Revenge. Hate. Fear. Not exactly traditional wedding gifts. But when convicted killer Ian Patterson escapes from prison, operating room nurse Annie Collins and fiancé assistant district attorney Angel Cisneros are forced to face these realities head on. The wedding plans are in motion with Angel’s mother laser focused on micromanaging her first-born’s wedding into the event of the century. But … when events begin to unravel, including the mysterious disappearance of the priest, questions and fears begin to rise. Where is Ian Patterson? Will his quest for revenge toward the two people responsible for sending him to prison—Annie Collins and Angel Cisneros—bring them face to face to settle this once and for all? In this suspenseful continuation of Annie and Angel’s saga, everything will come into question. When it comes to wedding vows and murder, how far would you go for someone you love?
more
While I completely enjoyed the suspense and mystery, what really made me enjoy the book was the emergence of a stronger Annie and how the story of her and Angel emerged.
It seemed like the story and the characters keep getting better as I progressed from The Mad Hatter’s Son to No Pity in Death and now to this third book in the Annie Collins’ Mystery series. I enjoyed this book the most of the three as the story of Annie really seemed to come together more fully in it.
If you haven’t read books #1 and #2 in the Annie Collins series, I suggest you start there. This three follow a single plot line in terms of Annie’s life, so while you can still enjoy them, you will miss a bit to read them out of order.
In The Burden of Hate, we follow two plotlines. The first and largest is the threat to Annie and Angel’s lives. They have finally fully embraced their relationship and are on the verge of tying the knot when they hear her psychopathic ex has escaped from prison and will be coming after them. In fact, Angel is shot at their wedding reception. Ian proves illusive – a ghost that no one can quit pin down. So they spend every day in fear, surrounded by measures meant to keep them safe. But can anything or anyone protect them.
The second story line is that of a priest from dead in a hotel room with the word murderer scrawled near him. As a distraction to the fear she is walking with every minute, Annie tries to find clues to why he was targeted and who might have killed him. There is a well-hidden secret in his past that could be the key if she can just unearth it.
Another great book by Starbuck to escape into at the end of a long day. Again, to really get the most out of these books, I highly suggest reading the full series in order.
This book is really enjoyable. There is a murder but also we get a continuation of what happened in the first two books. You really need to read the first two books before you read this one or you will be very confused. This book starts with a bang and ends with a bang. There are lots of twists and turns. I did miss that Annie wasn’t in the hospital much this time. I enjoyed the medical aspects of the first two books. This had a wonderful mystery. I received a copy of this book from ireadbooktours for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will
I have had the pleasure of previously reading the two books from the Annie Collins Mystery series by Helen Starbuck, The Mad Hatter’s Son and No Pity In Death. So, I was excited to have the opportunity to listen to the audio version the next and newest installment, The Burden of Hate. Even though this is part of a series, I believe it can be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed catching up with Annie Collins and seeing where she is at now. She is such an entertaining and fun character to spend a few hours with. There is mystery and suspense that had some twists and turns that I did not see coming.
Like the first two books in the series, The Burden of Hate, is narrated by the talented Suzanne T Fortin. Her performance is superb and her adaptation is exactly how the story should be read. I was captivated with this version throughout and was able to hear the whole book in one day.
The Burden of Hate is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading books that are well written mysteries. I am hoping there will be more books from the Annie Collins Mystery series releasing in the future. I would most definitely be interested in reading them. I have become quite the Annie fan.
I received the audio version of The Burden of Hate from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.