A cold case heats up in this gritty, suspenseful thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.FBI special agent Zoe Spencer uses skeletal remains to recreate the faces of murder victims through sculpture. Though highly scientific, the process is also sensitive and intimate; she becomes attached to the individuals she identifies, desperate to find justice for each.As Zoe examines … each.
As Zoe examines old remains, she sees a teenage girl looking back at her—the victim in a cold case from over a decade ago. Zoe wants nothing more than to tell this young woman’s story and to bring her killer to justice.
Zoe’s case leads her to the victim’s hometown and to homicide detective William Vaughan, Zoe’s on-again, off-again lover. As the two become more involved in the case, they quickly realize that it isn’t as cold as they first believed: someone’s still out there hunting women. And with more women gone missing, time’s running out. Can they work together and stop this madman before he kills again?
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I enjoy a good romance combined with suspense and I SEE YOU has it all. From the very beginning I could not stop reading. The fast paced moments mixed with
It’s twists and turns, along with so many secrets and lies makes for a great read.
This book has a perfect mix of suspense and romance I loved it all.
I SEE YOU (Criminal Profiler Book 2) by Mary Burton is the second romantic suspense in the Criminal Profiler series. This book focuses on two suspense plots, a cold case and a present day serial killer case while still managing to give you a believable romance intertwined with the investigations.
FBI Special Agent Zoe Spencer is a profiler and a forensic artist who can use skeletal remains or eye- witness testimony to build or draw a visual representation for law enforcement. As she works on the reconstruction of a recently found skull, she brings back the face of a missing teenage girl from 19 years ago.
Alexandria homicide detective William Vaughan has been called to the scene of a brutally murdered teenage sex worker. Just as he begins investigating, he gets a call to assist on Zoe’s cold case. He is interested in the case and is happy to once again work with his on-again, off-again lover.
As William and Zoe reconnect with the sister of the cold case victim, they are shocked to get a call that the sister’s husband has been stabbed and the sister and her daughter have been abducted. There are deep secrets in this family and as the investigation heats up, more bodies are being found. Can William and Zoe find out who and what connects the past with the present and if they are connected stop the killing spree?
I love all the layers in these suspense plots from the past and present and how they were tied together. Ms. Burton kept me guessing and changing my mind on who was guilty with an ending that satisfies, but also leaves a scary question mark for the future. William is a steady, strong hero who does not overshadow Zoe, who is a very strong heroine on her own. The romance was believable because they were both at a point in their lives where they were both ready to move on. The sex scenes are steamy and intimate, but not gratuitous.
I highly recommend this romantic suspense and author. Ms. Burton always gives me intriguing cases to solve, strong and intelligent heroes and heroines and a romantic HEA.
Thanks very much to Montlake Romance and Net Galley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.
THIS REVIEW IS FOR BOTH THE AUDIOBOOK AND EBOOK VERSIONS
Very good book with a twisted plot. Interesting characters and the narration was perfectly performed. Plenty of action and twists. The ending was a shocker. I would recommend this book.
This story was a basic murder mystery. I’m sorry to say there really wasn’t anything that pulled you in and kept you glued to the story. No twists to the story as everything was very predictable. A little disappointing as I’d hoped the story would be better. Families, secrets and the disfunction caused by them.
these book are the best and are free if you have Kindle Unlimited!
I liked the book. It was a quick read and didn’t bog itself down.
I love Mary Burton. Her books are well thought out and well written. She always delivers an edge of your seat suspense novel.
I loved the build up! A great story and well developed characters.
I always feel a potent mix of anticipation and trepidation when I pick up a new Mary Burton book. I am excited to read what I know will be a top-notch, well-written story with a perfect mix of romance and suspense that will keep me engaged. But I am also know that the level of malevolence and evil lurking in the pages will keep me up well into the night with all the lights on. This book is no exception….
FBI Zoe Spencer has an amazing skill as a forensic sculptor, giving an identity to unidentifiable victims; bringing closure to families and law enforcement. Her work has her cross paths with Alexandria, VA homicide detective William Vaughn, where the two sometimes work together on a case and sometimes engage in other activities in the bedroom. When an out-of-work news reporter receives a tip that leads to a 19-year-old skeleton, Zoe and Vaughn are find themselves piecing together clues and uncovering secrets leading to crimes old and new.
As always, Ms. Burton delivers a fascinating plot inhabited by characters of varying complexity and morals. I liked Zoe, even with her baggage and locked-up emotions. Vaughn was not as vividly drawn on the pages, but I always have a soft spot for hard-working cop hero. The case was truly a puzzle, as Zoe often thought, with pieces scattered between events long ago and at present. The last few pages served up a satisfying ending with a touch of a classic Mary Burton character twist (or the word “twisted” may be more accurate.) True, the romance was not that strong in this book, but there was enough interaction and chemistry between Zoe and Vaughn to more than satisfy me.
Criminal Profiler #2, Part of a series but can be read as a standalone like with most of Mary Burton books. Burton’s writing is engaging and thrilling and always keeps me on my toes, Written in third person the POV goes from protagonist to side characters and switches to first person POV for the antagonist, still keeping the identity of the baddie a secret ’til the end.
FBI Special Agent Zoe Spencer started of life as a dancer but due to an unfortunate accident she had to stop dancing which lead her to art and then to the FBI. Although she is a criminal profiler she also gets pulled onto cases requiring her artist talent and does forensic sketches or sculptures independently from her team. Most recently she was given a charred skull that was discovered by a reporter who was given a tip. A tip from the very person who put the body in there in the first place who was looking for some recognition after all this time.
Discovering who the skull belonged to puts her smack in the middle of the cold case investigation working side by side with her occasional lover Homicide Detective William Vaughn. The more questions they ask the more the killer gets nervous and soon the cold case is hot again with another murder, and another. Working together Vaughn and Zoe try to figure out what happened all those years ago and why the killer started up again, unless he never stopped.
Vaughn and Zoe keep it professional for the most part but soon realize what they have is not casual anymore but Zoe isn’t sure she’s ready to move on from the death of her husband with someone new someone with the same occupation. This case bring them closer than ever but catching this killer is going to make them both realize something big. Overall it’s a really good read it keeps you going from start to finish. Mary Burton is one of my go to authors for romantic suspense and this one did not disappoint.
Another well-written, solid mystery/romance by Mary Burton. Hooked from the beginning. Definitely recommend this fast- paced book. This is a great series (I loved that last one Hide and Seek) and this latest installment did not fail to deliver. Looking forward to the next one.
Thank you #netgalley and #montalkeromance for the eARC.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Ruthie –
This is the second book in the series – I have not read the previous book, but had no trouble being fully engaged with this story.
This is a clever, complex murder mystery, which unfolds in time sequenced chapters. There are twists and turns and we are given so many versions of what happened, that it is intriguing to find out just what really happened. I felt the level of tension was maintained without it being too intense. We get to meet a wide law enforcement team, but mostly spend time with Zoe Spencer and William Vaughan. They had met before at a profiler course she was leading, and had been strongly attracted to each other.
The relationship between the two is examined in a few scenes, and as they worked the case, they came to some realisations of their own about how they felt about each other. Zoe in particular, having suffered becoming a widow at a young age, needed to find herself before considering starting again, but by the end of the book, she has a clearer view.
I enjoyed how there were many weird clues which made no sense and as we got another version, seemed even more off – it raised the stakes of the possible perpetrators’ motive, actions, and essentially, their version of reality. I shall definitely look out for the next one in the series.
Avid Reader –
3.5 stars
M/F Thriller
Zoe and Vaughn are brought together by an old cold case. Zoe is amazing with facial reconstruction and when an old cold case is brought new life by her identifying the remains, we are left tracking down who could have done it – looking at both motive and guilt of everyone involved.
While I liked the mystery aspect, the romance left a little to be desired. Neither character really seemed ready for a full relationship and it felt very flat. I did think that they made good police partners, but not romantic partners.
This mystery is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing. There is pertinent information buried in the misdirection of the story and I liked how I kept having to go back and rethink the mystery.
Overall, this was entertaining, but lacked the relationship component that was supposed to be there.
Triggers: Murder, stalking, suicide
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is an exciting, fascinating suspense novel. The action starts in the first chapter and doesn’t end until the last page. I found the police procedure parts of this book absorbing. It offers great insight into how detectives investigate murder.
This story starts out with the discovery of an old human skull. Zoe Spencer is an FBI special agent who can recreate a face using skeletal bones. In this case, Zoe discovers that the skull belongs to a teenage girl who had been missing for ten years.
Zoe visits the victim’s hometown to investigate how this young girl died. This is a small town where everyone knew the girl, but no one had any idea what had happened to her. Zoe brings the skull to William Vaughan who is a homicide detective in this small town. During this investigation, the detectives discover the killer is still around and killing young women. Zoe and William work together to find the killer.
This book is an absorbing page-turner that grabs your attention and doesn’t let up until the end of the book!
Wowza! This story kept me on the edge of my seat. A suspenseful thrill ride that kept me engaged from start to finish. The author certainly knows how to keep a reader guessing. The only reason this story is getting 4 stars instead of 5 is that I felt there was something just out of reach with the connection between Zoe and Vaughn that I was missing. Perhaps it was from a past book but there is already history between the two. I’ll have to see if I can track it down.
Nikki McDonald, a reporter, gets a tip to look for a gray trunk in a storage locker. When she opens the trunk she discovers a human skeleton. Another body is found in a dumpster. This novel will lead you through the investigation with twists and turns. It keeps you guessing with a surprise ending to conclude the case.
I love when I am pulled in from the beginning and am unable to put the book down. Mary Burton is an author that I know will always write a book that I cannot put down.
This is a thriller. I started the book, read through the book, and finished the book and it is still on my mind. I was kept guessing at what would happen next and what clue would be revealed in the next paragraph. Although, I did try to follow the clues I did not have the entire puzzle figured out until it was revealed to the reader.
I loved that Zoe and Vaughn were able to work together and keep each other sane while working on a case that was so very difficult. Their detective skills were amazing and their logic was easy to follow as they continued to figure out the who-dun-it. This is a thriller, but I also loved the romance aspect of their relationship. They work well together, they understand each other well, and they respect each other.
I am a fan of Mary Burton. I listened to this novel through Kindle Unlimited listen and read. I was glued to my Paperwhiite for the duration of this novel. It grabbed me from the onset and didn’t let go. The story is scary believable and Bailey Carr’s narration just make it that much more realistic. I would recommend this novel to anybody who enjoys a good crime thriller and the suspense and angst that accompany it. NO spoiler but it is a hot read.
FBI Agent Zoe Spencer is assigned to investigate a decade old skeleton by reconstructing a face. She winds up investigating along with homicide detective William Vaughn who has been her lover in the past but she has committment issues. Then another homicide happens. The story hold you as a captive audience while you sift through the numerous characters and deceit until you reach an interesting end.
I SEE YOU…Mary. Burton
Zoe attention to minute detail’s with each facial reconstructions she does. Wanting to restore the murder victim’s identity and get justice for them.
This bring Detective Vaughn back into her life, and together they go to the sister’s home. The husband knew what had happened a decade ago, thier
girl Skylar didn’t, The plot takes off, and there are many twists, to come to a surprising end, of how they were connected. The author has given us a personal look as Zoe risks everything to bring justice to this face, that now has a name. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net.Galley and Montlake.
I love a good mystery. And I love a good romance. So romantic suspense is my favorite genre to read, thanks to my early love of Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense books. And if you’re a fan of TV shows like Bones and Criminal Minds, I See You by Mary Burton is going to be right up your alley. With plenty of twists and turns, just enough bread crumbs to keep you turning the page, and an ending I didn’t see coming (my favorite kind in romantic suspense!), this book kept me reading without stopping until the very end. Ok…maybe a bathroom break or two. I would love to give you more hints about the plot of this book, but it’s just way too chocked full of clues, and I really hate spoiling such a great book. Needless to say, I highly recommend you pick up a copy and soon!
NICUnurse’s Rating: I give I See You by Mary Burton 4.5 out of 5 stars!