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Dead by Trilogy #3
Dead by Nightfall
The fear . . .
Malcolm York is a sadistic monster, guilty of unspeakable crimes. And with his endless wealth, he's funded a series of depraved hunts. The few who survived can never forget. They can only be thankful the terror is over--until rumors start swirling.
Only stops . . .
Griffin Powell knows the twisted depths of York's madness. He's also sure that York is dead. But then Griff's wife Nicole disappears, and the phone calls begin--that familiar voice taunting him, promising to destroy everything Griff loves.
When you die.
Using all the resources of the Powell Agency, Griff searches for Nic, aware that every step propels him further into a madman's web--because the only way to keep Nic safe is to join one last perverse game in which the winner kills all and the loser is dead by nightfall.
Malcolm York is a sadistic monster, guilty of unspeakable crimes. And with his endless wealth, he's funded a series of depraved hunts. The few who survived can never forget. They can only be thankful the terror is over--until rumors start swirling.
Only stops . . .
Griffin Powell knows the twisted depths of York's madness. He's also sure that York is dead. But then Griff's wife Nicole disappears, and the phone calls begin--that familiar voice taunting him, promising to destroy everything Griff loves.
When you die.
Using all the resources of the Powell Agency, Griff searches for Nic, aware that every step propels him further into a madman's web--because the only way to keep Nic safe is to join one last perverse game in which the winner kills all and the loser is dead by nightfall.
436 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 26, 2011
101 people are currently reading
1016 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Barton
298 books708 followersBeverly Marie Inman was born on 23 December 1946 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, USA. Daughter of Doris Marie and Walter D. Inman Jr. A born romantic, she fell in love with The Beauty and the Beast epic at an early age, when her grandfather bought her an illustrated copy of the famous fairy tale. Even before she learned to read and write, her vivid imagination created magical words and fabulous characters inside her mind. Movies fascinated her, and by the time she was seven she was rewriting the movies she saw on television and at the local theater to give them all happy endings. By the age of nine she'd penned her first novel. She wrote short stories, TV scripts, poetry, and novels throughout high school and into college.
After her marriage to Billy Ray Beaver, the "love of her life", and the births of her two children, Beverly continued to be a voracious reader and a devoted moviegoer, but she put her writing aspirations on hold until her children were teenagers. At every age of their lives, from infancy to adulthood, the children had been a true joy to her. She devoted herself to her husband and children and considered herself one of the many selfless "supermoms" who put their family's needs first. She believed she had had it all, just not all at the same time.
In her mid-30s, Beverly returned to her former passion — writing — as a hobby, but before 40, she decided that she wanted to make writing a full-time career. And when she rediscovered an old dream — of becoming a published writer — no one was more supportive of her aspirations than her family. Her children were her greatest cheerleaders and her husband was her biggest supporter. After writing over 40 books and receiving numerous awards and nominations, as well as having books on the USA Today list and consistently on the Waldenbooks bestseller list, her career was indeed a dream come true. Having a fantastic family and fabulous friends, as well as making a living doing the one thing she had loved doing since childhood, she considered herself truly blessed. Beverly died suddenly of heart failure on 21 April 2011.
After her marriage to Billy Ray Beaver, the "love of her life", and the births of her two children, Beverly continued to be a voracious reader and a devoted moviegoer, but she put her writing aspirations on hold until her children were teenagers. At every age of their lives, from infancy to adulthood, the children had been a true joy to her. She devoted herself to her husband and children and considered herself one of the many selfless "supermoms" who put their family's needs first. She believed she had had it all, just not all at the same time.
In her mid-30s, Beverly returned to her former passion — writing — as a hobby, but before 40, she decided that she wanted to make writing a full-time career. And when she rediscovered an old dream — of becoming a published writer — no one was more supportive of her aspirations than her family. Her children were her greatest cheerleaders and her husband was her biggest supporter. After writing over 40 books and receiving numerous awards and nominations, as well as having books on the USA Today list and consistently on the Waldenbooks bestseller list, her career was indeed a dream come true. Having a fantastic family and fabulous friends, as well as making a living doing the one thing she had loved doing since childhood, she considered herself truly blessed. Beverly died suddenly of heart failure on 21 April 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
August 28, 2015
I loved this book, but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. This was was gritty and disturbing, but an excellent conclusion to the series. There was much less romance in Dead by Nightfall than the previous books of the series. I enjoyed the suspense, but would have preferred a little more romance. That didn't bother me enough to affect my rating. Since things have not been going well between Nicole and Griffin in the last few books, I was glad to read this one that wraps up their story. They had so much to overcome in this one that I was terribly worried for them during most of it. There were some really tough moments, and it kept me on pins and needles, anxious about what would happen.
Nicole Powell has found out that her beloved husband has lied to her about his former relationship with his friend Yvette. She feels so hurt that she can't stand to be around him, so she takes off for her cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Soon it is obvious that she never arrived, and has been taken by an unknown man who is posing as her husband, Griff's, deceased mortal enemy. This is almost enough to cost Griff his sanity, but he puts all of his tremendous resources into finding Nicole. Nicole suffers while imprisoned, but she is confident that Griff is making every effort to find her. As she is put through unspeakable misuse, she has more than herself to worry about. While she is trying to survive, Griff is making every effort to find her before time runs out.
This is a heart wrenching book that is also compelling and hard to put down. I liked the way all was wrapped up, but am very saddened by the passing of the author. I loved her romantic suspense and am sorry that the rest of the stories she would have potentially written will not ever come to fruition. She was one of my favorite authors of romantic suspense and I believe that this is the most intense of her works.
Nicole Powell has found out that her beloved husband has lied to her about his former relationship with his friend Yvette. She feels so hurt that she can't stand to be around him, so she takes off for her cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Soon it is obvious that she never arrived, and has been taken by an unknown man who is posing as her husband, Griff's, deceased mortal enemy. This is almost enough to cost Griff his sanity, but he puts all of his tremendous resources into finding Nicole. Nicole suffers while imprisoned, but she is confident that Griff is making every effort to find her. As she is put through unspeakable misuse, she has more than herself to worry about. While she is trying to survive, Griff is making every effort to find her before time runs out.
This is a heart wrenching book that is also compelling and hard to put down. I liked the way all was wrapped up, but am very saddened by the passing of the author. I loved her romantic suspense and am sorry that the rest of the stories she would have potentially written will not ever come to fruition. She was one of my favorite authors of romantic suspense and I believe that this is the most intense of her works.
May 6, 2012
Rating: 2.5 / 5
I find I'm a bit at a loss for words as to what to say about this book...
Series Note:
13th, and likely final, book in the "Griffin Powell" series of related books. Do you need to read the others? I honestly don't know. There's a large amount of backstory, including the fact that the H/H get together in another book. But the story may be independent enough to read...but I just can't really say.
Summary:
Many years ago, Griffin Powell and his two best friends, Damar Sanders and Yvette Meng, were held captive by a sadistic billionaire. They were tortured, hunted, and mistreated in the worst of ways. But they escaped and killed their captor. But now someone has "resurrected" evil Malcom York with the sole purpose of bringing Griffin Powell to his knees.
To accomplish this, he kidnaps Griffin's beloved wife, Nicole and sets in motion of a chain of events that will have Griffin doubting everything and fearing that he will never see his wife again. He will not rest until he finds the man masquerading as York. Until he kills him again and brings Nicole home where she belongs.
Review:
I find myself a bit speechless over what to say about this book (which obviously passes as I see how long this review is ;). That's a rarity, as anyone who has read my reviews knows. But wow, this book just...disturbed...me. Really and truly disturbed me.
I've read some creepy, disturbing books before (Karen Rose can creep me out like no other). But even at her most diabolical (Die For Me (book #7)), I was never as disturbed as this book made me. This book crossed a line into the realm of super dark and disturbing that just did not appeal to me.
I have to admit first, though, that I did a lot of skim reading in this book. Why? For several reasons.
* as discussed in my review for Dead By Morning, I've not been the biggest fan of Barton's recent books because of the shift away from romance in her books to more straight up suspense. I only decided to read these last two books because I wanted to know the last of Griffin Powell's story, which has been built up for a large majority of the series. So it was hard to muster up enthusiasm to read a book that I knew beforehand wouldn't quite meet my expectations. Really, all I wanted to know was what the rest of Griff's story was and how it all worked out. So I read enough to get the point of things and skimmed through other stuff.
* due to the author's unexpected and unfortunate passing last year, before this book was even published, this series will never be completed (I assume). We readers were fortunate enough that Ms. Barton had already finished this book and we were able to read it (even if I didn't enjoy it, exactly). But we are also left with the knowledge that there were stories left to be told that won't be. From reading the previous book, and this book, Barton had appeared to set up stories for Luke and Meredith, and Yvette and Rafe (maybe those pairings, maybe not). I found myself not wanting to get to invested in those characters or story set ups because I knew those stories would never come. So I sort of superficially skimmed through stuff with those characters.
* this book is unbelievably dark. I've read a lot of romantic suspense books that involve dark stories, books about serial killers that tell gruesome, creepy tales. But there is a separateness to those books. They usually involve some psycho killer the main characters are hunting down, who butchers random people you have no attachment to. Which is the key. They're just characters and though you're creeped out, you're not particularly invested in their deaths. That's not the case in this book. Everything revolves the main characters. And there is a whole lot of violence and death and disturbing graphic scenes involving them. It was too much for me. Having to read about the heroine being forced to kill an innocent person or the hero being only feet away from saving someone when they are murdered...I don't know, but the way this story was told went past a line into an area that I did not find "enjoyable." The amount of death and violence thoroughly disturbed me. I couldn't take some of the scenes and so I skimmed.
Was it fair to skim read at times during the book? Probably not. But it's what I did to make it through it. Some parts I read more thoroughly than others, but overall I got enough to take in the story being told. And, as my comments so far have implied, I didn't particularly enjoy the book.
Aside from what I've said so far, there were some other plot things I didn't particularly care for.
The basic plot revolves around the fact that someone is impersonating evil Malcolm York, the man who kidnapped Griff, held him hostage for years and tortured him in a myriad of ways. That man kidnaps Nic, Griff's wife. The rest of the story is then basically Nic being put through almost exactly what Griff did. And because you know a fair amount of what Griff went through, you feel like you're just reading a redux of Griff's experience, except in a more first person perspective. It just felt a bit repetitive in a certain way.
It doesn't help that the book doesn't really give you anything else new. There's no new romantic pairing for you to focus on. The romance revolves around Nic and Griff, who are already married (we read their story in The Murder Game). So you're not getting anything new there. And you get some Derek and Maleah (Dead By Morning) and some of Sanders and BJ (who are left hanging at the end of this book) but you don't get anything new. Maybe some set up for potential romances in future books (which, as mentioned, will not come). I would have liked a new romance for this book. Something just new and different instead of a sole romantic focus on two characters (Griff and Nic) who spend virtually no time together in this book.
Then there's the fact that there's a lot of dead air in this book. Times when you read Griff thinking the same things over and over, where you just keep getting the same introspective thoughts and actions. They're things you already know and understand so it seems pointless to keep reading scenes that give you the same thing.
I can see why some readers enjoyed this book. It's tense, detailed, different from what's out there. But for me, I just couldn't get into it for all the reasons I mentioned above. I'm glad to know the rest of Griffin Powell's story, but wish it could have happened a different way. I'd been straying from Barton's stories but I wanted to know the rest of Griff's tale. I hadn't planned on reading anymore of this series after this book but yet I still find myself sad that books for the other characters won't get to be written. That might make no sense, but it is what it is.
If you read this book, be prepared for the disturbing violence. Most of the readers of this series will probably want to read this book to get the wrap up on Griff, it's what I wanted, but it's not a book I'd recommend jumping into the series on.
And now I feel the need to read something much lighter with lots of romance and gratuitous sex in it...
*****
R.I.P. Beverly Barton. I read a lot of you're books and even though your recent ones weren't quite to my liking, I have a lot of respect for you work and your ability as a writer. You'll be missed.
I find I'm a bit at a loss for words as to what to say about this book...
Series Note:
13th, and likely final, book in the "Griffin Powell" series of related books. Do you need to read the others? I honestly don't know. There's a large amount of backstory, including the fact that the H/H get together in another book. But the story may be independent enough to read...but I just can't really say.
Summary:
Many years ago, Griffin Powell and his two best friends, Damar Sanders and Yvette Meng, were held captive by a sadistic billionaire. They were tortured, hunted, and mistreated in the worst of ways. But they escaped and killed their captor. But now someone has "resurrected" evil Malcom York with the sole purpose of bringing Griffin Powell to his knees.
To accomplish this, he kidnaps Griffin's beloved wife, Nicole and sets in motion of a chain of events that will have Griffin doubting everything and fearing that he will never see his wife again. He will not rest until he finds the man masquerading as York. Until he kills him again and brings Nicole home where she belongs.
Review:
I find myself a bit speechless over what to say about this book (which obviously passes as I see how long this review is ;). That's a rarity, as anyone who has read my reviews knows. But wow, this book just...disturbed...me. Really and truly disturbed me.
I've read some creepy, disturbing books before (Karen Rose can creep me out like no other). But even at her most diabolical (Die For Me (book #7)), I was never as disturbed as this book made me. This book crossed a line into the realm of super dark and disturbing that just did not appeal to me.
I have to admit first, though, that I did a lot of skim reading in this book. Why? For several reasons.
* as discussed in my review for Dead By Morning, I've not been the biggest fan of Barton's recent books because of the shift away from romance in her books to more straight up suspense. I only decided to read these last two books because I wanted to know the last of Griffin Powell's story, which has been built up for a large majority of the series. So it was hard to muster up enthusiasm to read a book that I knew beforehand wouldn't quite meet my expectations. Really, all I wanted to know was what the rest of Griff's story was and how it all worked out. So I read enough to get the point of things and skimmed through other stuff.
* due to the author's unexpected and unfortunate passing last year, before this book was even published, this series will never be completed (I assume). We readers were fortunate enough that Ms. Barton had already finished this book and we were able to read it (even if I didn't enjoy it, exactly). But we are also left with the knowledge that there were stories left to be told that won't be. From reading the previous book, and this book, Barton had appeared to set up stories for Luke and Meredith, and Yvette and Rafe (maybe those pairings, maybe not). I found myself not wanting to get to invested in those characters or story set ups because I knew those stories would never come. So I sort of superficially skimmed through stuff with those characters.
* this book is unbelievably dark. I've read a lot of romantic suspense books that involve dark stories, books about serial killers that tell gruesome, creepy tales. But there is a separateness to those books. They usually involve some psycho killer the main characters are hunting down, who butchers random people you have no attachment to. Which is the key. They're just characters and though you're creeped out, you're not particularly invested in their deaths. That's not the case in this book. Everything revolves the main characters. And there is a whole lot of violence and death and disturbing graphic scenes involving them. It was too much for me. Having to read about the heroine being forced to kill an innocent person or the hero being only feet away from saving someone when they are murdered...I don't know, but the way this story was told went past a line into an area that I did not find "enjoyable." The amount of death and violence thoroughly disturbed me. I couldn't take some of the scenes and so I skimmed.
Was it fair to skim read at times during the book? Probably not. But it's what I did to make it through it. Some parts I read more thoroughly than others, but overall I got enough to take in the story being told. And, as my comments so far have implied, I didn't particularly enjoy the book.
Aside from what I've said so far, there were some other plot things I didn't particularly care for.
The basic plot revolves around the fact that someone is impersonating evil Malcolm York, the man who kidnapped Griff, held him hostage for years and tortured him in a myriad of ways. That man kidnaps Nic, Griff's wife. The rest of the story is then basically Nic being put through almost exactly what Griff did. And because you know a fair amount of what Griff went through, you feel like you're just reading a redux of Griff's experience, except in a more first person perspective. It just felt a bit repetitive in a certain way.
It doesn't help that the book doesn't really give you anything else new. There's no new romantic pairing for you to focus on. The romance revolves around Nic and Griff, who are already married (we read their story in The Murder Game). So you're not getting anything new there. And you get some Derek and Maleah (Dead By Morning) and some of Sanders and BJ (who are left hanging at the end of this book) but you don't get anything new. Maybe some set up for potential romances in future books (which, as mentioned, will not come). I would have liked a new romance for this book. Something just new and different instead of a sole romantic focus on two characters (Griff and Nic) who spend virtually no time together in this book.
Then there's the fact that there's a lot of dead air in this book. Times when you read Griff thinking the same things over and over, where you just keep getting the same introspective thoughts and actions. They're things you already know and understand so it seems pointless to keep reading scenes that give you the same thing.
I can see why some readers enjoyed this book. It's tense, detailed, different from what's out there. But for me, I just couldn't get into it for all the reasons I mentioned above. I'm glad to know the rest of Griffin Powell's story, but wish it could have happened a different way. I'd been straying from Barton's stories but I wanted to know the rest of Griff's tale. I hadn't planned on reading anymore of this series after this book but yet I still find myself sad that books for the other characters won't get to be written. That might make no sense, but it is what it is.
If you read this book, be prepared for the disturbing violence. Most of the readers of this series will probably want to read this book to get the wrap up on Griff, it's what I wanted, but it's not a book I'd recommend jumping into the series on.
And now I feel the need to read something much lighter with lots of romance and gratuitous sex in it...
*****
R.I.P. Beverly Barton. I read a lot of you're books and even though your recent ones weren't quite to my liking, I have a lot of respect for you work and your ability as a writer. You'll be missed.
July 12, 2024
Nicole dan Griff akhirnya dibuatkan cerita lagi oleh Beverly Barton (BB)di Dead by Midnight. Di Murder Game, Nic dan Griff diceritakan menikah tetapi ternyata masih ada ganjalan yang tertinggal di benak Nic tentang hubungan yang sebenarnya antara Griff dan Yvette. Karena Griff selalu berkata hubungan antara mereka hanya seperti kakak adik. Akhirnya bom tersebut meledak ketika Griff menerima surat dari Malcolm York (yang seharusnya sudah mati dibunuh sendiri oleh Griff) yang mengabarkan bahwa York memiliki/membesarkan anak hasil dari Yvette dan Griff dan anak tersebut ada di London.
Nic yang mendengar hal ini sangat kecewa dengan Griff bukan karena mereka melakukan hubungan sex (karena Nic mengerti Griff, Sander, Yvette telah mengalami banyqk hal mengerikan yang diperintahkan oleh York) tetapi Griff telah berbohong kepadanya. Saat itu juga Nic pergi dari rumah menuju kabin untuk menyendiri, tapi berakhir dengan Nic diculik oleh York. Karena Nic selalu berpindah-pindah membuat Griff sulit menemukannya, apalagi York membuat Griff sibuk dengan pencarian anak Yvette.
Sepanjang 2/3 hal buku ini menceritakan ketegangan yg dialami Nic yg harus mengikuti perintah York dalam memuaskan klien-kliennya yang haus darah, teror mental yang dibuat York untuk Griff, Sander & Yvette. Apakah benar York hidup kembali? Terus terang BB semakin piawai membuat plot yg tegang (seperti karen rose). Gw selama membaca buku ini berdoa...please jangan sampai BB membuat Nic mengalami pelecehan sexual (selalu nyaris - dan untungnya slalu lolos.... horeeee) apalgi ceritanya Nic ini sedang hamil 3 bulan. Penculikan ini berlangsung slama 3 bln jadi pada akhirnya York tau kalo Nic hamil.
Pd akhirnya semua berakhir happy end walau Jonas (partner Nic) tewas juga (dr hub dgn Jonas akhirnya Nic ngerti bgimana rasanya hub antara Yvette & Griff). Tapi sayang masih ada yang menggantung yaitu antara Yvette & Rafe (korban di Amara jg), Sander & Barbara Jean yg renggang, karena BB sudah tiada kemungkinan besar tidak ada cerita ttg mereka. Sayangnya lagi interaksi Nic dan Griff sedikit sekali malah lebih banyak dengan Yvette. Padahal interaksi emosianal antara Nic dan Griff adalah salah satu favorit gw diantara novel-novel suspense romance.
Setelah selesai baca buku ini, gw pengen baca yg full romance dulu supaya tegangnya & kesadisan York hilang ...hehehehe
Nic yang mendengar hal ini sangat kecewa dengan Griff bukan karena mereka melakukan hubungan sex (karena Nic mengerti Griff, Sander, Yvette telah mengalami banyqk hal mengerikan yang diperintahkan oleh York) tetapi Griff telah berbohong kepadanya. Saat itu juga Nic pergi dari rumah menuju kabin untuk menyendiri, tapi berakhir dengan Nic diculik oleh York. Karena Nic selalu berpindah-pindah membuat Griff sulit menemukannya, apalagi York membuat Griff sibuk dengan pencarian anak Yvette.
Sepanjang 2/3 hal buku ini menceritakan ketegangan yg dialami Nic yg harus mengikuti perintah York dalam memuaskan klien-kliennya yang haus darah, teror mental yang dibuat York untuk Griff, Sander & Yvette. Apakah benar York hidup kembali? Terus terang BB semakin piawai membuat plot yg tegang (seperti karen rose). Gw selama membaca buku ini berdoa...please jangan sampai BB membuat Nic mengalami pelecehan sexual (selalu nyaris - dan untungnya slalu lolos.... horeeee) apalgi ceritanya Nic ini sedang hamil 3 bulan. Penculikan ini berlangsung slama 3 bln jadi pada akhirnya York tau kalo Nic hamil.
Pd akhirnya semua berakhir happy end walau Jonas (partner Nic) tewas juga (dr hub dgn Jonas akhirnya Nic ngerti bgimana rasanya hub antara Yvette & Griff). Tapi sayang masih ada yang menggantung yaitu antara Yvette & Rafe (korban di Amara jg), Sander & Barbara Jean yg renggang, karena BB sudah tiada kemungkinan besar tidak ada cerita ttg mereka. Sayangnya lagi interaksi Nic dan Griff sedikit sekali malah lebih banyak dengan Yvette. Padahal interaksi emosianal antara Nic dan Griff adalah salah satu favorit gw diantara novel-novel suspense romance.
Setelah selesai baca buku ini, gw pengen baca yg full romance dulu supaya tegangnya & kesadisan York hilang ...hehehehe
January 1, 2015
What a story..dark evil, violent, but at the same time it had lots of redundant dialogue, and seemed like it went on forever.
December 13, 2011
Griff and Nicole
Review posted on Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
Dead by Nightfall is the third book in Beverly Barton’s Dead by trilogy and the 13th book in the Griffin Powell series. It is really the continuation of Griffin and Nicole’s story. Their story started in book 8, The Murder Game. While that book ended in a good place there were hints of unhappiness between Griff and Nic in the last couple of books. Griff has been keeping a very big secret from Nic and in Dead by Nightfall the secret comes out.
Griff, Sanders and Yvette survived a horrible experience at the hands of a madman. Forced to participate in human hunts and perform for guests they all bonded in a way that could not be broken. All along Griff had told Nic that he and Yvette had not slept together but that was a lie. Not only had Griff and Yvette been forced to sleep with each other but they could have had a child together. Once Nic finds out about this info she leaves Griff to go stay in their cabin and have some time alone. The book opens up with Nic’s best friend arriving at the cabin to find her guard is dead and Nic has been kidnapped.
I don’t want to go into the plot too much because everything is a big spoiler. I will say this book was excellent. I didn’t think I would like it because I knew Nic was kidnapped at the beginning and why would I want to read a book where the main love interests are not even together? That was so not the case. It was faced past and edge of your seat intense. Most of the characters from the previous Griffin Powell book were brought into play in this one. Griff wastes no resources in trying to find Nicole. It is also a very long book at 416 pages but it didn’t feel that long. There wasn’t a single point in the book where I thought it started to drag or I wanted the resolution to come faster. Also we are left guessing as to whom the ultimate bad guy actually is. I didn’t figure it out until I was told at the very end!
There was one thing I didn’t like about this book and it pretty much something I haven’t ever liked about the series. That was Yvette. I cannot stand that woman. She has been cast in the role of the martyr but in mind, she is the main cause of all this turmoil. She hangs around Griff and reminds him and Nicole daily of her presence in his life and her part in his past. For several books I have felt if she just went away maybe Griff and Nic would be able to move past the issues they have. At one point, she is off trying to find the child they possibly had when all Griff wants to do is find Nic. She is selfish and self serving. Even the actions of “taking away” Griff’s pain do not work for me. Unfortunately, it seems that Yvette might have a book in the future. Who knows?
Beverly Barton passed away on April 21, 2011. I do not know if this was her last completed work or if there will be more books after this one. What I do know is that this could have been my favorite installment to this long running series. I will be disappointed if this was the last book she had written. If you are a fan of the series, I would highly recommend buying this book. You will not be let down. Final grade- A-
Review posted on Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
Dead by Nightfall is the third book in Beverly Barton’s Dead by trilogy and the 13th book in the Griffin Powell series. It is really the continuation of Griffin and Nicole’s story. Their story started in book 8, The Murder Game. While that book ended in a good place there were hints of unhappiness between Griff and Nic in the last couple of books. Griff has been keeping a very big secret from Nic and in Dead by Nightfall the secret comes out.
Griff, Sanders and Yvette survived a horrible experience at the hands of a madman. Forced to participate in human hunts and perform for guests they all bonded in a way that could not be broken. All along Griff had told Nic that he and Yvette had not slept together but that was a lie. Not only had Griff and Yvette been forced to sleep with each other but they could have had a child together. Once Nic finds out about this info she leaves Griff to go stay in their cabin and have some time alone. The book opens up with Nic’s best friend arriving at the cabin to find her guard is dead and Nic has been kidnapped.
I don’t want to go into the plot too much because everything is a big spoiler. I will say this book was excellent. I didn’t think I would like it because I knew Nic was kidnapped at the beginning and why would I want to read a book where the main love interests are not even together? That was so not the case. It was faced past and edge of your seat intense. Most of the characters from the previous Griffin Powell book were brought into play in this one. Griff wastes no resources in trying to find Nicole. It is also a very long book at 416 pages but it didn’t feel that long. There wasn’t a single point in the book where I thought it started to drag or I wanted the resolution to come faster. Also we are left guessing as to whom the ultimate bad guy actually is. I didn’t figure it out until I was told at the very end!
There was one thing I didn’t like about this book and it pretty much something I haven’t ever liked about the series. That was Yvette. I cannot stand that woman. She has been cast in the role of the martyr but in mind, she is the main cause of all this turmoil. She hangs around Griff and reminds him and Nicole daily of her presence in his life and her part in his past. For several books I have felt if she just went away maybe Griff and Nic would be able to move past the issues they have. At one point, she is off trying to find the child they possibly had when all Griff wants to do is find Nic. She is selfish and self serving. Even the actions of “taking away” Griff’s pain do not work for me. Unfortunately, it seems that Yvette might have a book in the future. Who knows?
Beverly Barton passed away on April 21, 2011. I do not know if this was her last completed work or if there will be more books after this one. What I do know is that this could have been my favorite installment to this long running series. I will be disappointed if this was the last book she had written. If you are a fan of the series, I would highly recommend buying this book. You will not be let down. Final grade- A-
January 30, 2013
This book was so painful to read! I read this so fast because I did a lot of skimming through the pages. This book is a more depraved version of her previous book, The Murder Game. Even worse, it involves the exact same characters except this time poor Nicole is pregnant. There was very little romance in this book, especially since the lead characters are already married and have very little interaction with each other. As for the suspense part, the author took this story to such a dark place, I found no enjoyment in reading it.
This book was supposed to be the end of a trilogy, but the ending was very open ended in relation to some characters - stories we'll never get due to the untimely passing of the author. I read the book not knowing it was the last, but I had already decided it would be the last book I read by her. The same story could have been told in a much different way that involved less torture of the main characters - I keep coming back to that because it bothered me a lot.
Overall I say skip this book - I immediately put this book to my archive never to be seen again and immediately ran to a light, happy, silly romance.
This book was supposed to be the end of a trilogy, but the ending was very open ended in relation to some characters - stories we'll never get due to the untimely passing of the author. I read the book not knowing it was the last, but I had already decided it would be the last book I read by her. The same story could have been told in a much different way that involved less torture of the main characters - I keep coming back to that because it bothered me a lot.
Overall I say skip this book - I immediately put this book to my archive never to be seen again and immediately ran to a light, happy, silly romance.
December 5, 2011
I have enjoyed reading Beverly Barton's stories and was sad to learn she has passed away. She will be missed by her many fans! God Bless!
December 4, 2011
What a great way to end a series! I thought this book was great.
March 25, 2012
Excellent read! It was sad to know that some of the characters that you want to read more about will never get there story told. RIP Beverly and Thank you!
March 31, 2017
Two-haiku review:
Madman kidnaps her
Husband must obey or death
Will she survive it?
Twisted, evil plot
Conclusion of trilogy
Exciting thriller
Madman kidnaps her
Husband must obey or death
Will she survive it?
Twisted, evil plot
Conclusion of trilogy
Exciting thriller
July 12, 2021
Literally could not put this book down! So action packed.
December 15, 2011
Dead by Nightfall is the final book in Beverly Barton's Dead by Series.. Although it follows key members of her Powell Agency Series. This book was one intense, suspense filled moment after another an amazing ride full of plot twists and character changes. The only thing we were ever quite sure of was what was up and what was down and sometimes even that was lost for a moment or two.
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This book is a most definite read but you really must read at the very least the entire Dead by Trilogy if not the entire Powell Agency Series. It is gut wrenching and tear jerking and suspenseful and worth every single emotion it wrings out of you. Yes it leaves a few tiny threads dangling hoping to tease us and sadly those threads will never be tied as Ms Barton passed away on April 11, 2011. I am grieved that this was the first I heard of it.. she had a wonderful way with words and she will be missed.
To Read the review in it's entirety come to Bodice Rippers
July 15, 2013
i'm pretty sure..... this book will be absolutely TERRIFIC !!!!!
and yes it is ! dari epilog di buku Dead BY Morning, adegan Nicole di culik Mr-yang-susah-mati.... uda ga sabar bgt pengen " habisin " neey buku... and halaman demi halaman makin bikin sesak nafas,,, aq bahkan bertanya2...koq ada yaa manusia kyk York... and aq berharap spy nicole ga disentuh ma York...it's funny to know your emotional got turned up and down just because of a book ! yeah.. everyone who read this book should admit that Beverly did stir the emotion of her readers.... she did a marvelous work. the tension of the waiting, the desperate, the devastation of the situation. i didn't even care about the romance among the characters. all i wanted was Nicole was saved. but i must admitted that i do care about the relationship between Yvette N Rafe Byrne. ^^
after all... this is a very good close of The Dead Trilogy. i love your works Beverly and always be.
and yes it is ! dari epilog di buku Dead BY Morning, adegan Nicole di culik Mr-yang-susah-mati.... uda ga sabar bgt pengen " habisin " neey buku... and halaman demi halaman makin bikin sesak nafas,,, aq bahkan bertanya2...koq ada yaa manusia kyk York... and aq berharap spy nicole ga disentuh ma York...it's funny to know your emotional got turned up and down just because of a book ! yeah.. everyone who read this book should admit that Beverly did stir the emotion of her readers.... she did a marvelous work. the tension of the waiting, the desperate, the devastation of the situation. i didn't even care about the romance among the characters. all i wanted was Nicole was saved. but i must admitted that i do care about the relationship between Yvette N Rafe Byrne. ^^
after all... this is a very good close of The Dead Trilogy. i love your works Beverly and always be.
May 21, 2016
I never read any of the other books in this series, but it was written so that anyone could just dive right in without knowing what happened previously...because the author beats you over the head with it. She was constantly repeating herself about a couple of main ideas. I liked the story itself, but I didn't need to be reminded every other page that Griff had had to act like an animal on Amara or that Nic would do anything she could to keep her baby safe. It really grated on me.
November 16, 2019
This book wraps up the entire Griffin Powell series perfectly. Yes, it can be read as a stand alone and will still make sense because it does go back to tell the reader the history of all the characters. The saying that comes to mind with that, however is that life’s a journey and not a destination. And what a journey this series is. I loved each book. The characters became so alive throughout all the books and I couldn’t wait to read the next one in the series.
November 1, 2019
This was the last in this trilogy. How Beverly Barton comes up with this elaborate plots is amazing. There is always some extreme story lines happening. You of course fall in love with the characters and they are all very unique. I'm glad that even though this trilogy is over there are still a lot of books left in this series.
December 2, 2011
the last book in the powell agency series, as the author passed away this year. it wraps up most of what's been happening with the characters we've seen over the years, except for a couple, and has an HEA for many of the characters.
July 9, 2020
Excellent writing. Spell-binding action. But extremely violent.
October 28, 2022
Buku yang bakal ikutan disubmit utk reading challange bulan ini, bertema cover ungu 😁 .
Lumayan susah mencari buku bercover ungu. Koleksi bukuku yang belum terbaca sekali pun, hanya sedikit yang benar-benar ungu. Kebanyakan hanya semburat atau ungu yang sekedar nemplok😄. Seperti buku thriller kali ini, dari penulis senior Beverly Barton
.
Penyuka tulisan beliau, pasti tahu, Barton ga pernah main-main saat mendeskripsikan alur pembunuhan. Metode yang dipakai untuk membunuh juga bukan yang sekedar bikin korban meninggal, tapi melalui banyak siksaan dan terkadang plot twist pula 😅.
.
Novel kali ini mengingatkanku dengan salah satu serial Drakor squid game, di mana sekumpulan orang kaya sinting, yang bingung menghabiskan uangnya, membuat pertandingan antar manusia untuk saling membunuh satu sama lain. Bedanya kalo squid game pemenang akan mendapat hadiah, di cerita ini pemenang tetap akan menjadi tawanan.
.
Namun, pernah ada 1 pemenang yang berhasil membunuh otak dari penggagas kegiatan gila ini, Malcolm York. Dengan kerjasama dan strategi 3 tawanan yang ingin bebas, York akhirnya terbunuh. Para tawanan bebas dan meninggalkan Pulau Amara yang terkutuk.
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Belasan tahun berlalu, Griffin mengira hidupnya sudah kembali tenang. Dia tidak menyangka kalau iblis yang pernah menghancurkan hidupnya dulu, kini kembali, dan berniat membalas dendam atas kematian Malcolm York, dan tentu saja, ingin menghidupkan kembali pertandingan berburu, diburu dan eksekusi antar manusia untuk memuaskan napsu para konglomerat yang haus darah itu....
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Seram, menegangkan, sadis dan plot twist yang tidak terduga. Lagi-lagi nenek Barton berhasil membuat pembacanya yang gemar cerita dengan alur seperti ini, bagaikan hanyut dan seolah merasakan kengerian para tokoh dalam bertahan hidup..... Hanya ada 2 pilihan, membunuh, atau dibunuh ...
Lumayan susah mencari buku bercover ungu. Koleksi bukuku yang belum terbaca sekali pun, hanya sedikit yang benar-benar ungu. Kebanyakan hanya semburat atau ungu yang sekedar nemplok😄. Seperti buku thriller kali ini, dari penulis senior Beverly Barton
.
Penyuka tulisan beliau, pasti tahu, Barton ga pernah main-main saat mendeskripsikan alur pembunuhan. Metode yang dipakai untuk membunuh juga bukan yang sekedar bikin korban meninggal, tapi melalui banyak siksaan dan terkadang plot twist pula 😅.
.
Novel kali ini mengingatkanku dengan salah satu serial Drakor squid game, di mana sekumpulan orang kaya sinting, yang bingung menghabiskan uangnya, membuat pertandingan antar manusia untuk saling membunuh satu sama lain. Bedanya kalo squid game pemenang akan mendapat hadiah, di cerita ini pemenang tetap akan menjadi tawanan.
.
Namun, pernah ada 1 pemenang yang berhasil membunuh otak dari penggagas kegiatan gila ini, Malcolm York. Dengan kerjasama dan strategi 3 tawanan yang ingin bebas, York akhirnya terbunuh. Para tawanan bebas dan meninggalkan Pulau Amara yang terkutuk.
.
Belasan tahun berlalu, Griffin mengira hidupnya sudah kembali tenang. Dia tidak menyangka kalau iblis yang pernah menghancurkan hidupnya dulu, kini kembali, dan berniat membalas dendam atas kematian Malcolm York, dan tentu saja, ingin menghidupkan kembali pertandingan berburu, diburu dan eksekusi antar manusia untuk memuaskan napsu para konglomerat yang haus darah itu....
.
Seram, menegangkan, sadis dan plot twist yang tidak terduga. Lagi-lagi nenek Barton berhasil membuat pembacanya yang gemar cerita dengan alur seperti ini, bagaikan hanyut dan seolah merasakan kengerian para tokoh dalam bertahan hidup..... Hanya ada 2 pilihan, membunuh, atau dibunuh ...
May 27, 2023
Fantastic series.
I loved this book and every one in this series. This book really gutted me and had me crying so hard. Nic has been kidnapped and everything they went through really got to me. The sacrifices they all went through. There’s no way York can be alive, so who is impersonating him? What a story. I loved staying on edge and had happy tears in the end for Nicole and Griff. I highly recommend this book.
I loved this book and every one in this series. This book really gutted me and had me crying so hard. Nic has been kidnapped and everything they went through really got to me. The sacrifices they all went through. There’s no way York can be alive, so who is impersonating him? What a story. I loved staying on edge and had happy tears in the end for Nicole and Griff. I highly recommend this book.
February 25, 2017
Good quick read. Was a garage sale find and realized quickly that there were books prior to this one. Was good on its own, probably would've been better if I would've started with book one instead of book 13! At some point I might go back and read the other ones, once I'm done with the other 60 books on my "want to read" list.
February 5, 2020
Again a riveting book, hard to put down. I continuously look for books by this author.
What was difficult in this book though, is that it continuously jumped between the people and scenes with no warning. As though reading a new chapter, you find yourself in a new situation, which meant that i had to go back numerous times to find when it had changed to different characters.
What was difficult in this book though, is that it continuously jumped between the people and scenes with no warning. As though reading a new chapter, you find yourself in a new situation, which meant that i had to go back numerous times to find when it had changed to different characters.
October 7, 2022
Oh, boy. This book is an insight into the evil that we all know but prefer not to know, actually happens in real life. I usually read historical romances! This book is well written. Many characters which at first I found daunting but it all fell into place. Good finally wins against evil in the end. But you won't be the same afterwards and definitely not for the faint-minded.
October 23, 2018
I have read many of Beverly Barton books! This one is by far the most exciting, can’t put down, AWESOME book!! She has outdone herself with this one! Please if you read one book this year, read this one! It will keep you on the edge of your seat:-)
October 22, 2023
Last of the Trilogy and all the books are great!
A great group of characters. Amazing writing. Thank you, Beverly. Her books and stories are always worth picking up. Start this series today.
A great group of characters. Amazing writing. Thank you, Beverly. Her books and stories are always worth picking up. Start this series today.
May 29, 2018
1.5 stars.
a little too gruesome and little too romance-novel-y for me.
a little too gruesome and little too romance-novel-y for me.
June 28, 2019
A rather lousy ending to the series.
Read
July 17, 2020I didn't read the description before I checked it out of the library. It doesn't sound like it's for me so I returned it.
September 6, 2020
Loved it!
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