Expect the unexpected in this gritty, tense, and page-turning mystery from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute. While working the street, she narrowly avoids becoming a serial killer’s latest victim; as much as it pains her to … as it pains her to admit, she needs backup.
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. The whole situation brings back memories for Melina—why does this particular case feel so connected to her painful past?
Before time runs out, Melina must catch not one but two serial killers, both ready to claim another victim—and both with their sights set on her.
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I have read all of Burton’s books, and I have to say this is one of her best. Two separate serial killers in one story. Just when I thought I knew the identities of the killers Burton throws in a twist that I never saw coming. Melina, the female character, has an interesting back story that Burton slowly brings to the fore. With all the twists and turns Burton has in this I kept telling myself “just one more chapter and then lights out.” The next thing I know it is an hour later and I still keep reading to follow the new twist. This one is hard to put down!
Never Look Back is Book 3 of the Criminal Profiler series by Mary Burton. This story was amazing! An edge of your seat thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. I’ve always enjoyed stories by Ms. Burton but they’ve always tended to be a bit too light on the romance aspect. While I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say this had a ton of romance in it, there was certainly more than “the usual” and I really enjoyed the connection between Melina and Jerrod.
Never Look Back is suspenseful and has you wondering who did what. I didn’t mind that there was no romance factor for the most part of the story. I was all for the mystery that had me trying to figure who did what? I loved the fact that I had no clue who the suspects were until they were revealed. I really enjoyed the story and was smiling at the end <3
An exciting and thrilling race against a killer who has set his sights on Melina after a failed abduction attempt. She is the one that got away and his obsession may just be what gets him caught. Another case brings up something from her past, though she can’t put her finger on it
With the help of Agent Ramsey and her family she may just solve these cases and bring justice to all the victims and maybe put her past behind her.
Never Look Back by Mary Burton
Criminal Profiler #3
A van stops, a man beckons a woman on the street to his van to procure a “date”, the woman is leery and then…well…then this book grabbed my attention in a way that I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. This story is intense, gritty and dark and yet filled with a bit of hope and potential long-term romance for a couple of people in the story.
What I liked:
* Melina Shepard – TBI agent that is tough as nails, smart, caring and a survivor.
* Jerrod Ramsay – FBI agent that comes in to assist in catching a serial killer that Melina is searching for, too.
* Elena – a child that Melina sees a lot of herself in
* The dual serial killer threads running through the book
* The police procedural aspects for finding the killers
* The backstory of Melina
* The relationship that develops between Melina and Jerrod
* Melina’s parents – they warmed my soul
* That my mind was left to imagine the horrors perpetrated by the killers rather than having them spelled out
* The supporting characters and the neighbor’s cat
* That the baddies were dealt with by the end of the book
What I did not like:
* Bonnie – an amoral con woman that put herself first and destroyed more than one person in the process
* The serial killers – even though one I *might* have felt a bit sorry for for a second or two.
* Having to say goodbye to the characters that I grew to like and care for in the story
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Without a doubt
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Pretty interesting book to read!
Just not my cup of tea
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)
I’m going to start out by saying that I loved this book. A lot more suspense than romance but I’m not complaining. Never Look Back is a great story of two law enforcement agents trying to take down two serial killers. I never felt like I knew how this was going to end. It was so well written and realistic enough that I didn’t want to read it before bed. If you are a Criminal Minds fan, you will love this book.
Never Look Back is the third installment in Burton’s Criminal Profiler series and it was a decent read but not a favorite. As with Burton’s other books there are multiple threads leading in many different directions and some connect to resolutions whereas others just dead end. What starts out as one case with a serial killer quickly morphs into two separate cases the agents are working at the same time and both of them end up intertwining with TBI agent, Melina Shepard. There was a lot of investigative and procedural information in the story and some seemed a bit drawn out with unneeded details but overall it was a suspenseful read with several gripping scenes. I enjoyed Melina’s character and her growth throughout the story but Jerrod’s seemed a bit flat to me, more robotic and unfeeling, so I had a hard time seeing them as a couple but they worked well as a team. And though a lot of Burton’s endings are rather abrupt, this one seemed even more so – like it was ending in the middle of a scene, and was really unsatisfying. It felt like it needed more of something. Yet with this said, Burton is still one of my favorite authors and I will continue to read her stories.
*I received an arc from NetGalley and I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
“Never Look Back” is Book Three in the “Criminal Profilers Series” from master of contemporary romantic suspense, author Mary Burton. An appropriately creepy prologue gives us a chilling look into the mind of a serial killer–and that’s just the beginning of this suspenseful race-against-the-clock thriller in which a Tennessee state investigator and an FBI agent must work together to stop a killing spree and solve a mystery. When women who earn their living by walking the streets of Nashville begin to disappear, Reverend Sarah Beckett, who runs “The Mission”, a halfway house for prostitutes, calls a friend for help. Melina Shepard, who works for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, doesn’t hesitate to go undercover posing as a prostitute while searching for clues to the disappearances. After surviving a too-close call with a serial killer, Melina joins forces with Jerrod Ramsey, and FBI agent who has been chasing this particular killer for years. As the danger around Melina and Jerrod grows, so does the awareness between them. The investigation becomes more complex and more perilous when it becomes clear that there actually two killers at work, and each has Melina in his target sights for his own twisted reasons. Working together as a team, can Jerrod and Melina bring to an end a deadly double reign of terror? They can protect one another’s lives, but can they protect their hearts from each other? Mary Burton’s suspense thrillers are rich in procedural detail, and “Never Look Back” is entertaining and addictive as the lead characters put their criminal profiler skills to use analyzing those around them–and each other. A highly-recommended series for lovers of top-notch contemporary romantic suspense.
Book Copy Gratis Author
NEVER LOOK BACK….Mary Burton
Melinda she is fearless, determined and takes risks She is the investigating officer, she was a predator and escaped, now knowing he was a serial killer.
With an FBI Agent Ramsey, the past of Melinda comes known. There are two crimes that come together. A bit of romance and a murder to solve.
Once again the author has given us a tense tight murder, that will keep you to the end. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net Galley and Montlake Publishers
Be Ready for Some Twists and Turns
I have read this author before and really enjoy her work. This has Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation going under cover as a prostitute to catch a killer. Then Jerrord Ramsey from the FBI is sent to help capture the serial killer. But hold on there is another serial killer? This is full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Mary Burton’s books do not disappoint.
Holy cow this was so good! I was so engrossed in this story I could not put it down. The magnificent twists this book took were so unexpected I love it! I thought the story was so unique the big twist at the end made me have to walk away for a minute. The cast of characters make me wish for this to be a series because, I so enjoyed them. All in all, this is so good!
Trying to learn what has happened to several missing women, Melina poses as a prostitute. One night, she barely escapes abduction by a serial killer. She has no idea who he is, but if he is in the system, the DNA evidence she provided may help them catch him. The serial killer thought he was abducting a prostitute and has no idea that he almost abducted Melina Shepard, an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. FBI Agent Jerrod Ramsey arrives to assist on the case as he and Melina sort through clues for any information that will bring the killer to justice. Melina soon becomes the hunted as the killer seeks revenge. The story mostly held my attention, but at times it was a little too graphic for me. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
Thank you Netgalley and Montclair Romance for this ARC. The review and comments are my honest opinion. Two serial killers with different MO’s… which one will be successful first in capturing Melina Shepard an FBI agent? Another FBI agent, Jerrod Ramsey can’t help but get involved. The two story lines are suspenseful and the characters are believable. Good things happen too in this story line and once again Mary Burton delivers another action packed book.
Definitely a good read! At one point I thought “Uh-oh, she’s taking on TWO serial killers in one plot this may go poorly.” But it works! Very well done, well written, great characters and plot.
Never Look Back was an action packed suspense novel that kept me on the edge of my seat. The action revolves around TBI Agent Melina Shephard’s and FBI Agent Jerrod Ramsey’s search for a serial killer who targets prostitutes. Along the way, they discover a connection to another serial killer and Melina’s past.
I loved how these two worked together to solve the case. Melina was a bad-ass heroine who didn’t back down from a fight and was determined to catch the bad guy. Jerrod has been chasing serial killers for years and he had become desensitized to the violence. This case and working with Melina reenergized him.
I enjoyed this story and I loved the plot twists. It was a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end.
Never Look Back by Mary Burton
This book grabbed my attention from the first page, excellent characters and good story that keeps you turning till you get to the end. Not my first by this author and definitely not my last!
A page turning thriller. Melina Shepard of the TBI almost gets taken by a serial killer. She fought back and stabbed him in the thigh. Girls are missing from the Mission that Sarah Beckett runs. Many are ladies of the night. Melina works with FBI agent Ramsey to track down a serial killer.