MARY BURTON’s southern family has always enjoyed tall tales and a good yarns. Early on, MB realized that Story had tremendous power to inspire strong responses such fear, laughter, love and even sorrow. It didn’t matter if the tale was found in the pages of a book, spoken in hushed tones around a Girl Scout campfire, or spouted at an old fashioned southern family reunion. This appreciation of stor...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12186551-before-she-dies?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347273510l/12186551.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12186551-before-she-dies?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Before She Dies by Mary Burton[/url]

Before She Dies

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