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Morgans of Nashville #1
Cover Your Eyes
Don't Look
At first, they struggle to escape. Then a torrent of blows rains down upon their bodies until their eyes cloud over in final agony. The killer shows no remorse--just a twisted need to witness each victim's last terrified moments.
Don't Speak
Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree. But if Rachel's hunch is correct, whoever fatally bludgeoned young, beautiful Annie Dawson thirty years ago could be the source of a new string of brutal slayings.
Just Prepare To Die
Rachel's investigation is about to reveal answers--but at a price she never thought to pay. Now she's become the target of a rage honed by years of jealousy and madness. And a murderer is ready to show her just how vicious the truth can be. . .
At first, they struggle to escape. Then a torrent of blows rains down upon their bodies until their eyes cloud over in final agony. The killer shows no remorse--just a twisted need to witness each victim's last terrified moments.
Don't Speak
Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree. But if Rachel's hunch is correct, whoever fatally bludgeoned young, beautiful Annie Dawson thirty years ago could be the source of a new string of brutal slayings.
Just Prepare To Die
Rachel's investigation is about to reveal answers--but at a price she never thought to pay. Now she's become the target of a rage honed by years of jealousy and madness. And a murderer is ready to show her just how vicious the truth can be. . .
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 28, 2014
1995 people are currently reading
3546 people want to read
About the author
Mary Burton
68 books4,062 followersMary Burton, whose latest novel is THE LIES I TOLD, loves writing suspense, getting to know her characters, keeping up with law enforcement and forensic procedure, morning walks, baking, and tiny dachshunds. She also enjoys hunting down serial killers, which she does in her New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels. Library Journal has compared her work to that of Lisa Jackson and Lisa Gardner, and Fresh Fiction likened her writing to that of James Patterson.
Mary is routinely featured among the top ten writers in Amazon’s Author Rankings for romantic suspense, thriller and mystery. Upon publication, her novels, including NEVER LOOK BACK and BURN YOU TWICE, consistently rank high on the Kindle eBooks Store Bestseller List. Her novels CUT AND RUN and YOU'RE NOT SAFE were nominated for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Romantic Suspense.
A Richmond native, Mary is the author of forty-five published novels and five novellas as Mary Burton and as Mary Ellen Taylor.
A member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Novelists, Inc., and Romance Writers of America, Mary is known for creating multiple suspense stories connected by characters and/or place.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 408 reviews
October 22, 2014
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
3.5 Stars
“When secrets have been buried a long time there are people that don’t want them dug up.”
First things first: I DIDN’T GUESS WHO DID IT!!!!!
I read tons of less-than-stellar mysteries/thrillers so not knowing the whodunit (almost immediately, most of the time) in a novel is a HUGE deal for me. I mean, I kinda guessed that someone had something to do with the bad shit going down, but I was off the mark with specifics (and for once I wasn’t thinking “well myyyy way would have been a whole heck of a lot more exciting”).
Alright, now that that is out of my system, let’s backtrack to the synopsis. Thirty years ago a beautiful country singer, perhaps on the way to stardom, was beaten to death in her home. Months of investigation and interviews followed before the body was finally discovered (headless and handless) in a wooded area and Jeb Jones was accused of committing the crime. Jeb has spent his entire time in jail professing his innocence and with the help of Rachel Wainwright and The Innocence Project, DNA samples from the crime scene are being re-tested and might just set him free – much to the displeasure of Detective Deke Morgan, a second generation cop whose father worked the murder case. The closer Rachel and Deke get to finding out the truth about Jeb Jones, the more intense the situation grows with a new string of brutal murders. Are they related? Is it a copycat? What truth (if any) will finally be revealed about a decades old murder?
Obviously I can’t give away a whole lot of other details since that would defeat the whole point of it being a “mystery,” but I can tell you this one was above average compared to lots of others I have read. Like I said, I didn’t guess the whodunit until it was pretty much laid out before me on a silver platter and this one was filled with an abundance of good (and bad) characters. The writing was very conversational, so although the stats say it’s around 400 pages, it seemed to be more like 300. It could have received 4-Stars from me were it not for a couple of things. First, the cover and the title. What the hell do they have to do with any part of this story????? And second, the re-hashing of what led Rachel to become a lawyer/begin working with The Innocence Project began to grate. I didn’t need to read snippets of Rachel’s backstory again (and again and again) – I pretty much understood the first time.
END NOTE TO MY BRAIN: Now that I’m finished reading this book about blonde-haired female country singers, will you pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaase make “Before He Cheats” stop playing on an endless loop in my brain????? Pretty please?
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
3.5 Stars
“When secrets have been buried a long time there are people that don’t want them dug up.”
First things first: I DIDN’T GUESS WHO DID IT!!!!!
I read tons of less-than-stellar mysteries/thrillers so not knowing the whodunit (almost immediately, most of the time) in a novel is a HUGE deal for me. I mean, I kinda guessed that someone had something to do with the bad shit going down, but I was off the mark with specifics (and for once I wasn’t thinking “well myyyy way would have been a whole heck of a lot more exciting”).
Alright, now that that is out of my system, let’s backtrack to the synopsis. Thirty years ago a beautiful country singer, perhaps on the way to stardom, was beaten to death in her home. Months of investigation and interviews followed before the body was finally discovered (headless and handless) in a wooded area and Jeb Jones was accused of committing the crime. Jeb has spent his entire time in jail professing his innocence and with the help of Rachel Wainwright and The Innocence Project, DNA samples from the crime scene are being re-tested and might just set him free – much to the displeasure of Detective Deke Morgan, a second generation cop whose father worked the murder case. The closer Rachel and Deke get to finding out the truth about Jeb Jones, the more intense the situation grows with a new string of brutal murders. Are they related? Is it a copycat? What truth (if any) will finally be revealed about a decades old murder?
Obviously I can’t give away a whole lot of other details since that would defeat the whole point of it being a “mystery,” but I can tell you this one was above average compared to lots of others I have read. Like I said, I didn’t guess the whodunit until it was pretty much laid out before me on a silver platter and this one was filled with an abundance of good (and bad) characters. The writing was very conversational, so although the stats say it’s around 400 pages, it seemed to be more like 300. It could have received 4-Stars from me were it not for a couple of things. First, the cover and the title. What the hell do they have to do with any part of this story????? And second, the re-hashing of what led Rachel to become a lawyer/begin working with The Innocence Project began to grate. I didn’t need to read snippets of Rachel’s backstory again (and again and again) – I pretty much understood the first time.
END NOTE TO MY BRAIN: Now that I’m finished reading this book about blonde-haired female country singers, will you pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaase make “Before He Cheats” stop playing on an endless loop in my brain????? Pretty please?
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
November 11, 2014
I received " Cover Your Eyes" by Mary Burton as an ARC from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first novel that I have read by this author, and while it is classified as romantic/suspense, I feel that it belongs more in the crime/mystery genre. I have no idea why Mary Burton titled this book “Cover Your Eyes.” and found the cover confusing and not really related to the story of honky-tonk Nashville and a tire iron wielding murder thirty years ago and today.
What I liked about this novel, is that this thriller, had you guessing all along who the Killer was, and the clues were only disclosed on a need-to-know-basis, grabbing my full attention to the very end. I must say I did not suspect the outcome, until the very end. Mary Burton has the skill to make you look in one direction when she is leading you somewhere else completely. It is definitely a book that I will recommend to anyone who reads suspense, mystery and thrillers.
Rachel Wainwright is a public defender, who has devoted her time to helping people who were wrongly convicted. Her newest case is a man convicted of murder thirty years ago, convinced that the accused murderer was, if not innocent of the brutal crimes he’d been found guilty of, deserved at the very least to have DNA testing done on the only piece of evidence that was used in his conviction. Rachel wants to believe him she has gone over everything and thinks there is enough to cause reasonable doubt especially if she can get a DNA testing done on the evidence found. Rachel stirs up enough trouble that she has made herself a target.
Detective Deke Morgan is the son of the man who made his career on that case and as much as he doesn't want to believe Rachel something in his gut tells him she could be right. Especially when more murdered woman fitting the same MO as the one from thirty years ago. To top it all off Deke is having very strong feelings for Rachel. With new evidence popping up and more people dying Rachel and Deke work together to find out the truth.
This book had a strong, suspenseful plot that had plenty of twists and turns. The reveal at the end was pretty surprising to me.
Cover Your Eyes is another book that grasps your attention from the beginning and doesn’t let up until the last page. It was a well written mystery with lots of twists and turns, to keep the reader satisfied. I felt the ending was rushed, a lot is explained in a few short pages, almost giving the reader too much to digest at once.
For fans of the mystery & thriller genre, Cover Your Eyes is an excellent selection, and I will gladly pick up another one of her books.
June 28, 2017
Mary Burton has become a go to author for me, however, there were a number of earlier books that I hadn't read and I am going back and reading them. This is the first book in the Morgans of Nashville series and I really enjoyed it. Although in the romantic suspense category, it is definitely more a crime/suspense plot than a romance novel.
I really enjoyed the suspense plot where a young attorney, Rachel Wainright, is trying to overturn a 30 year old murder charge for her client. She believes that DNA testing will prove him innocent. As she pushes for the test and its results, a murder occurs that looks to have ties to the 30 year old murder. As Deke Morgan is on the current case and is also reviewing the old case as his dad was the key detective on it. The clues that are uncovered lead you closer and closer to the killer. But even as they get closer, more murders occur and Rachel herself is attacked.
Although their relationship starts with Rachel and Deke on opposing sides, the more they interact, the more they are attracted to each other. This is a slow build relationship that seemed very realistic - which is my preference.
I really enjoyed this one and will continue to read Ms. Burton new books as well as continue to go back and read her earlier works.
I really enjoyed the suspense plot where a young attorney, Rachel Wainright, is trying to overturn a 30 year old murder charge for her client. She believes that DNA testing will prove him innocent. As she pushes for the test and its results, a murder occurs that looks to have ties to the 30 year old murder. As Deke Morgan is on the current case and is also reviewing the old case as his dad was the key detective on it. The clues that are uncovered lead you closer and closer to the killer. But even as they get closer, more murders occur and Rachel herself is attacked.
Although their relationship starts with Rachel and Deke on opposing sides, the more they interact, the more they are attracted to each other. This is a slow build relationship that seemed very realistic - which is my preference.
I really enjoyed this one and will continue to read Ms. Burton new books as well as continue to go back and read her earlier works.
July 16, 2015
Great mystery/suspense!
The plot is really great and I enjoyed the unraveling mystery very, very much!
The touch of romance (and there was just a touch of it!) is very well done and credible, without the insta-lust/love!
The MCs, Rachel and Deke were plain fantastic! So very real life people with real problems! Their connection is not instantaneous, but slow building. And it was so good!
The mystery was also very well done and even if I had suspects and they came true, I enjoyed the ride!
Great book, even if I'm still asking myself what the title have to do with it!
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
The plot is really great and I enjoyed the unraveling mystery very, very much!
The touch of romance (and there was just a touch of it!) is very well done and credible, without the insta-lust/love!
The MCs, Rachel and Deke were plain fantastic! So very real life people with real problems! Their connection is not instantaneous, but slow building. And it was so good!
The mystery was also very well done and even if I had suspects and they came true, I enjoyed the ride!
Great book, even if I'm still asking myself what the title have to do with it!
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
August 27, 2022
I've read the other three books in this series and somehow never bothered with this one. I picked it up and expected to like it. I didn't. I don't like the heroine and I really don't care much for the hero, either. The plot is interesting, but that doesn't make up for all the personal drama happening with every single one of the characters.
Rachel Wainwright is a public defender on a crusade to right all the wrongs because she believes her brother was unjustly convicted of murder and died in prison. Her latest cause is the thirty-year-old murder case of an up and coming, beautiful Nashville singer, Annie Rivers Dawson. She may just have a point that Jeb Jones is innocent because other women who look like Annie are turning up killed in the same manner.
Deke Morgan is the son of the cop who put Jeb away and has a personal stake in the outcome of the DNA test that may prove Jeb didn't do it. He also is attracted to the spitfire Rachel, but after two divorces he has sworn off the HEA thing. It doesn't exist. His big concern is the string of recent dead bodies that are eerily similar to Annie's case from thirty-years-age. And Rachel is smack dab in the middle of his cases and his mind, and a murderer's mind too.
Rachel Wainwright is a public defender on a crusade to right all the wrongs because she believes her brother was unjustly convicted of murder and died in prison. Her latest cause is the thirty-year-old murder case of an up and coming, beautiful Nashville singer, Annie Rivers Dawson. She may just have a point that Jeb Jones is innocent because other women who look like Annie are turning up killed in the same manner.
Deke Morgan is the son of the cop who put Jeb away and has a personal stake in the outcome of the DNA test that may prove Jeb didn't do it. He also is attracted to the spitfire Rachel, but after two divorces he has sworn off the HEA thing. It doesn't exist. His big concern is the string of recent dead bodies that are eerily similar to Annie's case from thirty-years-age. And Rachel is smack dab in the middle of his cases and his mind, and a murderer's mind too.
April 17, 2025
The good news for me after reading this book is that I didn't guess who the killer was, it was a total surprise to me. That was a satisfying moment, love a book that outwits me. It happens now and then. Cover Your Eyes was a decent read, I disagree with it being labelled a romantic suspense novel however. The romance is very low key and really is only represented at the end of the novel. It's more a crime mystery overall.
Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree. But if Rachel's hunch is correct, whoever fatally bludgeoned young, beautiful Annie Dawson thirty years ago could be the source of a new string of brutal slayings.
Annie Dawson was an up and coming singer in the honky-tonk bar circuit in Nashville before she was murdered brutally. Blonde, beautiful, wanted by all the men with her cowboy boots and sparkles. A career and a life ended all at once. There is fresh blood in town with the murders of more beautiful, young, talented women, the big question is - is it the same killer all these years on?
When a man went to jail 30 years ago for Annie's murder, DNA testing did not exist to the extent that it does now. The case is reopened for DNA testing on what was believed to be the murder weapon and feisty, passionate lawyer Rachel is determined to get the truth, and justice if required. This does not make her Ms Popular in a town that all believed the right man went to jail for Annie's murder.
For me, the book was very slow until the halfway mark, if I am honest I was struggling a bit with it. I enjoyed it a lot more in the second half as the pace and plot intensified and got a lot more interesting, by the last few chapters I was thrilled with the final finale. So a gradual climber in pace and plot development this one.
This is not a hardcore graphic gritty crime novel. It weaves the legal aspect in with the police footwork and investigation. It's soft core crime (says she who reads a lot of crime fiction), but the plot is good.
There are a lot of characters in this book, all which are entangled someway with the crimes of the past possibly, so it's hard to see who the killer is. The author does a fine job of keeping the reveal well hidden, no serious hints that give you insight early on. I had a few suspects in mind doing my own reader detective work, but I was wrong.
I liked the realistic romance element that came into play at the end of the book, it's not soppy stuff, it's well written, it's a bit of a shame it did not get played out from earlier in the novel, especially with the book being called romantic suspense. If you are looking for loads of relationship stuff with your crime, this is not it. But it was nicely done, the bits we did get.
This one was a 3.5 star read for me overall, but really a 3 star read for the first half. An enjoyable read, stick with it if at all finding it a bit slow at first, it gets better and the ending is very satisfying.
Oh, one more thing - the cover baffles me, it does not fit with anything in the book and doesn't feel right for this novel at all.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, many thanks.
::~~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~~::
Thanks so much for reading my review!
I hope you enjoyed it, if you did I’d be delighted if you leave me a “like” and I love to read your comments. If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.
You can also find me on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer.
If you are an Author or Publisher and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book(s) please just message me.
Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree. But if Rachel's hunch is correct, whoever fatally bludgeoned young, beautiful Annie Dawson thirty years ago could be the source of a new string of brutal slayings.
Annie Dawson was an up and coming singer in the honky-tonk bar circuit in Nashville before she was murdered brutally. Blonde, beautiful, wanted by all the men with her cowboy boots and sparkles. A career and a life ended all at once. There is fresh blood in town with the murders of more beautiful, young, talented women, the big question is - is it the same killer all these years on?
When a man went to jail 30 years ago for Annie's murder, DNA testing did not exist to the extent that it does now. The case is reopened for DNA testing on what was believed to be the murder weapon and feisty, passionate lawyer Rachel is determined to get the truth, and justice if required. This does not make her Ms Popular in a town that all believed the right man went to jail for Annie's murder.
For me, the book was very slow until the halfway mark, if I am honest I was struggling a bit with it. I enjoyed it a lot more in the second half as the pace and plot intensified and got a lot more interesting, by the last few chapters I was thrilled with the final finale. So a gradual climber in pace and plot development this one.
This is not a hardcore graphic gritty crime novel. It weaves the legal aspect in with the police footwork and investigation. It's soft core crime (says she who reads a lot of crime fiction), but the plot is good.
There are a lot of characters in this book, all which are entangled someway with the crimes of the past possibly, so it's hard to see who the killer is. The author does a fine job of keeping the reveal well hidden, no serious hints that give you insight early on. I had a few suspects in mind doing my own reader detective work, but I was wrong.
I liked the realistic romance element that came into play at the end of the book, it's not soppy stuff, it's well written, it's a bit of a shame it did not get played out from earlier in the novel, especially with the book being called romantic suspense. If you are looking for loads of relationship stuff with your crime, this is not it. But it was nicely done, the bits we did get.
This one was a 3.5 star read for me overall, but really a 3 star read for the first half. An enjoyable read, stick with it if at all finding it a bit slow at first, it gets better and the ending is very satisfying.
Oh, one more thing - the cover baffles me, it does not fit with anything in the book and doesn't feel right for this novel at all.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, many thanks.
::~~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~~::
Thanks so much for reading my review!
I hope you enjoyed it, if you did I’d be delighted if you leave me a “like” and I love to read your comments. If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.
You can also find me on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer.
If you are an Author or Publisher and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book(s) please just message me.
July 2, 2017
So this is classified as romantic suspense, which is definitely isn't. I would classify it with regular suspense/thrillers, especially considering there was very very minimal romance until the very end of the book.
Overall, I liked the plot, but found it a little slow moving. It felt like it was slow for the entire middle of the book and then jam packed with action and answers in the last few pages, where it felt like the reveals could have been a little more spaced out so it didn't feel so rushed at the end of the book.
The rest of the books in the series sound interesting, so I'll probably read the others and see how the characters develop and progress.
Overall, I liked the plot, but found it a little slow moving. It felt like it was slow for the entire middle of the book and then jam packed with action and answers in the last few pages, where it felt like the reveals could have been a little more spaced out so it didn't feel so rushed at the end of the book.
The rest of the books in the series sound interesting, so I'll probably read the others and see how the characters develop and progress.
September 15, 2025
6/10: 3⭐️’s
The ending was a bit of a mess. I figured it out before it was revealed, but not soon enough for it to count as a solve for me. Detective badge revoked. My standards are too high.
There were a lot of not really important at all things that bothered me in this book. For example, an early lunch is not 3pm, right? That would be a really late lunch or a very early supper/dinner for most people. Although yes, I realize that people work various hours so it can totally vary, but generally speaking, 3pm is not considered an early lunch? There was a slew of other things. And my darn self just kept thinking, don’t let them ruin the book, get over it, move past them. I tried hard. I did. Trying does not always equal success though.
I could go on and on about the slew. But I am not going to.
30 year old murder somehow tied to current murders? Is the right person behind bars for the crime 30 years ago? Broody/moody detective. Closed off lawyer. Can they work together to get to the bottom of everything? Etc etc etc.
My eyes are now burning and my vision is not only blurry but kind of smushy. So wrapping this one up.
Good but not great when comparing it to her other books.
Once again grateful for the distraction it provided, hence (does anyone else love using that word? Hence and perhaps are two of my faves🤷♀️🙂) the solid 3 stars instead of the maybe 2.5/2.75 stars I otherwise might have given it. Once again, past my bedtime and very tired.
Original rating and review posted: 9/14/25
The ending was a bit of a mess. I figured it out before it was revealed, but not soon enough for it to count as a solve for me. Detective badge revoked. My standards are too high.
There were a lot of not really important at all things that bothered me in this book. For example, an early lunch is not 3pm, right? That would be a really late lunch or a very early supper/dinner for most people. Although yes, I realize that people work various hours so it can totally vary, but generally speaking, 3pm is not considered an early lunch? There was a slew of other things. And my darn self just kept thinking, don’t let them ruin the book, get over it, move past them. I tried hard. I did. Trying does not always equal success though.
I could go on and on about the slew. But I am not going to.
30 year old murder somehow tied to current murders? Is the right person behind bars for the crime 30 years ago? Broody/moody detective. Closed off lawyer. Can they work together to get to the bottom of everything? Etc etc etc.
My eyes are now burning and my vision is not only blurry but kind of smushy. So wrapping this one up.
Good but not great when comparing it to her other books.
Once again grateful for the distraction it provided, hence (does anyone else love using that word? Hence and perhaps are two of my faves🤷♀️🙂) the solid 3 stars instead of the maybe 2.5/2.75 stars I otherwise might have given it. Once again, past my bedtime and very tired.
Original rating and review posted: 9/14/25
January 31, 2019
Started out strong, seemed like it might be a humdinger of a who-done-it, snappy plot building up, plausible characters coming to life; but I couldn't get any further than the first third or so because the quality of the writing was just so endlessly, platitidinously, godawfully substandard. I haven't seen prose this sloppy — and certainly not this this cliché-cluttered — since I taught Creative Writing to eighth graders. Cliché after cliché after cliché, pretty much nothing but clichés, thoughtlessly tacked on one after another like a string of plastic pop beads; no cleverness or artistry whatsoever in the diction; juvenile solecisms on every page (e.g., "you've peaked [sic] my interest"); needless reiterations of expository matter (Pretty sure you told us that info a few pages back, so why are you reminding us again now? And delivering it still again a few pages later? Oh and here it is yet again . . . ); rubber-stamp duplications of stock expressions (e.g., he or she "punched out a breath" — every character, major, minor, extras, walk-ons, everyone in the book does this breath-punch thing, over and over again, with exactly the same formulaic wording every single time); ungainly, redundant, just-plain-dopey tag-line amplifications (e.g., passages approximately like this: 'Hey!' he shouted at the female figure who was running away from him. He was yelling after her retreating form, screaming the word 'Hey!' at the top of his lungs, very loudly, so that she would hear him and stop running away. Making his throat hoarse, he shouted 'Hey!' as loud as he could, trying to get the fleeing woman's attention.) --Okay, I just made that up, and it's caricatural, but you get the idea. Un-readable.
April 25, 2019
For full review - The Limit of Books Does Not Exist
Cover Your Eyes is the first novel in the Morgans of Nashville series. Each novel in the series focuses on a Morgan sibling (4 siblings in total) who end up falling in love and solving a murder. Up first is Homicide detective Deke Morgan, who is living in his late father’s shadow. He is even working with his father’s ex-partner.
In comes Rachel Wainwright who is fighting to overturn her client’s conviction. Unfortunately for her, her client is seen as one of Nashville’s most convinced killers who was put away by Deke’s father 30 years ago. There is also new deaths of young women that has everyone questioning who is the real killer.
I’m torn on my thoughts of the novel. I didn’t guess who the killer was at all, but it almost seemed like too much was saved until the end. There was so much revealed in the last 5 pages that it was hard to keep up. I was confused on what I was suppose to focus on as the biggest reveal. I also didn’t love Deke and Rachel as main characters.
Sadly this was a miss for me. I have the fourth novel in the series sitting on my book shelf that I’m not in a hurry to get to.
Cover Your Eyes is the first novel in the Morgans of Nashville series. Each novel in the series focuses on a Morgan sibling (4 siblings in total) who end up falling in love and solving a murder. Up first is Homicide detective Deke Morgan, who is living in his late father’s shadow. He is even working with his father’s ex-partner.
In comes Rachel Wainwright who is fighting to overturn her client’s conviction. Unfortunately for her, her client is seen as one of Nashville’s most convinced killers who was put away by Deke’s father 30 years ago. There is also new deaths of young women that has everyone questioning who is the real killer.
I’m torn on my thoughts of the novel. I didn’t guess who the killer was at all, but it almost seemed like too much was saved until the end. There was so much revealed in the last 5 pages that it was hard to keep up. I was confused on what I was suppose to focus on as the biggest reveal. I also didn’t love Deke and Rachel as main characters.
Sadly this was a miss for me. I have the fourth novel in the series sitting on my book shelf that I’m not in a hurry to get to.
June 2, 2021
My thoughts
Would I read more by this author? Yes, in fact so far I've read 6 books by her and got 3 more to read then I need to go and stack up on more of her books.
Would I read more of this series? Yes
Would I recommend it? Yes
Right about now your asking yourself why should I pick this up and here is just some of the reasons as to why:
Murder
Secrets
Did someone get away with murder or did the right person go to jail for it?
Baby - a creepy character that you meet throughout the story
a touch of romance
lots of twists and turns, to keep the reader on their edge of their set
and the story itself will grab your attention from the beginning and won't let up until the last page.
Would I read more by this author? Yes, in fact so far I've read 6 books by her and got 3 more to read then I need to go and stack up on more of her books.
Would I read more of this series? Yes
Would I recommend it? Yes
Right about now your asking yourself why should I pick this up and here is just some of the reasons as to why:
Murder
Secrets
Did someone get away with murder or did the right person go to jail for it?
Baby - a creepy character that you meet throughout the story
a touch of romance
lots of twists and turns, to keep the reader on their edge of their set
and the story itself will grab your attention from the beginning and won't let up until the last page.
November 22, 2019
I did enjoy this story, however, I had to give it a lesser rating because there were so many grammatical errors throughout the book that it drove me crazy! Do we no longer proofread novels before publication anymore?? A couple of examples: "But she's an attorney and she had an assembly permit that gave her the right to publicly say her PEACE." (Emphasis mine.) "Oh, he was all tore up. BALLED like a baby." The phrase "tore up" was understandable as it was said by a drug dealer being interviewed in jail. This character didn't speak very eloquently! ; ) "She'd PEEKED the interest of that cop." And this is my favorite: "How IS your afternoon been going?" I won't even get into the frustration of authors not knowing the difference between "lay" and "lie". Now, I realize I may sound picky and critical here, and I might have a few grammatical errors of my own in this review, but the difference is, I'm not publishing these comments in a novel! It truly saddens me how careless and lazy we've become over using proper grammar in our schools and in our every day conversations. And this laziness and acceptance of poor grammar has led to mediocre writing which gets published anyway. Please tell me I'm not alone in this frustration!
January 9, 2019
Nope, not going on with it. It's a pity in a way, because it's probably a good mystery/crime/thriller. But 100 pages in I don't give a hoot about anybody in it. And without a character to care about, it's no good to me.
Don't know why it's billed as a romance. Not a whiff of romance about it, at least thus far.
I'm mildly intrigued by the 'Sugar' notes at the beginning of each chapter and sorry not to know what that's about, but it's not enough of a hook to keep me going through 300 more pages.
Next!
Don't know why it's billed as a romance. Not a whiff of romance about it, at least thus far.
I'm mildly intrigued by the 'Sugar' notes at the beginning of each chapter and sorry not to know what that's about, but it's not enough of a hook to keep me going through 300 more pages.
Next!
November 22, 2022
3.5 stars
I love listening to Mary Burton audiobooks. Its very easy to keep invested in and I really appreciate how honest the romance is in her books. The mystery never takes a backseat, and the characters are usually down-to-earth, normal people. I love that the heroine finds the hero unattractive to start with. there's nothing superficial about the love story. I also loved the action and all the gory details, which I appreciate some readers don't like, however, I think they'd also be easy to gloss over if you'd rather. .
I love listening to Mary Burton audiobooks. Its very easy to keep invested in and I really appreciate how honest the romance is in her books. The mystery never takes a backseat, and the characters are usually down-to-earth, normal people. I love that the heroine finds the hero unattractive to start with. there's nothing superficial about the love story. I also loved the action and all the gory details, which I appreciate some readers don't like, however, I think they'd also be easy to gloss over if you'd rather. .
July 2, 2025
A page-turner, or whatever you'd say with an audiobook, lol.
The romance was very much on the back burner, but it fit well with the story.
The romance was very much on the back burner, but it fit well with the story.
November 22, 2019
Book source ~ NetGalley
Ever since her brother was wrongfully arrested, convicted, and sent to prison, Rachel Wainwright has fought for those she feels gets shafted by Lady Justice. As a public defender she gets a lot of those cases and she gets the occasional Innocence Project client, too. She has taken on the 30-year-old case of Jeb Jones, a man put away for murder. He has steadfastly declared his innocence and has been petitioning for his DNA to be tested for over a decade and getting nowhere. Enter the Innocence Project and Rachel. Does she think he’s innocent? It’s not up to her. Her job is to get the DNA tested now that such a test is available. After that? Well, one step at a time.
Detective Derek Morgan inherited the case from his late father. The Jeb Jones case is the one that made his dad’s career so he’s understandably pissed that the DNA test is calling his dad’s integrity into question. But the law is the law, so he sent it in. And the wait for results begins. In the meantime, he has cases to solve, including the brutal bludgeoning murder of an aspiring singer. But that’s not the only murder he’ll need to solve as bodies start dropping like flies and the only connection he can find is Rachel Wainwright. Uh, oh…
This is one hell of a twisty turny tale! It held my attention from the first chapter all the way to the end. I even stayed up way past my bedtime trying to finish it. That’s a rare thing for me since I love my sleep. The characters are awesome, the world is great, the killer is…whew, what a mess. The mystery is one that kept me guessing. I had started to glean a few half-formed inklings at about the 60% mark, but not nearly enough to state with any certainty who I thought was the murderer. Great job! This is one of my favorite reads of 2019. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series even though I’ve already read book 4 by accident. Luckily, my memory sucks ass and I didn’t remember it until after I was finished with this one. I hate reading books out of order. lol
Ever since her brother was wrongfully arrested, convicted, and sent to prison, Rachel Wainwright has fought for those she feels gets shafted by Lady Justice. As a public defender she gets a lot of those cases and she gets the occasional Innocence Project client, too. She has taken on the 30-year-old case of Jeb Jones, a man put away for murder. He has steadfastly declared his innocence and has been petitioning for his DNA to be tested for over a decade and getting nowhere. Enter the Innocence Project and Rachel. Does she think he’s innocent? It’s not up to her. Her job is to get the DNA tested now that such a test is available. After that? Well, one step at a time.
Detective Derek Morgan inherited the case from his late father. The Jeb Jones case is the one that made his dad’s career so he’s understandably pissed that the DNA test is calling his dad’s integrity into question. But the law is the law, so he sent it in. And the wait for results begins. In the meantime, he has cases to solve, including the brutal bludgeoning murder of an aspiring singer. But that’s not the only murder he’ll need to solve as bodies start dropping like flies and the only connection he can find is Rachel Wainwright. Uh, oh…
This is one hell of a twisty turny tale! It held my attention from the first chapter all the way to the end. I even stayed up way past my bedtime trying to finish it. That’s a rare thing for me since I love my sleep. The characters are awesome, the world is great, the killer is…whew, what a mess. The mystery is one that kept me guessing. I had started to glean a few half-formed inklings at about the 60% mark, but not nearly enough to state with any certainty who I thought was the murderer. Great job! This is one of my favorite reads of 2019. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series even though I’ve already read book 4 by accident. Luckily, my memory sucks ass and I didn’t remember it until after I was finished with this one. I hate reading books out of order. lol
August 9, 2020
This series was worse at the beginning then it was at the end. This normally goes the other way around...huh.
Anyhow, now that I have successfully read this entire series, out of order (3,2,4,1), I can say, yes this one is like the rest but not as interesting and not as well written. And because I read them one after another, plus an additional book not from this series by the same author I can say the following about this author:
The more I read her books in such a rapid-fire fashion, the more I realize the author often recycles certain phrases and names. She also like to recycle plot items between her series. I feel like she has a roulette wheel for certain plot pieces.
Examples of recycled things like names and character movements:
Diane
Wheeler
Smith
“-took the card, absently flicking the edge with [his] index finger.”
“-his uneven gait.”
The killer writing on the body things like witch, faithless, bitch, etc
It keeps going, but these are more over all observations:
She likes her lawyers who have practices that have fallen on rough times. She obviously likes her cops, which is fine. It’s her thing. But about 65% percent of them seem to have tattoos with words like “Justice” woven into them. Her bad guys are usually stalkers and/or mentally ill and a ‘mastermind’ behind the person doing the actual killing is frequent…with the occasional sociopath thrown in there just to change things up. (roulette wheel?)Family bonds are key to all her main heroes. All damsels in distress usually have no family or no family on hand to help them in a tight situation, which forces them to lean on the trusty cop hero. Also makes them easy to assimilate into the hero's family dynamic for future encounters in other books.
Just something I noticed, moving on!
The author (this is slowly becoming a pet peeve of mine for many authors out there) also likes to describe every woman’s rack and their figure. Men get descriptions like tall, broad shoulders, slim build, narrow, with short hair, long hair, blonde hair, etc. Women get full breasts, ample chest, narrow waist, full hips, sexy lips, etc. Authors should honestly start describing men that way if they are going to objectify their women so much. It's mostly women reading this crap. Maybe an ample package, a long slong, a chiseled groin, or something. How looking at him made her wet and nothing about his personality. Just objectify the shit out of him like the women in these books. You know, since the male characters are allowed to have such thoughts and it’s okay for the women to have it too. Just a thought after 5 books by this author in the past few weeks and several other false starts from other authors that do this as well. Equality!!! heh.
Moving on…Once again I did notice a few grammar mistakes and such that should have been corrected at the editing stage. Things like wrong words used, redundant statements back to back. Things like saying “round breast swelling over laced cups” to “small breasts”. Small breasts generally don’t overflow their cups if your bra fits right and you aren’t wearing a max level push up bra. These two sentences don’t belong together just a page from each other, describing the same woman. Especially if you literally have your male protagonist calling her skin and bones and havign her maybe eat one meal a day and chugging coffee all the time. Just a thought...
I also felt that the climax of the book stuttered, particularly when trying to describe the grappling for the gun at the end. It was very awkward and the whole thing and its aftermath seemed rushed. At first I thought maybe it was because this was one of her first books (seeing how it is book 1 of a series), but a quick search revealed she was 14 years or so into her writing career when she penned this book, so I have no idea why it was even more stilted then the other books in this series. The ending was just…poorly written. Maybe she was rushed? I don’t know, but editing should have caught it.
Story wise I think is was going fine until they started in on the handwriting analysis where they started saying things like they could tell she was immature because she did upward flourishes to her letters. Or how the size of the letters reflect confidence. But on the other hand, the smallness of her little a reflected isolation. Did anyone inform the author that this type of analysis is generally seen as hogwash by many courts? Why was this included when we already knew so much about Annie? Everything they were saying was already covered anyway. It was a waste of ink and it seemed out of place. The only actual part of the sequence that is valid for a trial (and moving the book forward) is when the analyst mentions how the writing in the last five letters seems to have changed and been forgeries. Now that science can determine and the plot can use to move things along.
Things collapse further, in my humble opinion, when ‘frienemies’ Deke and Rachel, go from uncomfortable adversaries trying to workout the same mystery for different reasons to lip locked in one look. Where the hell did that come from??? Makes no bloody sense at all!
To Sum My Rant Up
I hate to say it, but the romance in this book is completely unnecessary and actually takes AWAY from the story because it’s so unbelievable. The writing quality is inconsistent, and the ending feels rushed and poorly written…and weird. Not believable at all.
I’m actually glad I read the first book last because I might have quit the series after this one. It just didn’t come together well and had a lot of elements that could have been left out to make it a far better story.
Anyhow, now that I have successfully read this entire series, out of order (3,2,4,1), I can say, yes this one is like the rest but not as interesting and not as well written. And because I read them one after another, plus an additional book not from this series by the same author I can say the following about this author:
The more I read her books in such a rapid-fire fashion, the more I realize the author often recycles certain phrases and names. She also like to recycle plot items between her series. I feel like she has a roulette wheel for certain plot pieces.
Examples of recycled things like names and character movements:
Diane
Wheeler
Smith
“-took the card, absently flicking the edge with [his] index finger.”
“-his uneven gait.”
The killer writing on the body things like witch, faithless, bitch, etc
It keeps going, but these are more over all observations:
She likes her lawyers who have practices that have fallen on rough times. She obviously likes her cops, which is fine. It’s her thing. But about 65% percent of them seem to have tattoos with words like “Justice” woven into them. Her bad guys are usually stalkers and/or mentally ill and a ‘mastermind’ behind the person doing the actual killing is frequent…with the occasional sociopath thrown in there just to change things up. (roulette wheel?)Family bonds are key to all her main heroes. All damsels in distress usually have no family or no family on hand to help them in a tight situation, which forces them to lean on the trusty cop hero. Also makes them easy to assimilate into the hero's family dynamic for future encounters in other books.
Just something I noticed, moving on!
The author (this is slowly becoming a pet peeve of mine for many authors out there) also likes to describe every woman’s rack and their figure. Men get descriptions like tall, broad shoulders, slim build, narrow, with short hair, long hair, blonde hair, etc. Women get full breasts, ample chest, narrow waist, full hips, sexy lips, etc. Authors should honestly start describing men that way if they are going to objectify their women so much. It's mostly women reading this crap. Maybe an ample package, a long slong, a chiseled groin, or something. How looking at him made her wet and nothing about his personality. Just objectify the shit out of him like the women in these books. You know, since the male characters are allowed to have such thoughts and it’s okay for the women to have it too. Just a thought after 5 books by this author in the past few weeks and several other false starts from other authors that do this as well. Equality!!! heh.
Moving on…Once again I did notice a few grammar mistakes and such that should have been corrected at the editing stage. Things like wrong words used, redundant statements back to back. Things like saying “round breast swelling over laced cups” to “small breasts”. Small breasts generally don’t overflow their cups if your bra fits right and you aren’t wearing a max level push up bra. These two sentences don’t belong together just a page from each other, describing the same woman. Especially if you literally have your male protagonist calling her skin and bones and havign her maybe eat one meal a day and chugging coffee all the time. Just a thought...
I also felt that the climax of the book stuttered, particularly when trying to describe the grappling for the gun at the end. It was very awkward and the whole thing and its aftermath seemed rushed. At first I thought maybe it was because this was one of her first books (seeing how it is book 1 of a series), but a quick search revealed she was 14 years or so into her writing career when she penned this book, so I have no idea why it was even more stilted then the other books in this series. The ending was just…poorly written. Maybe she was rushed? I don’t know, but editing should have caught it.
Story wise I think is was going fine until they started in on the handwriting analysis where they started saying things like they could tell she was immature because she did upward flourishes to her letters. Or how the size of the letters reflect confidence. But on the other hand, the smallness of her little a reflected isolation. Did anyone inform the author that this type of analysis is generally seen as hogwash by many courts? Why was this included when we already knew so much about Annie? Everything they were saying was already covered anyway. It was a waste of ink and it seemed out of place. The only actual part of the sequence that is valid for a trial (and moving the book forward) is when the analyst mentions how the writing in the last five letters seems to have changed and been forgeries. Now that science can determine and the plot can use to move things along.
Things collapse further, in my humble opinion, when ‘frienemies’ Deke and Rachel, go from uncomfortable adversaries trying to workout the same mystery for different reasons to lip locked in one look. Where the hell did that come from??? Makes no bloody sense at all!
To Sum My Rant Up
I hate to say it, but the romance in this book is completely unnecessary and actually takes AWAY from the story because it’s so unbelievable. The writing quality is inconsistent, and the ending feels rushed and poorly written…and weird. Not believable at all.
I’m actually glad I read the first book last because I might have quit the series after this one. It just didn’t come together well and had a lot of elements that could have been left out to make it a far better story.
May 1, 2022
the mystery was mystery’ing, the suspense was suspense’ing, and the twists were twisting till the very end! romantic suspense done right and had me gasping at not one, not two, but at least four surprising reveals. no small feat.
October 23, 2015
COVER YOUR EYES by Mary Burton is a crime mystery suspense thriller, with twists and turns, and a whodunit which will leave your head spinning.
Annie was a good-looking, blonde, sexy gal and all the men swoon when she walks into a room. She loves country music, a singer in local honky-tonk bars, looking for a chance to make it to the big time in Nashville. All the men want her, and offer her an array of promises. However, just when she thinks she may get it all, she is brutally murdered.
Jeb Jones, a man convicted some thirty years ago for Annie’s murder before DNA testing was available; however, now the case may be reopened when new DNA evidence is available.
Rachel, a tenacious attorney is out for the truth, to find the real murderer. Of course many do not want to stir the pot.
Homicide Detective Deke Morgan is now on the case of a bar singer, Dixie Simmons, with a similar murder relating to the one years ago. However, are these two cases related? Of course his father Buddy was the cop in charge of the previous case years ago.
As the intensity heats up, Rachel is attacked as she gets closer to mounting evidence. Someone wants to keep her quiet. Of course the Morgans kind of run the Nashville Police Department, and then there is also Georgia Morgan, a forensics technician called in to investigate.
Buddy Morgan was a hero of sort back in the day, and no one wants show any evidence that he could have put away the wrong man.
Wow, the audiobook was quite intriguing, and my favorite parts were those of Annie and her tidbits throughout the book. Readers only hear short notes, letters, and updates to her lover, called SUGAR and BABY. Love A. OMG, I am still hearing this southern voice saying SUGAR over and over in my head ….. Narrator, Karen White, delivered a nice southern performance, true to setting. I kept saying….please who is Sugar? I liked the back story more than the present one; however the connection was well done.
Burton’s delivers a well- paced mystery and suspense, continuing to the end, keeping you guessing as to the identity of the murderer. Crime fans will enjoy this complex southern tale of whodunit, with some light romance.
Fans of Leslie Tentler, Nancy Bush, Lisa Jackson, Sandra Brown, and Tami Hoag will appreciate Burton’s style.
Be Afraid Morgans of Nashville #2 (5 stars)!
Upcoming I'll Never Let You Go Morgans of Nashville #3, Coming Oct 27, 2015! My Featured Weekend Read.
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Annie was a good-looking, blonde, sexy gal and all the men swoon when she walks into a room. She loves country music, a singer in local honky-tonk bars, looking for a chance to make it to the big time in Nashville. All the men want her, and offer her an array of promises. However, just when she thinks she may get it all, she is brutally murdered.
Jeb Jones, a man convicted some thirty years ago for Annie’s murder before DNA testing was available; however, now the case may be reopened when new DNA evidence is available.
Rachel, a tenacious attorney is out for the truth, to find the real murderer. Of course many do not want to stir the pot.
Homicide Detective Deke Morgan is now on the case of a bar singer, Dixie Simmons, with a similar murder relating to the one years ago. However, are these two cases related? Of course his father Buddy was the cop in charge of the previous case years ago.
As the intensity heats up, Rachel is attacked as she gets closer to mounting evidence. Someone wants to keep her quiet. Of course the Morgans kind of run the Nashville Police Department, and then there is also Georgia Morgan, a forensics technician called in to investigate.
Buddy Morgan was a hero of sort back in the day, and no one wants show any evidence that he could have put away the wrong man.
Wow, the audiobook was quite intriguing, and my favorite parts were those of Annie and her tidbits throughout the book. Readers only hear short notes, letters, and updates to her lover, called SUGAR and BABY. Love A. OMG, I am still hearing this southern voice saying SUGAR over and over in my head ….. Narrator, Karen White, delivered a nice southern performance, true to setting. I kept saying….please who is Sugar? I liked the back story more than the present one; however the connection was well done.
Burton’s delivers a well- paced mystery and suspense, continuing to the end, keeping you guessing as to the identity of the murderer. Crime fans will enjoy this complex southern tale of whodunit, with some light romance.
Fans of Leslie Tentler, Nancy Bush, Lisa Jackson, Sandra Brown, and Tami Hoag will appreciate Burton’s style.
Be Afraid Morgans of Nashville #2 (5 stars)!
Upcoming I'll Never Let You Go Morgans of Nashville #3, Coming Oct 27, 2015! My Featured Weekend Read.
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
January 5, 2019
"As much as she loved and wanted to be Annie, she couldn’t help but enjoy it when she suffered."
It was good. Stay-up-all-night-can't-guess-who-the-killer-is good. Annie was the charismatic gorgeous blonde country singer everyone wanted.
Thirty years ago her brutal death stunned Nashville. Bludgeoned in her own home a stones throw from her baby: her body missing for months. It was the sort of case that kept people home at night, a case that made Buddy Morgan's career when he arrested Jeb Jones for the murder.
Thirty years later Rachel Wainwright is calling for DNA tests that could up end that conviction. No one in Nashville is happy about having the past dug up and a murderer set free.
The Morgan children are now all in law enforcement and don't want to see their fathers name tarnished. But if Jeb didn't kill Annie then who is bludgeoning blondes today? Who really fathered Annie's baby? What happened to the baby? Why didn't Annie want her sister to be alone the baby? Who was the CI that got Jeb convicted and what's his angle?
Most murder mysteries I read have three or four good suspects and one or two good motives. This is expansive. There are a bakers dozen worth of shady characters with a gambit of possible motives. Burton is very good at keeping you guessing.
What she's not good at - romance. Deke and Rachel have some lukewarm uninteresting flirtation and a quick sex scene. Blah. She hasn't made either character someone I care about/want to get to know. Hell, I even yada yada'd their boring sex.
So sad when book sex is boring.
Also no cool action sequences. Still, a good afternoon read for who-done-it fans!
It was good. Stay-up-all-night-can't-guess-who-the-killer-is good. Annie was the charismatic gorgeous blonde country singer everyone wanted.
Thirty years ago her brutal death stunned Nashville. Bludgeoned in her own home a stones throw from her baby: her body missing for months. It was the sort of case that kept people home at night, a case that made Buddy Morgan's career when he arrested Jeb Jones for the murder.
Thirty years later Rachel Wainwright is calling for DNA tests that could up end that conviction. No one in Nashville is happy about having the past dug up and a murderer set free.
The Morgan children are now all in law enforcement and don't want to see their fathers name tarnished. But if Jeb didn't kill Annie then who is bludgeoning blondes today? Who really fathered Annie's baby? What happened to the baby? Why didn't Annie want her sister to be alone the baby? Who was the CI that got Jeb convicted and what's his angle?
Most murder mysteries I read have three or four good suspects and one or two good motives. This is expansive. There are a bakers dozen worth of shady characters with a gambit of possible motives. Burton is very good at keeping you guessing.
What she's not good at - romance. Deke and Rachel have some lukewarm uninteresting flirtation and a quick sex scene. Blah. She hasn't made either character someone I care about/want to get to know. Hell, I even yada yada'd their boring sex.
So sad when book sex is boring.
Also no cool action sequences. Still, a good afternoon read for who-done-it fans!
November 12, 2014
At times, very intense, drawing me in, making me guess - and it took me quite a while to figure out who the killer was. But at other times I found myself slagging a bit. A good sized novel, at 400 pages, but I think there were a few scenes that easily could have been cut, tightening it up a bit and still leaving a respectable novel. Overall, I almost gave it four stars (why can't we rate in 1/2 stars?!), but it wasn't quite there for me. But I admit, I am tough. To earn a four, it has to be GOOOD. To earn a five, which I rarely give, apocalyptic. So, given I rate this 3.5, that's a good read...with a few undesirables. Still, she has the synergy set - mystery and suspense down to a science - of that, there is little doubt.
December 16, 2014
betty cox -- Last update on Nov 8, 2014
Review
COVER YOUR EYES is a template of what an excellent romantic suspense should be. Well formed characters, strong narrative, titilating story threads.
An excellent addition to your keeper shelf.
Betty Cox, Reviewer
Review
COVER YOUR EYES is a template of what an excellent romantic suspense should be. Well formed characters, strong narrative, titilating story threads.
An excellent addition to your keeper shelf.
Betty Cox, Reviewer
November 3, 2015
This is a good suspense, but a poorly written romantic suspense. The ending felt a bit rushed, the writer tries too hard to tie everything last min.....not very convincing.
February 10, 2016
Two-haiku review:
She's lawyer seeking
To free client in prison
Cop's dad made arrest
Old fashioned, hard boiled
Suspense with touch of romance
Convoluted crime
She's lawyer seeking
To free client in prison
Cop's dad made arrest
Old fashioned, hard boiled
Suspense with touch of romance
Convoluted crime
February 23, 2023
Maybe I was too distracted to follow along. The story was interesting- but I’m not sure I figured out exactly what the ending was.
December 5, 2024
The first half was pretty intriguing, but the ending was a bit over the top and chaotic for my liking.
October 16, 2022
Spoilers (some) 🚨
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I read this book back in January and have totally forgotten all about it. I read this one and book 3. I skipped book 2 by accident. There's also a book 4 which I haven't read yet either. I'm not sure if I will to be honest.
I used to be a HUGE fan of Burton but her books are all repetitive. There's always a sex scene or two in all her books. Some of these sexy scenes are out of place so there's that. In all the books I have read, the main character always gets hurt or injured first, Then in book 2, 3, 4 etc all the other characters get their own story and also get hurt or injured. I love cop dramas but this is when I roll my eyes.
Reading this a second time, I realize a rating of 3 is fair. I rated it a 2 in January. I changed my mind. The book itself isn't awful but it is kind of predictable. I figured out who A is rather quickly. No other character had an A name so A for Annie. That was easy.. I also figured out who Momma was too considering Kate was the only character old enough to really be the Momma. It didn't take a scientist to figure that out. The characters were well written though, and they were likable enough. The writing of the book wasn't bad but, there were a few inconsistencies. The mystery of the book held strong in a few places, I didn't see the Annie conclusion, I thought it was Beth. I also didn't see Baby as Pastor Gary, I thought it was Rudy. So as you can see, it wasn't all predictable just some.
I can't rate this a 5 but I think 3 is fair. It's an okay cop drama but I've read far better and like I said, Burton books are all pretty much the same ole thing just different characters, different story, different plot but someone always gets hurt or injured and then in the following books the second character gets hurt and then in the third book, the third character gets hurt...etc. just predictable. Decent books but not absolutely fabulous.
Thanks for reading my review. All my reviews are just my humble honest opinion. We all like different tastes and that's what makes everyone special 😌 😊.
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I read this book back in January and have totally forgotten all about it. I read this one and book 3. I skipped book 2 by accident. There's also a book 4 which I haven't read yet either. I'm not sure if I will to be honest.
I used to be a HUGE fan of Burton but her books are all repetitive. There's always a sex scene or two in all her books. Some of these sexy scenes are out of place so there's that. In all the books I have read, the main character always gets hurt or injured first, Then in book 2, 3, 4 etc all the other characters get their own story and also get hurt or injured. I love cop dramas but this is when I roll my eyes.
Reading this a second time, I realize a rating of 3 is fair. I rated it a 2 in January. I changed my mind. The book itself isn't awful but it is kind of predictable. I figured out who A is rather quickly. No other character had an A name so A for Annie. That was easy.. I also figured out who Momma was too considering Kate was the only character old enough to really be the Momma. It didn't take a scientist to figure that out. The characters were well written though, and they were likable enough. The writing of the book wasn't bad but, there were a few inconsistencies. The mystery of the book held strong in a few places, I didn't see the Annie conclusion, I thought it was Beth. I also didn't see Baby as Pastor Gary, I thought it was Rudy. So as you can see, it wasn't all predictable just some.
I can't rate this a 5 but I think 3 is fair. It's an okay cop drama but I've read far better and like I said, Burton books are all pretty much the same ole thing just different characters, different story, different plot but someone always gets hurt or injured and then in the following books the second character gets hurt and then in the third book, the third character gets hurt...etc. just predictable. Decent books but not absolutely fabulous.
Thanks for reading my review. All my reviews are just my humble honest opinion. We all like different tastes and that's what makes everyone special 😌 😊.
June 16, 2025
Cover Your Eyes is the first book in the Morgans of Nashville series. I have read a couple of others in this series and had no issues reading them out of order. Someone is killing people, and not just killing them, but brutally assaulting them, bludgeoning them to death. The prologue opens with the death of Annie Dawson, thirty years earlier. A man is in prison for that murder, but Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen his case, convinced that he is innocent. They can now use DNA to prove guilt or innocence and she has petitioned for that to be done, but it seems to be taking a long time. There are now two more deaths, similar to the old one, but is is a copy cat, or the real killer reemerging. With the help of Homicide detective Deke Morgan, will she finally be able to prove her client's innocence and will they catch the real killer before someone else ends up dead?
My biggest disappointment with this book is that there weren't enough Morgans. Rachel was front and center, which I understand, but she wasn't a character that pulled me in. It was Deke's father that investigated the case of Annie Dawson, and he doesn't want to prove that his father was wrong, but if there is still a killer out there, he wants to put them behind bars. From the beginning it was clear that jealousy is the motive for some of these crimes, but who's jealousy? I had an inkling of who the culprit was, but wasn't positive until the reveal. Although thrillers and romantic suspense usually pull me in, this one was just okay. Not sure what it was, but I just wasn't gripped and that was disappointing. I enjoyed the story and wanted to know who the killer was, and I did enjoy the ending. the romance wasn't a huge part of this story, but there was chemistry. The narrator, Karen White, did an okay job with the story giving voice to the characters and adding tone and expression.
My biggest disappointment with this book is that there weren't enough Morgans. Rachel was front and center, which I understand, but she wasn't a character that pulled me in. It was Deke's father that investigated the case of Annie Dawson, and he doesn't want to prove that his father was wrong, but if there is still a killer out there, he wants to put them behind bars. From the beginning it was clear that jealousy is the motive for some of these crimes, but who's jealousy? I had an inkling of who the culprit was, but wasn't positive until the reveal. Although thrillers and romantic suspense usually pull me in, this one was just okay. Not sure what it was, but I just wasn't gripped and that was disappointing. I enjoyed the story and wanted to know who the killer was, and I did enjoy the ending. the romance wasn't a huge part of this story, but there was chemistry. The narrator, Karen White, did an okay job with the story giving voice to the characters and adding tone and expression.
July 25, 2017
In this book from 2014, attorney Rachel Wainwright takes on the case of a man convicted of murder over 30 years ago. She is determined to get a DNA test to prove his innocence. The cop she deals with is Deke Morgan, son of the cop who arrested her client. Deke is currently working on a case where a singer is bludgeoned to death with a tire iron. Soon, Rachel is attacked by an assailant with a tire iron. A private investigator she is using on her case is killed by a tire iron. Deke starts to wonder if the murder from years ago is related to the current deaths.
Mary Burton is know for her romantic suspense stories, but this one is heavy on the mystery/suspense with only a bit of romance thrown in. The author was very clever with her descriptions of the attacker. I tried to figure out who Sugar and Baby were throughout the book but the author didn't slip up. By reading closely, I saw a couple of the author's clues before the big reveal. With the killer wearing a hoodie and mask and wielding that tire iron in a rage, yes, I felt the shivers. I'll be looking for more of Mary Burton's books!
Mary Burton is know for her romantic suspense stories, but this one is heavy on the mystery/suspense with only a bit of romance thrown in. The author was very clever with her descriptions of the attacker. I tried to figure out who Sugar and Baby were throughout the book but the author didn't slip up. By reading closely, I saw a couple of the author's clues before the big reveal. With the killer wearing a hoodie and mask and wielding that tire iron in a rage, yes, I felt the shivers. I'll be looking for more of Mary Burton's books!
April 24, 2025
This might be the first book I’ve read where a first person character main dies only halfway through. I was slightly confused with the amount of characters to keep track of towards the end, but it felt like a game to keep up with! I was racing my brain to figure this one out. THIS is how a Thriller/Mystery should be story wise as I loved it nonetheless! <3
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