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Don't Cry #1
Don't Cry
The New York Times bestselling author “delivers a solid mix of romance and terror” in this serial killer thriller set in Tennessee (Publishers Weekly).Chattanooga grief counselor Audrey Sherrod moonlights for the local police. Her latest case involves one horrifying crime scene after the victims arranged with deliberate care, posed to appear alive despite their agonized last moments and the shocking nature of their deaths. It's clear to Audrey, and to Special Agent J.D. Cass, that they are witnessing the work of a deranged serial killer.At first, the only link is the victims' similar physical appearance. But then another connection emerges, tying them to a long-ago series of horrifying crimes that hit all too close to home for Audrey. Each grisly new discovery proves the past has not been forgotten, and the worst is yet to come. Now Audrey must finally confront the truth . . . and it will be more twisted and terrifying than anything she imagined.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2010
182 people are currently reading
1544 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Barton
300 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 154 reviews
September 4, 2010
Rating:
4 / 5 stars for the suspense
1 / 5 star for the romance
2.5 / 5 stars overall
It's hard to decide what to say about this book...in one aspect it was well above average, but in another, it was well below average. And unfortunately for me, that below average aspect dominates my opinion.
Series Note:
This book is the first in a set of books about this groups of characters. Barton states at the end of this one that the sequel will be out in 2012.
Summary:
When a woman is found murdered, posed in a rocking chair and holding the skeleton of a long dead infant, Chattanooga, TN is set on edge. The crime makes cops and citizens think of the long ago Baby Blue kidnappings which left several toddlers missing and presumed dead. Then another woman is found dead the same way, and then another. Special Agent JD Cass is positive that the Rocking Chair Murders are somehow directly connected to the Baby Blue Kidnappings...but how? There are few clues and many possible suspects.
And in the process of dealing with the case, JD meets grief counselor Audrey Sherrod, whose little half-brother was one of the believed victims of the Baby Blue Kidnapper. The two run at cross purposes, but underneath, there's a strong attraction. First, though, there are a lot of secrets to be revealed and a killer to find before the two can explore their feelings.
Review:
This book was a total disappointment to me, and maybe marks the end of Beverly Barton being one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. Barton seems to be another one of those RS authors who is moving more and more toward straight-up suspense with less and less romance. And for a romance reader like me, that's just not what I want to read. The romance in this book hardly qualified as a romance.
If you want to go for straight up romance-related facts...the book is 468 pages long. Halfway through the book, Audrey is dating someone else, and JD has a has a goodbye screw with his fuck buddy then promptly goes out with another woman. Totally not romantic. JD and Audrey don't even kiss for the first time until page 358. I mean, seriously? 358 pages in until the h/h KISS for the first time??? I understand the need sometimes to go slow with a romance, or in a romantic suspense to focus more on the suspense, but that's just way too long to make readers wait. Then they don't kiss again until page 437, after which they promptly fall into bed and readers get a few short paragraphs of nondescript sex...and then nothing but an pseudo-HEA ending.
And aside from that JD and Audrey were kinda ill-fitting. Audrey spends most of the book being judgmental and sanctimonious toward JD, constantly comparing him to her jerk father and just being rude to him. The two are constantly at odds and I didn't feel the romance between them hardly at all. Even at the end I felt like their HEA was more of an HFN. These two just seem too different. Barton states that there will be more of JD and Audrey in a sequel, but that it's not due out until 2012. Yeah, really...who wants to wait 2 years to get the continuation of characters stories in a romance type book like this?
All in all, the romance aspect sucked big time. I love romantic suspense book. They're my favorite genre and I don't mind if the suspense is the more dominant aspect of the book. But I still want a solid romance that's weaved throughout the book. This one didn't deliver that. The romance felt like a sidenote tossed in to appease readers. It was flat, boring, undeveloped, and so utterly slow in developing it nearly put me to sleep. That's very disappointing for an author who has written some really good romantic suspenses and romances.
On a positive note, the suspense in the book was above average. I don't want to say it was excellent because I wouldn't say it's one of the best I've ever read. It was just rather good. It kept me reading, was well-crafted and intricate. All pluses on for a suspense plot.
There are actually two intertwined storylines. One being the Rocking Chair Murders and the second being the resurrection of the Baby Blue Kidnappings in connection to the first case. Each is a separate story, but they become heavily intertwined. Barton did a great job weaving the story together. I did guess fairly early, though, how everything would turn out. It was a little obvious to me. One of those deals where the author tries maybe a little too hard to push readers in one direction that you know the bad guy can't be that person(s) so you figure out it's the one hiding in the background. So there weren't really any surprises in that sense at the end, at least for me. But it was still a good suspense plot. I enjoyed that part of the story.
If you're trying to decide whether to read this book...well, if you're a past Barton fan who hasn't liked that the romance has been getting less and less in her books, then don't try this one. Basically, if romance is you're focus in what you want out of a book, then this won't give it to you. But if you're a plain old suspense fan that doesn't mind a hint of romance, then you may like this one. Hard to say.
As for me, I was disappointed. Barton's always been able to deliver romantic suspenses that are a good mix of romance and suspense. That recipe was seriously lopsided in this book, and the new mix wasn't quite to my taste. I hope this is just an aberration for Barton and not a signal that she's moving toward straight up suspense. I don't know if I'll read the sequel when it comes out an eon from now. I'll probably wait and read some reviews first.
4 / 5 stars for the suspense
1 / 5 star for the romance
2.5 / 5 stars overall
It's hard to decide what to say about this book...in one aspect it was well above average, but in another, it was well below average. And unfortunately for me, that below average aspect dominates my opinion.
Series Note:
This book is the first in a set of books about this groups of characters. Barton states at the end of this one that the sequel will be out in 2012.
Summary:
When a woman is found murdered, posed in a rocking chair and holding the skeleton of a long dead infant, Chattanooga, TN is set on edge. The crime makes cops and citizens think of the long ago Baby Blue kidnappings which left several toddlers missing and presumed dead. Then another woman is found dead the same way, and then another. Special Agent JD Cass is positive that the Rocking Chair Murders are somehow directly connected to the Baby Blue Kidnappings...but how? There are few clues and many possible suspects.
And in the process of dealing with the case, JD meets grief counselor Audrey Sherrod, whose little half-brother was one of the believed victims of the Baby Blue Kidnapper. The two run at cross purposes, but underneath, there's a strong attraction. First, though, there are a lot of secrets to be revealed and a killer to find before the two can explore their feelings.
Review:
This book was a total disappointment to me, and maybe marks the end of Beverly Barton being one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. Barton seems to be another one of those RS authors who is moving more and more toward straight-up suspense with less and less romance. And for a romance reader like me, that's just not what I want to read. The romance in this book hardly qualified as a romance.
If you want to go for straight up romance-related facts...the book is 468 pages long. Halfway through the book, Audrey is dating someone else, and JD has a has a goodbye screw with his fuck buddy then promptly goes out with another woman. Totally not romantic. JD and Audrey don't even kiss for the first time until page 358. I mean, seriously? 358 pages in until the h/h KISS for the first time??? I understand the need sometimes to go slow with a romance, or in a romantic suspense to focus more on the suspense, but that's just way too long to make readers wait. Then they don't kiss again until page 437, after which they promptly fall into bed and readers get a few short paragraphs of nondescript sex...and then nothing but an pseudo-HEA ending.
And aside from that JD and Audrey were kinda ill-fitting. Audrey spends most of the book being judgmental and sanctimonious toward JD, constantly comparing him to her jerk father and just being rude to him. The two are constantly at odds and I didn't feel the romance between them hardly at all. Even at the end I felt like their HEA was more of an HFN. These two just seem too different. Barton states that there will be more of JD and Audrey in a sequel, but that it's not due out until 2012. Yeah, really...who wants to wait 2 years to get the continuation of characters stories in a romance type book like this?
All in all, the romance aspect sucked big time. I love romantic suspense book. They're my favorite genre and I don't mind if the suspense is the more dominant aspect of the book. But I still want a solid romance that's weaved throughout the book. This one didn't deliver that. The romance felt like a sidenote tossed in to appease readers. It was flat, boring, undeveloped, and so utterly slow in developing it nearly put me to sleep. That's very disappointing for an author who has written some really good romantic suspenses and romances.
On a positive note, the suspense in the book was above average. I don't want to say it was excellent because I wouldn't say it's one of the best I've ever read. It was just rather good. It kept me reading, was well-crafted and intricate. All pluses on for a suspense plot.
There are actually two intertwined storylines. One being the Rocking Chair Murders and the second being the resurrection of the Baby Blue Kidnappings in connection to the first case. Each is a separate story, but they become heavily intertwined. Barton did a great job weaving the story together. I did guess fairly early, though, how everything would turn out. It was a little obvious to me. One of those deals where the author tries maybe a little too hard to push readers in one direction that you know the bad guy can't be that person(s) so you figure out it's the one hiding in the background. So there weren't really any surprises in that sense at the end, at least for me. But it was still a good suspense plot. I enjoyed that part of the story.
If you're trying to decide whether to read this book...well, if you're a past Barton fan who hasn't liked that the romance has been getting less and less in her books, then don't try this one. Basically, if romance is you're focus in what you want out of a book, then this won't give it to you. But if you're a plain old suspense fan that doesn't mind a hint of romance, then you may like this one. Hard to say.
As for me, I was disappointed. Barton's always been able to deliver romantic suspenses that are a good mix of romance and suspense. That recipe was seriously lopsided in this book, and the new mix wasn't quite to my taste. I hope this is just an aberration for Barton and not a signal that she's moving toward straight up suspense. I don't know if I'll read the sequel when it comes out an eon from now. I'll probably wait and read some reviews first.
August 27, 2010
4.5 stars
Wow! Another fantastic romantic suspense novel by one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. This one had a lot of twists & turns and actually had two mysteries (when one is revealed, it immediately jumps into the second one).
J.D. Cass is an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigators. He's called to the scene of a dead woman found in a rocking chair. This ends up being the first murder by a killer deemed the Rocking Chair Killer. These murders also becomed linked to the disappearance of several toddlers 25+ years ago that involve several local families (including Audrey Sherrod's family).
Audrey Sherrod is a grief counselor who just happens to be treating the mom of a missing woman when the body is found. She agrees to accompany the family to the crime scene in case their worst fears come true.
The book doesn't just deal with a serial killer or the missing toddlers, it deals with a lot of relationships. J.D. and Audrey; J.D. and his daugther Zoe; Audrey and all of her family; Audrey and her best friend Tam; Tam and her husband Marcus; and plenty more. In typical Barton style, there are a lot of characters in this book. In some of her previous books I found myself getting frustrated when it would jump from one character's storyline to the next (right when I would be getting into that particular storyline), but that didn't happen in this one. I enjoyed all of the storylines and all of the characters. I didn't find it hard to keep up with everyone either.
As for the romance side of the book, J.D. and Audrey butt heads from the get go. However, at the same time, there is obvious sexual tension bouncing between them (although they each fight it tooth and nail). J.D. reminds Audrey of her "never there" father and wants nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, J.D. knows Audrey is the type of woman you don't have a casual "sex only" relationship with and that's all he's ever been good for.
J.D. and Audrey's relationship moves very slowly, but I found it very believable. In fact, they don't "get together" until close to the very end (so be forewarned if you like a lot of nookie). That is what docked it 1/2 star in my rating, I would have liked more J.D. & Audrey being together as a couple. However, the author wrote in her note at the end that she tentatively plans on writing a second book featuring J.D. and Audrey (which I so hope she does because I thoroughly enjoyed them together) but it won't be released until some time in 2012.
Wow! Another fantastic romantic suspense novel by one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. This one had a lot of twists & turns and actually had two mysteries (when one is revealed, it immediately jumps into the second one).
J.D. Cass is an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigators. He's called to the scene of a dead woman found in a rocking chair. This ends up being the first murder by a killer deemed the Rocking Chair Killer. These murders also becomed linked to the disappearance of several toddlers 25+ years ago that involve several local families (including Audrey Sherrod's family).
Audrey Sherrod is a grief counselor who just happens to be treating the mom of a missing woman when the body is found. She agrees to accompany the family to the crime scene in case their worst fears come true.
The book doesn't just deal with a serial killer or the missing toddlers, it deals with a lot of relationships. J.D. and Audrey; J.D. and his daugther Zoe; Audrey and all of her family; Audrey and her best friend Tam; Tam and her husband Marcus; and plenty more. In typical Barton style, there are a lot of characters in this book. In some of her previous books I found myself getting frustrated when it would jump from one character's storyline to the next (right when I would be getting into that particular storyline), but that didn't happen in this one. I enjoyed all of the storylines and all of the characters. I didn't find it hard to keep up with everyone either.
As for the romance side of the book, J.D. and Audrey butt heads from the get go. However, at the same time, there is obvious sexual tension bouncing between them (although they each fight it tooth and nail). J.D. reminds Audrey of her "never there" father and wants nothing to do with him. Meanwhile, J.D. knows Audrey is the type of woman you don't have a casual "sex only" relationship with and that's all he's ever been good for.
J.D. and Audrey's relationship moves very slowly, but I found it very believable. In fact, they don't "get together" until close to the very end (so be forewarned if you like a lot of nookie). That is what docked it 1/2 star in my rating, I would have liked more J.D. & Audrey being together as a couple. However, the author wrote in her note at the end that she tentatively plans on writing a second book featuring J.D. and Audrey (which I so hope she does because I thoroughly enjoyed them together) but it won't be released until some time in 2012.
July 19, 2017
Amazing! Such a great book! Struggled putting it down and the last few chapters the tensions rises so much , so many plot twists I just had to keep reading ! So glad I bought it!
July 24, 2011
I'm actually surprised that I finished this book. The synopsis sounded really intriguing but half-way through the book I found it to be a little boring and long-winded and I figured out who the killer was.
Characters with traumatic past events or deep dark secrets are a given. But every single character? Come on. A little ridiculous. As for the mystery of who the killer is, it could have been a lot better. It just seemed to go on forever and the ending was anything but climactic.
As for the romance between J.D. and Audrey, totally lame. It was thrown in periodically throughout the book. It's as though the writer decided to add some romance as an after-thought. As usual, they both start off disliking each other. Half-way through he's calling her honey as though they have a romantic relationship which they don't. It's only at the end do they get together.
Characters with traumatic past events or deep dark secrets are a given. But every single character? Come on. A little ridiculous. As for the mystery of who the killer is, it could have been a lot better. It just seemed to go on forever and the ending was anything but climactic.
As for the romance between J.D. and Audrey, totally lame. It was thrown in periodically throughout the book. It's as though the writer decided to add some romance as an after-thought. As usual, they both start off disliking each other. Half-way through he's calling her honey as though they have a romantic relationship which they don't. It's only at the end do they get together.
June 22, 2015
This was an average book. I neither like it very much, nor disliked it in some way. I just read it (though it was a bit too long) and I will forget it in a few weeks.
The best part of it was probably the suspense. The idea of the serial killer and was interesting enough to keep me reading, while I found the characters boring. However, the case of Rocking Chair Murderer is solved too easy and quickly for my taste.
What I didn't like is calling J.D. a bad and uncaring father just because he finds it difficult to adjust to the idea of having a teenage daughter. I believe he does his best to change the things, even decides to go on a therapy. Okay, he admits he probably don't like his daughter but neither she does. Zoe even doesn't call him Dad and she wishes somebody else was her father. It's not like she is making it easy for J.D. to became a good father.
The characters were taking some stupid actions from time to time. They weren't very significant for a plot but still, I expected them to act more thoughtful. Instead, I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. Sometimes the characters seemed so childish, especially Audrey with her silly anger toward J.D.
I am not sure if this book can be classified as a romantic suspense, I would rather call it a mystery with a tiny bit of romantic affair. Really, it can not be consider a romance as long as the MC are not sure if they like each other for the most part of the book and it's up to 75% since they make the first step and exchange the first kiss. By the way, I'm still not sure if they suit each other, I couldn't find any feelings between them except thinking about each other quite often. And their sex seemed somehow passionless.
For some reason I struggle with this book a lot. I'm not even sure why. The disadvantages that I pointed above weren't enough to give up reading it, so I keep on for over a week 'till the end.
The best part of it was probably the suspense. The idea of the serial killer and was interesting enough to keep me reading, while I found the characters boring. However, the case of Rocking Chair Murderer is solved too easy and quickly for my taste.
What I didn't like is calling J.D. a bad and uncaring father just because he finds it difficult to adjust to the idea of having a teenage daughter. I believe he does his best to change the things, even decides to go on a therapy. Okay, he admits he probably don't like his daughter but neither she does. Zoe even doesn't call him Dad and she wishes somebody else was her father. It's not like she is making it easy for J.D. to became a good father.
The characters were taking some stupid actions from time to time. They weren't very significant for a plot but still, I expected them to act more thoughtful. Instead, I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. Sometimes the characters seemed so childish, especially Audrey with her silly anger toward J.D.
I am not sure if this book can be classified as a romantic suspense, I would rather call it a mystery with a tiny bit of romantic affair. Really, it can not be consider a romance as long as the MC are not sure if they like each other for the most part of the book and it's up to 75% since they make the first step and exchange the first kiss. By the way, I'm still not sure if they suit each other, I couldn't find any feelings between them except thinking about each other quite often. And their sex seemed somehow passionless.
For some reason I struggle with this book a lot. I'm not even sure why. The disadvantages that I pointed above weren't enough to give up reading it, so I keep on for over a week 'till the end.
February 17, 2012
This is an excellent mystery with a nice romance woven in. This is one of those books that kept me up all night because no matter how I tried to put it down...I wanted to keep reading.
Twenty-five years ago, Chattanooga, Tennessee, was devestated by a rash of abductions of blond-haired, blue-eyed toddler boys. Now the missing toddlers, in skeletal form, from the Baby Blue case are being returned one by one – in the arms of dead women who were recently reported missing.
What a storyline, it kept me wanting more. Beverly Barton pulls a twist at the end of the book that well blow your mind. If you are new to Beverly Barton you will have a wonderful surprise with this author, and for her fans, another of her very amazing stories awaits.
Twenty-five years ago, Chattanooga, Tennessee, was devestated by a rash of abductions of blond-haired, blue-eyed toddler boys. Now the missing toddlers, in skeletal form, from the Baby Blue case are being returned one by one – in the arms of dead women who were recently reported missing.
What a storyline, it kept me wanting more. Beverly Barton pulls a twist at the end of the book that well blow your mind. If you are new to Beverly Barton you will have a wonderful surprise with this author, and for her fans, another of her very amazing stories awaits.
September 30, 2010
I started off really interested in the book, but as I got further and further into it I discovered how much I really disliked it. I feel like it could have been 200 pages shorter if she had stopped repeating the same exact story over and over again through the different characters. I found myself skipping over many of the parts, and turns out I didn't miss much. Other than that the relationships (especially Audrey and zoes), conversations and ever the plot seemed too forced. This book would definitely not even come to mind if someone asked for a recommendation for a good read.
October 1, 2010
This book absolutely bored me to tears enough to where I remember I needed to force myself to finish it. It shocks me with that because BB is a pretty good writer that I have enjoyed other books by her.
November 13, 2015
Please note, this will contain some big spoilers. There is just no real way for me to write about this one without doing that. Sorry!
All the way through this book until I hit about the last 10-15%, I thought this was a pretty good book, a bit creepy and twisted, but good. When I hit that point, though, things kind of started to fall apart. I had a few bits here and there that were bugging me, but I was still ready to give this a much higher rating until towards the end.
There is a whole lot of personal drama going on here between all kinds of characters outside of the bigger crime thread of this book and we get to see all that going down by getting it handed to us through all those different characters points of view. It got kind of confusing at times and took a little while to get used to the flow of the writing. This wasn’t huge, but it was an annoyance.
Another minor, but still annoying issue was more of a realistic/factual thing not really meeting up or meshing with how this was written. The crimes are written such that you have a woman cradling and rocking a child (either dead or alive, the position is still the same), yet that child is between 2 and 3 years old. Children of that age are usually way too big to be cradled. You can sit them on your lap, but you can’t really cradle them unless they are on the really small side, at least not without it being extremely awkward and difficult. This issue made it incredibly hard to really visualize this set up accurately because it is written as though you would hold and rock an infant, not a toddler. This tripped me up almost every time it was mentioned.
You spend the entire book digging through all that drama and trying to following what gets revealed about the murders and you have a pretty good idea that there is probably something hinky going on with Blake’s abduction. You don’t know, but you realize at a decent point in the story that it is at least a possibility. That is fine. You keep reading and keep that in the back of your mind.
Then we get the huge, insanely coincidental bad guy reveal. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal if the character connects didn’t twist and turn and intertwine like a backwoods inbred family tree. What are the chances that the bad guy ends up dating Audrey, the sister of one of the kids that was supposedly kidnapped all those years ago? The bad guy that was the twin brother of the baby that the crazy mom killed and then replaced by kidnapping said kids? The bad guy that when he was a boy was adopted out to some other family? Oh, and let’s twist that a bit tighter because Blake, Audrey’s brother, wasn’t actually one of those kids.
As crazy and totally unreal as all those twists and turns are, that isn’t even what I had the biggest problem with (and that wasn’t a tiny one to begin with). No, I had a problem with all the insane that vomited all over the pages AFTER the bad guy went down. We new there was a chance of stuff with Blake. We had a pretty good idea that there was a huge chance that it was either Enid or Hart that caused his death and expected it to be found out after the bad guy was caught and they didn’t find Blake’s body. The problem I had was that Garth, this respected, apparently well liked, police officer of many years goes off the rails when it is about to come out and kills Hart and tries to kill Audrey. All to protect his seriously depressed sister, who has now been dead for more than 20 years. That made absolutely no sense at all and was a level of drama that was completely unnecessary.
Don’t even get me started on how badly every single police officer involved apparently dropped the ball with regards to searching after Blake was reported missing to have missed his body in a freezer and then just later in the week after he disappears, the freshly planted rose in the back yard. So believable!
It also basically stated that serious crazy and mental health issues run in families because the bad guy family had Bad Guy, Bad Guy’s Mom, Bad Guy’s Uncle/Dad and then you have Enid, her son Hart and her brother Garth. Funny how every single one of those characters are dead by the end of the book except Bad Guy who ends up in a mental institution.
Sorry, but that is all just too much. WAY too much. Sadly, all of that makes this one of those books that has a lot of good and a lot of bad all mixed together, leaving a book that is just decent.
All the way through this book until I hit about the last 10-15%, I thought this was a pretty good book, a bit creepy and twisted, but good. When I hit that point, though, things kind of started to fall apart. I had a few bits here and there that were bugging me, but I was still ready to give this a much higher rating until towards the end.
There is a whole lot of personal drama going on here between all kinds of characters outside of the bigger crime thread of this book and we get to see all that going down by getting it handed to us through all those different characters points of view. It got kind of confusing at times and took a little while to get used to the flow of the writing. This wasn’t huge, but it was an annoyance.
Another minor, but still annoying issue was more of a realistic/factual thing not really meeting up or meshing with how this was written. The crimes are written such that you have a woman cradling and rocking a child (either dead or alive, the position is still the same), yet that child is between 2 and 3 years old. Children of that age are usually way too big to be cradled. You can sit them on your lap, but you can’t really cradle them unless they are on the really small side, at least not without it being extremely awkward and difficult. This issue made it incredibly hard to really visualize this set up accurately because it is written as though you would hold and rock an infant, not a toddler. This tripped me up almost every time it was mentioned.
You spend the entire book digging through all that drama and trying to following what gets revealed about the murders and you have a pretty good idea that there is probably something hinky going on with Blake’s abduction. You don’t know, but you realize at a decent point in the story that it is at least a possibility. That is fine. You keep reading and keep that in the back of your mind.
Then we get the huge, insanely coincidental bad guy reveal. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal if the character connects didn’t twist and turn and intertwine like a backwoods inbred family tree. What are the chances that the bad guy ends up dating Audrey, the sister of one of the kids that was supposedly kidnapped all those years ago? The bad guy that was the twin brother of the baby that the crazy mom killed and then replaced by kidnapping said kids? The bad guy that when he was a boy was adopted out to some other family? Oh, and let’s twist that a bit tighter because Blake, Audrey’s brother, wasn’t actually one of those kids.
As crazy and totally unreal as all those twists and turns are, that isn’t even what I had the biggest problem with (and that wasn’t a tiny one to begin with). No, I had a problem with all the insane that vomited all over the pages AFTER the bad guy went down. We new there was a chance of stuff with Blake. We had a pretty good idea that there was a huge chance that it was either Enid or Hart that caused his death and expected it to be found out after the bad guy was caught and they didn’t find Blake’s body. The problem I had was that Garth, this respected, apparently well liked, police officer of many years goes off the rails when it is about to come out and kills Hart and tries to kill Audrey. All to protect his seriously depressed sister, who has now been dead for more than 20 years. That made absolutely no sense at all and was a level of drama that was completely unnecessary.
Don’t even get me started on how badly every single police officer involved apparently dropped the ball with regards to searching after Blake was reported missing to have missed his body in a freezer and then just later in the week after he disappears, the freshly planted rose in the back yard. So believable!
It also basically stated that serious crazy and mental health issues run in families because the bad guy family had Bad Guy, Bad Guy’s Mom, Bad Guy’s Uncle/Dad and then you have Enid, her son Hart and her brother Garth. Funny how every single one of those characters are dead by the end of the book except Bad Guy who ends up in a mental institution.
Sorry, but that is all just too much. WAY too much. Sadly, all of that makes this one of those books that has a lot of good and a lot of bad all mixed together, leaving a book that is just decent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2011
don't cry ...if you cry, you die.....
awal cerita dibuka dengan seorang ibu yg duduk dikursi goyang berusaha menenangkan bayinya
hal yg biasa kalo aja diakhir2nya sang ibu ga menutup muka anaknya dengan pillow.....
cerita berlanjut ke masa kini....
Chattanoga digegerkan dengan penemuan mayat seorang wanita muda, jill scott, yg duduk dikursi goyang & sedang memangku tengkorak kecil.
kasus itu dinamakan rocking chair case.....
mayat ke 2 ditemukan makin membuat geger.... dengan MO yg sama
rocking chair & skeleta baby...bahkan victims memiliki similiar physical apperance.
bertahun2 yg lalu, chattanoga sempat digegerkan dengan kasus penculikan bayi2 berusia sekitar 2 tahunan, blond, blue eyes, menghilang setiap 1 tahun sekali saat summer. kasus yg memakan nyawa 6 korban, yg berhasil dipecahkan oleh CPD dengan ditangkapnya regina bennet namun tidak ada seorangpun yg tau dimana bayi2 tersebut dikubur.
adik tiri audrey sherrod, chattanooga grief counselor, yg saat itu baru berusia 2 tahun diduga menjadi salah 1 korban penculikan tersebut.
akibat penculikan itu hidup audrey & hart, adik tirinya, yg waktu itu mendapat tugas menjadi sang adik, menjadi tidak tenang.
hart menenggelamkan diri dalam drugs & minuman, sedang audrey terus menerus dihantui nightmare.
TBI special agent J.D. Cass ditugaskan untuk membantu CPD untuk menguak kasus rocking chair tersebut.
mereka menduga ada keterkaitan antara kasus rocking chair & baby blue blanket case yg terjadi bertahun2 yg lalu, karena skeleta yg dipangku oleh korban rocking chair ternyata adl bayi2 yg dulu diculik.
cass & audrey sejak awal bertemu sudah mulai tidak begitu akur.
ditambah dengan kecaman & ketidaksetujuan audrey atas segala tindakan cass pada zoe, putri cass.
audrey merasa cass adl copy ayah audrey, detective wayne sherrod, yg selalu menomor satukan pekerjaannya & meninggalkan istri serta anak perempuannya dikejauhan.
audrey menyukai zoe, dia merasa zoe sama sptnya yg begitu haus akan perhatian & kasih sayang.
audrey berusaha membantu zoe menemukan kepercayaan dirinya & membantu menjembatani hubungan zoe & cass yahhh walaupun audrey ga sreg2 amat dengan cass.
karna zoe lah akhirnya audrey & cass akhirnya dekat.
yah mau ga mau sih wong zoe dengan senang hati jadi mak comblang ayahnya dengan audrey.
tante BB paling top untuk urusan suspense dengan beraneka macam tokoh kayak begini.
don't cry pun memiliki beberapa tokoh utama yg diceritakan selain audrey & cass.
masih ada tam yg walo sudah menikah dengan marcus namun tidak pernah mampu melupakan masa lalunya dengan hart, adik tiri audrey, sahabat baiknya.
juga hart yg selalu hidup dalam kegelapan (diending novel akhirnya kita tau kenapa hart tidak mampu bangkit dari keterpurukannya).
bahkan ada cerita ttg wayne sherrod, ayah audrey, yg tak pernah bisa sepenuh hati menerima putrinya, hal yg bahkan sangat disesali oleh wayne sendiri.
juga ada ttg jeremy arden, satu2nya korban baby blue blanket yg berhasil diselamatkan
juga porter bryant, mantan kekasih audrey, seorang ADA, yg terlihat sempurna diluar namun ternyata menyimpan rahasia paling kelam yg tak seorangpun dapat menerkanya. porter tuh too good to be true tp apapun yg TGTBT tentu ada cacat didalamnya. khan ga ada manusia yg sempurna^_^
begitu banyak tokoh namun semua terangkum dengan sangat baik.
beneran deh aq ga bisa nebak semua sebenarnya pelaku rocking chair. bahkan setelah Cass berhasil membentuk profile sang pembunuh aq masih ragu dengan pembunuhnya.
kita bahkan diajak melihat dari sudut pandang the killer.
bahkan saat akhirnya mengetahui kisah sebenarnya dibalik penculikan blake sherrod, adik tiri audrey & hart, kita mau tidak mau merasa kasihan juga.
oh ya, blake, bukan salah 1 korban baby blue blanket walo sama2 blond & blue eyes.
blake adl korban dari emosi ibunya sendiri yg tidak stabil.
akhirnya hart & audrey lah yg menjadi korban.
hart selalu ingat kejadian 25 tahun yg lalu namun dia tak mampu berkata jujur, tidak saat audrey akhirnya berhasil didoktrin oleh grant, paman mereka, bahwa blake diculik namun entah bagaimana mimpi2 audrey spt pengingat bahwa ada yg salah dengan cerita grant.
endingnya yahhhh sudah pasti bisa ditebak pasti bakal ada lanjutannya karna ada bbrp bagian yg ngambang.....
mungkin soal tamara, sahabat audrey.
awal cerita dibuka dengan seorang ibu yg duduk dikursi goyang berusaha menenangkan bayinya
hal yg biasa kalo aja diakhir2nya sang ibu ga menutup muka anaknya dengan pillow.....
cerita berlanjut ke masa kini....
Chattanoga digegerkan dengan penemuan mayat seorang wanita muda, jill scott, yg duduk dikursi goyang & sedang memangku tengkorak kecil.
kasus itu dinamakan rocking chair case.....
mayat ke 2 ditemukan makin membuat geger.... dengan MO yg sama
rocking chair & skeleta baby...bahkan victims memiliki similiar physical apperance.
bertahun2 yg lalu, chattanoga sempat digegerkan dengan kasus penculikan bayi2 berusia sekitar 2 tahunan, blond, blue eyes, menghilang setiap 1 tahun sekali saat summer. kasus yg memakan nyawa 6 korban, yg berhasil dipecahkan oleh CPD dengan ditangkapnya regina bennet namun tidak ada seorangpun yg tau dimana bayi2 tersebut dikubur.
adik tiri audrey sherrod, chattanooga grief counselor, yg saat itu baru berusia 2 tahun diduga menjadi salah 1 korban penculikan tersebut.
akibat penculikan itu hidup audrey & hart, adik tirinya, yg waktu itu mendapat tugas menjadi sang adik, menjadi tidak tenang.
hart menenggelamkan diri dalam drugs & minuman, sedang audrey terus menerus dihantui nightmare.
TBI special agent J.D. Cass ditugaskan untuk membantu CPD untuk menguak kasus rocking chair tersebut.
mereka menduga ada keterkaitan antara kasus rocking chair & baby blue blanket case yg terjadi bertahun2 yg lalu, karena skeleta yg dipangku oleh korban rocking chair ternyata adl bayi2 yg dulu diculik.
cass & audrey sejak awal bertemu sudah mulai tidak begitu akur.
ditambah dengan kecaman & ketidaksetujuan audrey atas segala tindakan cass pada zoe, putri cass.
audrey merasa cass adl copy ayah audrey, detective wayne sherrod, yg selalu menomor satukan pekerjaannya & meninggalkan istri serta anak perempuannya dikejauhan.
audrey menyukai zoe, dia merasa zoe sama sptnya yg begitu haus akan perhatian & kasih sayang.
audrey berusaha membantu zoe menemukan kepercayaan dirinya & membantu menjembatani hubungan zoe & cass yahhh walaupun audrey ga sreg2 amat dengan cass.
karna zoe lah akhirnya audrey & cass akhirnya dekat.
yah mau ga mau sih wong zoe dengan senang hati jadi mak comblang ayahnya dengan audrey.
tante BB paling top untuk urusan suspense dengan beraneka macam tokoh kayak begini.
don't cry pun memiliki beberapa tokoh utama yg diceritakan selain audrey & cass.
masih ada tam yg walo sudah menikah dengan marcus namun tidak pernah mampu melupakan masa lalunya dengan hart, adik tiri audrey, sahabat baiknya.
juga hart yg selalu hidup dalam kegelapan (diending novel akhirnya kita tau kenapa hart tidak mampu bangkit dari keterpurukannya).
bahkan ada cerita ttg wayne sherrod, ayah audrey, yg tak pernah bisa sepenuh hati menerima putrinya, hal yg bahkan sangat disesali oleh wayne sendiri.
juga ada ttg jeremy arden, satu2nya korban baby blue blanket yg berhasil diselamatkan
juga porter bryant, mantan kekasih audrey, seorang ADA, yg terlihat sempurna diluar namun ternyata menyimpan rahasia paling kelam yg tak seorangpun dapat menerkanya. porter tuh too good to be true tp apapun yg TGTBT tentu ada cacat didalamnya. khan ga ada manusia yg sempurna^_^
begitu banyak tokoh namun semua terangkum dengan sangat baik.
beneran deh aq ga bisa nebak semua sebenarnya pelaku rocking chair. bahkan setelah Cass berhasil membentuk profile sang pembunuh aq masih ragu dengan pembunuhnya.
kita bahkan diajak melihat dari sudut pandang the killer.
bahkan saat akhirnya mengetahui kisah sebenarnya dibalik penculikan blake sherrod, adik tiri audrey & hart, kita mau tidak mau merasa kasihan juga.
oh ya, blake, bukan salah 1 korban baby blue blanket walo sama2 blond & blue eyes.
blake adl korban dari emosi ibunya sendiri yg tidak stabil.
akhirnya hart & audrey lah yg menjadi korban.
hart selalu ingat kejadian 25 tahun yg lalu namun dia tak mampu berkata jujur, tidak saat audrey akhirnya berhasil didoktrin oleh grant, paman mereka, bahwa blake diculik namun entah bagaimana mimpi2 audrey spt pengingat bahwa ada yg salah dengan cerita grant.
endingnya yahhhh sudah pasti bisa ditebak pasti bakal ada lanjutannya karna ada bbrp bagian yg ngambang.....
mungkin soal tamara, sahabat audrey.
April 22, 2013
Finished this one over the weekend and all I can say is wow and I have found a new author. The story line could be a little tough for some since it deals with children, but this was a really good book. I did figure out the killer, but I was almost done when it dawned on me who it may be, and I was right. I will read the next book in this series, I really like the relationship between JD Cass & Audrey Sherrod. I was sadden to hear that this author is no longer with us, we will have to love the books that she left us with, if you are looking for a new author, please check out Beverly Barton, you won't be disappointed.
September 28, 2010
OMG!! This book was amazing! It kept me hooked right from the beginning. I read it in two days. The plot was great and kept me guessing through the whole book. Can't wait till 2012 when she continues her story about the people in the book especially Hunky Special Agent Cass! A MUST read, you will enjoy it!
May 22, 2022
4 stars.
This was my first Beverly Barton and I really enjoyed it. I did feel though that it could have done with some more editing as it was overly long and repetitive in some places.
Her writing gave me Linda Howard vibes and I will definitely pick up another of her books
This was my first Beverly Barton and I really enjoyed it. I did feel though that it could have done with some more editing as it was overly long and repetitive in some places.
Her writing gave me Linda Howard vibes and I will definitely pick up another of her books
December 31, 2023
I skimmed the last 150 pages just to be done with it. Predictable and implausible. Not creepy or thrilling at all (boring crime plot) and I wasn't interested in what happened to any of the characters. 2 stars is generous.
October 18, 2018
Excellent book! My first of Beverly's but won't be my last. I love the fast paced mystery of the murders and the depth of the characters and getting to know them!
January 25, 2022
This was definitely a page turner. Good suspense/mystery
May 10, 2022
i forgot the review i composed in my head yikes.
January 21, 2012
This is the first novel by Barton that I've read.
I enjoyed the story ... it was a different mystery. I liked that there was more than one who could have done it and it didn't became obvious who it was until later in the book.
I thought the writing was amateurish. It was repetitive ... for example, I didn't need Cass to continuously review and sum up things for me. Six boys had disappeared ... yep, I remember.
I didn't get pulled emotionally to anyone. Audrey's dad was a A-hole to her but we never find out why. There were a lot of characters and at first I had a hard time keeping them all straight, especially all the cops and mayors who didn't really play that big of a part in the story.
J.D. (a lady's man) and Audrey (a cold professional fish) start out hating each other and then suddenly are in love. I don't think so.
Tam Lovelady (what kind of a name is that for a cop!!??) kept dwelling over a couple things that happened years ago when she was a teenager. Get over it ... move on.
So despite my growlings about this book, I'd read another of her books.
Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2011/09...
I enjoyed the story ... it was a different mystery. I liked that there was more than one who could have done it and it didn't became obvious who it was until later in the book.
I thought the writing was amateurish. It was repetitive ... for example, I didn't need Cass to continuously review and sum up things for me. Six boys had disappeared ... yep, I remember.
I didn't get pulled emotionally to anyone. Audrey's dad was a A-hole to her but we never find out why. There were a lot of characters and at first I had a hard time keeping them all straight, especially all the cops and mayors who didn't really play that big of a part in the story.
J.D. (a lady's man) and Audrey (a cold professional fish) start out hating each other and then suddenly are in love. I don't think so.
Tam Lovelady (what kind of a name is that for a cop!!??) kept dwelling over a couple things that happened years ago when she was a teenager. Get over it ... move on.
So despite my growlings about this book, I'd read another of her books.
Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2011/09...
June 29, 2011
Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring.
A long time ago, toddlers disappeared, were assumed kidnapped, never to be seen again.
Today, a serial killer is loose. He has been dubbed the "Rocking Chair Killer" because he kidnaps young women and kills them while they are sitting in a rocking chair. When they are discovered, they are also found to be holding a blue blanket containing the skeleton of a toddler.
Who is this serial killer and why is he killing?
Are the skeletons those of the boys that disappeared years ago?
A great story by Beverly Barton!
It was a sad day on April 21, 2011 when Beverly Barton suddenly passed away. Romantic Suspense has lost a true gem!
Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring.
A long time ago, toddlers disappeared, were assumed kidnapped, never to be seen again.
Today, a serial killer is loose. He has been dubbed the "Rocking Chair Killer" because he kidnaps young women and kills them while they are sitting in a rocking chair. When they are discovered, they are also found to be holding a blue blanket containing the skeleton of a toddler.
Who is this serial killer and why is he killing?
Are the skeletons those of the boys that disappeared years ago?
A great story by Beverly Barton!
It was a sad day on April 21, 2011 when Beverly Barton suddenly passed away. Romantic Suspense has lost a true gem!
October 18, 2010
Good mystery. Really like this author. Women are found strangled sitting in a rocking chair with the bones of small children which have been missing for years.
March 15, 2018
Kematian wanita muda berturut-turut di kursi goyang dgn memeluk tulang-belulang bayi terjadi secara misterius. JD Cass yg menangani kasus ini kebetulan bertemu dgn wanita anggun dan dingin, Audrey Sherrod, yg malah lebih bisa akrab dgn putrinya yg bermasalah ketimbang dirinya.
Audrey yg memendam rahasia bhw adiknya yg pernah jd korban penculikan wanita gila yg terkena baby blues, merasa kasus yg ditangani Cass akan membantunya menemukan mayat adik balitanya. Apa yg terjadi ketika harapan tidak sesuai dgn kenyataan?
Sudah lama saya tidak membaca karya author dan baru skrg membaca lagi novel almarhumah mengingatkan saya knp saya suka dan tidak suka pd karyanya. Saya suka karya beliau krn penokohannya terutama tokoh utamanya bagus, manusiawi walaupun tidak sempurna. Spt Cass ini adalah pria chauvinistis yg menganggap daya tariknya terhadap kaum wanita anugerah dari Tuhan. Di sisi lain, Cass adalah ayah super payah yg berusaha menundukkan pembangkangan anaknya yg sama keras kepalanya spt dirinya. Ada sisi humor jg saat Cass tidak mau mengakui Audrey lebih unggul dlm menangani putrinya ketimbang dirinya. Sayangnya chemistry mereka kurang terbangun dan terkesan eksplosif begitu saja.
Kekurangan author spt biasa adalah repetitif yg super kebanyakan. Saya maklumi aja deh krn beliau sebelumnya lbh bnyk menulis novel Harlequin dan sudah uzur ketimbang novelis favorit saya yg lainnya. Dan ending klimaks cerita sejujurnya saya kurang puas krn motif dan alibi pembunuhan tsb sangat lemah bagi saya. Plot cerita walaupun agak rumit tapi simple dan enak dibaca. Memang kekuatan suspense beliau di dramatisasinya yg lebih mengena ketimbang penyelidikannya ataupun kharisma tokoh antagonist nya.
Audrey yg memendam rahasia bhw adiknya yg pernah jd korban penculikan wanita gila yg terkena baby blues, merasa kasus yg ditangani Cass akan membantunya menemukan mayat adik balitanya. Apa yg terjadi ketika harapan tidak sesuai dgn kenyataan?
Sudah lama saya tidak membaca karya author dan baru skrg membaca lagi novel almarhumah mengingatkan saya knp saya suka dan tidak suka pd karyanya. Saya suka karya beliau krn penokohannya terutama tokoh utamanya bagus, manusiawi walaupun tidak sempurna. Spt Cass ini adalah pria chauvinistis yg menganggap daya tariknya terhadap kaum wanita anugerah dari Tuhan. Di sisi lain, Cass adalah ayah super payah yg berusaha menundukkan pembangkangan anaknya yg sama keras kepalanya spt dirinya. Ada sisi humor jg saat Cass tidak mau mengakui Audrey lebih unggul dlm menangani putrinya ketimbang dirinya. Sayangnya chemistry mereka kurang terbangun dan terkesan eksplosif begitu saja.
Kekurangan author spt biasa adalah repetitif yg super kebanyakan. Saya maklumi aja deh krn beliau sebelumnya lbh bnyk menulis novel Harlequin dan sudah uzur ketimbang novelis favorit saya yg lainnya. Dan ending klimaks cerita sejujurnya saya kurang puas krn motif dan alibi pembunuhan tsb sangat lemah bagi saya. Plot cerita walaupun agak rumit tapi simple dan enak dibaca. Memang kekuatan suspense beliau di dramatisasinya yg lebih mengena ketimbang penyelidikannya ataupun kharisma tokoh antagonist nya.
March 26, 2022
This book should be edited out to fit this decade.
And ffs I'm not a snob but I really don't want to read people on their sixties and seventies having sex. Actually we know about everyone's sex life here and except our heroin every other characters are happily active. Why? Why we can see our hero having sex with other women but not our heroin? They both were in a relationship but the writer saved the heroin's sex life only for the hero who's the best she ever had blah blah. Such cliche.
And Audrey girl you have every right to be pissed at every damn character in this book. Don't think otherwise. You're not a garbage bag. Love you girl, you deserve better.
I did not like j.d. but in the end he became tolerable.
I loved the mystery part. At one point I thought the writer gave us a pov where I was sure just revealed as the killer but thn changed it? I don't know what happened there. But I enjoyed the mystery part and..... Audrey deserve better, did I already say that? Whatever cause she does.
And ffs I'm not a snob but I really don't want to read people on their sixties and seventies having sex. Actually we know about everyone's sex life here and except our heroin every other characters are happily active. Why? Why we can see our hero having sex with other women but not our heroin? They both were in a relationship but the writer saved the heroin's sex life only for the hero who's the best she ever had blah blah. Such cliche.
And Audrey girl you have every right to be pissed at every damn character in this book. Don't think otherwise. You're not a garbage bag. Love you girl, you deserve better.
I did not like j.d. but in the end he became tolerable.
I loved the mystery part. At one point I thought the writer gave us a pov where I was sure just revealed as the killer but thn changed it? I don't know what happened there. But I enjoyed the mystery part and..... Audrey deserve better, did I already say that? Whatever cause she does.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2021
I’d give this more like a 2.5 star rating. I didn’t even finish listening to it. I’m sorry but Don’t Cry, made me want to cry! I’m sad that I wasted an Audible credit on it. I know there are lots of rave reviews but for some reason, I couldn’t really get into it! I kept falling asleep. I did rewind it and start over about 5 times and got over half way done but I just couldn’t keep wasting time on it, when there are better books out there!
Maybe I’ll give it a try sometime later, since I now own it and can’t return it. Due to me falling asleep, I’ve “listened” to too much of it, in order to return it.
As always, Happy Reading and Listening! 💜
Maybe I’ll give it a try sometime later, since I now own it and can’t return it. Due to me falling asleep, I’ve “listened” to too much of it, in order to return it.
As always, Happy Reading and Listening! 💜
March 12, 2022
The suspense and storytelling of this novel definitely earned a 4 out of 5 stars. It was absolute perfection and I will definitely be looking more into this author. I liked that there was two different mysteries intertwined into one - it made it more fun to follow along that way even though I did think that the second mystery that opened after the first was solved was a little predictable but still an entertaining read.
I will say that the romance part of the novel was kind of 'meh'. It wasn't horrible but definitely felt rushed and I would have been fine as a reader if it had even been left open ended.
I will say that the romance part of the novel was kind of 'meh'. It wasn't horrible but definitely felt rushed and I would have been fine as a reader if it had even been left open ended.
December 26, 2021
I enjoyed reading this, though it took a while & I've been reading 3 or 4 at the same time.📚 This book went with me from FL to a ranch in SD, to some amazing NP's in WY&MT, in a tipi in Cody,WY & a sheepwagon in Sheridan, MT and out to the Pacific coast and Forks,WA. All in Sept, and since I was still reading it in Dec, it went to Solitude, UT with me then. Finally finished it 12/26 at my daughter's in NC. Time to finish my others now, & get ready for 2022 books!
May 25, 2023
Fantastic series.
I’ve loved each book in this series. I’ve read them all several times and I love that I always stay on edge. Love how we get multiple points of view and still can never know who the serial killer is. Loved how J.D. and Audrey finally fall so hard for each other. She’s helped him so much with his daughter. I really love the shocker plot towards the end. Loved their happy ever after and I highly recommend this book.
I’ve loved each book in this series. I’ve read them all several times and I love that I always stay on edge. Love how we get multiple points of view and still can never know who the serial killer is. Loved how J.D. and Audrey finally fall so hard for each other. She’s helped him so much with his daughter. I really love the shocker plot towards the end. Loved their happy ever after and I highly recommend this book.
September 17, 2018
I enjoyed the characters. The way that they interwove in the story was great. I did figure out who the serial killer was before I would have wanted to it. Very interesting and a fun read with some grizzly and surprising events happening. Apparently if I have read a book by Beverly Barton it was a long time ago so I think I will have to read more. I enjoyed her style of writing.
August 17, 2020
It was good. Not a book I would read again. It had some pretty solid plot twists. I will say that there was some great character development. It felt that there was almost more character development than plot.
Beverly Barton is a very descriptive writer which allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in the moment of a scene.
Overall an enjoyable summer read.
Beverly Barton is a very descriptive writer which allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in the moment of a scene.
Overall an enjoyable summer read.
February 22, 2021
Ga gitu demen dengan J.D.
Untunglah dia bisa diandalkan dalam pekerjaan nya,ga becus ngurus keluarga.
Sejak J.D berhasil memilah file anak2 yg diculik, aku udh mencium ada yg tidak beres. Dalam setahun ada 2 anak yg hilang, tidak sperti biasanya.
Dan lagi-lagi, psikopat itu bisa aja orang yg kita kenal dekat, well-mannered dan terpandang.
Untunglah dia bisa diandalkan dalam pekerjaan nya,ga becus ngurus keluarga.
Sejak J.D berhasil memilah file anak2 yg diculik, aku udh mencium ada yg tidak beres. Dalam setahun ada 2 anak yg hilang, tidak sperti biasanya.
Dan lagi-lagi, psikopat itu bisa aja orang yg kita kenal dekat, well-mannered dan terpandang.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2025
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This is one of my favorite books by BB, but there are many good ones. For romance with some intrigue, I definitely recommend her. You'll find overlapping characters is almost all of her books, like Will Brannock, as a minor character here who will pop up again in The Protectors books. Her romances are worth locating.
This is one of my favorite books by BB, but there are many good ones. For romance with some intrigue, I definitely recommend her. You'll find overlapping characters is almost all of her books, like Will Brannock, as a minor character here who will pop up again in The Protectors books. Her romances are worth locating.
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