User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This was my first time reading a Mary Burton novel although I have read one of the books she has written using the name, Mary Ellen Taylor. Never Look Back was a solid thriller with an intriguing main character. I didn't realize until after I had finished the book this is part of the Criminal Profiler series, however you can easily read this book as a standalone novel.
Agent Melina Shepard works for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and she goes undercover as a prostitute with the hope she can find some answers about the disappearance of two women. She barely escapes an attack by a john and soon it becomes clear that guy is a serial killer. FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey is sent to Nashville to help track down the killer. And that's all you really need to know other than Jerrod and Melina will be working together.
Melina is the main character but the story occasionally bounces back and forth between other characters, including Jerrod and the serial killer. Melina has an unusual but interesting backstory. I preferred the parts of the book that focused on her or Jerrod rather than the other characters however each character had a role in advancing the plot so I would say it was necessary to feature so many people in order to get all the pieces of the puzzle.
I will give the author credit because there was a major plot twist that I didn't see coming at all. Anytime a writer can catch me off guard that is a good thing. But I would say the rest of the novel follows more of a predicable path. It's enough to keep you entertained but I wouldn't place it among the best thrillers/mysteries I have ever read. It does make for a good, mindless escape from real life for a couple of hours type read. I would definitely read another book by this author as this book held my interest which isn't an easy task these days.
Rating: really liked it
NOW LIVEAmazon US * Amazon UK
Never Look Back gives us not one, but two crazy storylines involving the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. Working together, Jerrod Ramsey's and Melina Shepard track down a serial killer that Jerrod has been after for years and a newly discovered killer that leaves behind gruesome trophies.
It may sound like too much for one book, two different serial killers working in the same town, but Ms. Burton weaved these different stories together perfectly and they had me so intrigued I didn't want to put the book down. The characters were well developed and I easily fell into their lives and wanted to know more with each page. Overall, this was an amazing book to read and one I definitely recommend for all Romantic Suspense lovers.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Great fast paced mystery with a good deal of suspense. The audio was really good!
Rating: really liked it
2 stars. *
Never Look Back was... convenient? There were too many coincidences throughout the novel for me to really connect and engaged with the story. It didn't help that was a little lost in the beginning with the way the main plot was set up and presented and it took until about 30% for me to really get a good grasp on what was going on.
The characters were not that well developed? Melina did have a strong voice and distinct personality, and we did learn quite a bit about her as the story progressed, but Jerrod felt very one-dimensional. It was like his character development was sidelined in favor of creating extremely convenient plot points that connected to Melinda's past.
I'd say from the middle until around the 85% mark, the story was great and really interesting. The pace held steady and there was a lot of tension as the characters slowly started to put the puzzle pieces together. Then the romance kind of... appeared out of nowhere and put a damper on that. I wasn't a fan of how fast that developed and how it happened.
The ending was also a bit underwhelming? And again, it was rather convenient how everything was set up. There wasn't a lot of impact on me as a reader, personally, when it was supposed to be the climax of the novel. The final chapter was super sweet, though, and worked as a nice closure.
*
Series: #3 in the Criminal Profiler series.
POV: Told from Melina and Jerro'd POV.
Content Warnings: (view spoiler)
[Child neglect. (hide spoiler)]Steam: Barely steamy!
Cliffhanger: No.
HEA: (view spoiler)
[Yes. (hide spoiler)]*
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Never Look Back was an enjoyable read that features two engaging storylines that converge in an action-packed finale.
After several women go missing, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent Melina Shepard goes undercover as a prostitute in the hopes of catching the man responsible. But when she narrowly escapes becoming a victim herself, she quickly uncovers evidence that points to her suspect being a serial killer. In over her head, Melina receives help from FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey to work the case. But when the pair get called to the scene of a car crash with grisly evidence in the trunk, the pair quickly discover they’re hunting two serial killers with very different motives.
Initially I expected a plot centered around two different serial killers to be a bit convoluted, but ultimately the author does a great job keeping the storylines separate. The storylines do eventually converge in large part due to Melina’s involvement, but it happens quite close to the end of the book. Both storylines were interesting and I didn’t favor one over the other as is usually the case in a book with two plotlines. I was invested in finding out who the killers were and I actually was surprised by how early that information was revealed. The ending of the book was action-packed and I liked the way the author wrapped up both plots.
Melina’s character was interesting and definitely the strongest in the book. Abandoned as a child on the side of the road, Melina was adopted and her experiences as well as having a cop as her adoptive father led to her choosing a career in law enforcement. Melina’s background plays a big role in this book and I was curious what direction the author was going to take things. Ultimately I liked how the connection to Melina’s past played out. The romance in this book develops very late in the book, which isn’t that unusual for this author’s books based on most of the ones of hers I’ve read. Personally I enjoyed the addition of the romance and I liked that it took time for it to develop.
Overall I ended up really liking
Never Look Back and I highly recommend this author’s books if you’re looking for great suspense with just a touch of romance.
**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Rating: really liked it
After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute.
Enter lone wolf FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey. Stonewalled by a lack of leads, he and Melina investigate a scene where a little girl has been found abandoned in a crashed vehicle. They open the trunk to reveal a horror show and quickly realize they’re dealing with two serial killers with very different MOs.
This is the 3rd book of the series but I didn't read the other 2 and still understood what was going on.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book and even though it says romantic suspense there was more suspense for me than romance and the romance didn't take away from what was going on.
I received this from NetGalley for review.
Rating: really liked it
Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.
Good suspense and so-so romance. It seems that more and more authors who call themselves "Romantic-Suspense" authors are shorting their readers on the Romance part of that label. The plot was fractured and had you going in a couple of different directions. It was interesting how the author chose to resolve it.
Melina Shepard is an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Her friend, who runs a mission aiding women working the streets, has alerted Melina to the disappearance of two women she has been working with. Melina goes undercover, but not officially or with backup, and gets a hit from a serial killer. She was lucky not to become his next victim.
The FBI take and interest in the case. They have been tracing this baddie for years without much luck is identifying him. Melina is the only woman to go up against him and survive. Special Agent Jerrod Ramsey is excited to finally have a starting point to track him. While working that case he and Melina are called to the scene of a car crash with a child left behind and a jar of severed fingers in the trunk. Now there are two serial killers working in Nashville
When the abandoned child brings up some painful memories from her past, she turns to Ramsey and they grow closer as they track down their killers. But, one killer will not be satisfied until he kills the one who got away.
3 1/2-Stars
Rating: really liked it
3.5 Stars out of 5.
Third in the Criminal Profiler Series, but the first I’ve read by this author. Started a little slow for me but once it picked up, I flew thru it. Writing style was easy, but for some reason I had a hard time time wrapping my head around following two serial killers...kept trying to make them one in the same.
Melina Shepard is a strong female protagonist with one heck of a backstory. She goes undercover, without approval, and narrowly misses becoming a serial killers next victim. Enter Jerrod Ramsey, FBI, who evidentially has been following one of the killers, and comes in to assist. My mind had a tendency to wander off and on thru this story. Not sure if it was due to the flip flop of killers. I would have preferred one strong storyline instead of the two. Melina’s backstory was interesting and heartfelt. The romance felt rushed and thrown in. Could have used more of the tension and slower follow thru.
One a whole, enjoyable reading if you are into crime dramas. Fast paced, good character development, unique storyline.
Thanks to Ms. Burton, Montlake Romance and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
It's hard to say if Agent Melina Shepard is lucky or unlucky in life.
She's lucky she managed to escape a serial killer's attempt to capture her.
She's unlucky that that serial killer is now obsessed with her.
That turn of events is the focus for the first part of this book. As she teams up with FBI Special Agent Jerrod Ramsey to find this serial killer who preys on prostitutes, torturing and eventually killing them. With Melina's close call, the two get an added jump on the killer.
I love a good detective procedural story, learning the process these bright people go thru to hunt down a madman. Melina and Ramsey work well together, feeding ideas and new intelligence to one another, and letting the facts guide them.
But things get complicated when a new crime occurs that ties to Melina's past and her luck.
Flashing back to your childhood, we learn that she was unlucky to be abandoned on the side of a road (it was unknown then if this was a family member or someone else).
She's lucky that the cop who finds her, takes her under his wing and later adopts her.
Why is this whole new story thrown in? It took me a while to sort it out but let’s just say that Melina past may tie to this serial killer.
The author did a good job playing with my head. There are so many details and revelations that it took me some time to sort them out. And while my mind is working overtime, she throws in a twist or two for good measure.
In the end, is Melina lucky or unlucky?
Well, she lives. So that's lucky, right? LOL.
But in all seriousness, I think her sharp wit, and maybe a little luck, win out, especially given what she was up against.
I really enjoyed this story. The pace was steady throughout and the direction of the plot was unexpected and unpredictable. The perfect kind of detective story. If you love this genre as much as me, this is one worth checking out!
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*An ARC was received for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
This is the third book in the 'Criminal Profiler' series by Mary Burton. I really enjoyed the series opener Hide and Seek and this book, Never Look Back was a real humdinger, too!
The action begins immediately when the reader, in a suitably chilling and ominous prologue, is introduced to the unidentified serial killer at work, allowing initial insight into the perpetrator’s mind so they can see their innermost thoughts. In this suspenseful, race-against-time thriller, Agent Melina Shepard, and FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey are working together. This novel was brilliantly written by Mary Burton with regard to both the well-drawn characters and the plot. Melina was fierce, hardworking and independent, though still very likeable.
Never Look Back is tremendously good romantic suspense, and Mary Burton achieves the perfect equilibrium between the two. Overall, plenty of action and memorable characters make the ‘Criminal Profiler’ a must on my list of great series'.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Montlake via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.
Rating: really liked it
Another good addition to the series. I really enjoy Burton's writing style and the complexity of her cases and characters.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
I discovered Mary Burton’s books about a year ago and have been reading/listening my way through her large body of work. She writes thrillers with female main characters and of course there’s always a romance. Romantic suspense used to be my go to and is rapidly making a comeback in my tbr books. The delight for me is any new book by Mary Burton that I can get my hands on!
Melina Shepherd is an agent with the Tennessee Crime Bureau and works to solve murders or find missing people. After putting herself out there(literally)to solve the case of missing prostitutes she just barely escapes a mad man’s clutches. So of course the FBI sends Special Agent Jerrod Ramsay to try and connect the case to serial murders that he has been dealing with for years. The two end up working together and before it’s over with they’ve discovered that more than one serial killer is at work here. They’ve also discovered each other. Of course, there’s a lot more going on here. Melina has a very interesting back story. Who knew it would come up in the investigation?
I really liked Melina’s character although sometimes she is, shall we say, too curious for her own good? She manages to put herself into precarious situations. She’s the ultimate investigator and immerses herself into her cases to the exclusion of having a personal life. Jerrod was also kind of different. He’s all business and no play. He, too, has no personal life to speak of either. He’s older than Melina and the job of being the leader of his team is weighing on him. It’s unusual for him to be in the field and he is realizing how much he has missed it. They start opening up to each other after rescuing a small child from a wreck. A character named Bonnie was a piece of work. She’s older but could possibly be up to her neck in a serial killer’s world. She cunning and conniving and I wanted to shake her at times. Of course we have suitably horrible villains in the form of serial killers and we get drawn into their world as well.
I’m mostly going to leave it at that about the story. I will say that Burton’s work is always well written, researched and paced. I’ve probably read more than my share of serial killer books and this ranked up there with some of the best for me. The romance is a slow burn and I appreciated that as well. He’s based in Washington D.C., she’s in Nashville. How could that ever work? I enjoyed seeing how everything played out with both the romance and the mysteries.
If you haven’t read Mary Burton yet and like a good romantic suspense book, you are definitely missing out. I rated this 4.25 stars and recommend it to adult readers that enjoy crime drama with romance. FYI-there is some violence and some scenes are not for the squeamish.(Originally posted on Delighted Reader)
Rating: really liked it
This was so very nearly a 5 star review.
I haven't read anything by Mary Burton before but she is evidently a very accomplished story-teller with a flair for suspense and procedural detail. This is an excellent tale with not just one but two serial killers being pursued, their cases not exactly intertwined but colliding so that our detective heroes need to find both of them before more lives are lost. Damaged but talented investigator with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (I have no idea if such a thing exists) meets up with highly ranked but lonely FBI Senior Agent and embarks upon a search for the killer who nearly took her, and then later a hitherto unknown serial killer operating under her very nose who may be closer than she could ever have imagined.
The characters are strong and the suspense and mystery build very well. So why, why, why do so many female writers insist on building a romance into the middle of a thriller or procedural? If I wanted to read a romance, I'd select a romance. I don't mind a bit of love interest in a book, but this is ladled on with a whole bottle of syrup and actually adds nothing to the story whatsoever (for me and in my opinion, that is). I know, it's a generalisation to level this accusation at women writers, but this is one book that proves my stereotypical view.
Great story, well written book, excellent character development, just lose the love story wrapped up in it please. 4 stars could and should have been 5.
Rating: really liked it
I think this might be the first Kindle First book that I downloaded and read on the same day. Yay!
While the plot of this story included some really dark and creepy elements, overall I enjoyed it . The MCs were likable, the intertwining plots were interesting, and the identity of one of the killers surprised me. The other killer was, unfortunately, rather underdeveloped, so I docked a star for that. The other star went away when, like always, Ms. Burton ended the story too soon after the MCs got together. Maybe there'll be more books featuring these characters? I'd like to think so. It's a testament to the author's writing ability that I want to read more about the MCs and their relationship.
