Fear for Me
3.5 Stars

Jon Walker, the notorious Bayou Butcher, escapes from prison and seeks revenge against those who put him away - the Judge, the jurors and the DA. As he closes in on his targets, District Attorney, Lauren Chandler and U.S. Marshall, Anthony Ross, must put aside their shared history and work together to catch a deranged killer before the body count rises further.

A gripping thriller but the romance falls flat.

Despite their intense attraction, Lauren and Anthony’s emotional connection is non-existent and their physical intimacy seems forced and mechanical. Anthony’s obsession with Lauren borders on the creepy, especially considering his family history, and Lauren’s behavior throughout the book makes her appear cold and distant.

The strength of the book lies in the suspense plot, which keeps you guessing right up until the end. There are several compelling twists and turns to the traditional escaped convict premise, and the climax and resolution are action packed and thrilling. The last few chapters are riveting and it is impossible not to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

In sum, Cynthia Eden is one of my favorite authors, but this is not one of her better romantic suspense works. Nevertheless, it is well written and worth reading for the serial killer storyline. Hopefully the next installment in the series will be more like the first, Die For Me, which is an excellent read.
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“Love could be twisted for some” and “love could be dark and dangerous and perfect for others.” In this dark and twisted tale of a killer called the Bayou Butcher who wields a knife with no remorse we follow the trail of bodies along with some familiar faces from the previous book.
Five years ago ADA Lauren Chandler and US Marshal Anthony put the Bayou Butcher behind bars for life. At the time Anthony also walked away from Lauren after getting scared that their romance was bordering on obsession on his part. When the Butcher escapes from prison Anthony knows just where he is going, back to Baton Rouge to kill those who put him in jail with Lauren at the top of the list. Lauren is now a DA and hasn’t forgiven Anthony for breaking her heart 5 years ago, but when the Butcher’s first kill is someone close to her she knows she needs both his protection and skills to get him back into custody before he wracks up the body count again.

As usual the author shocks us with the gruesomeness of the both the killings and the killer. I’ve also come to expect tons of surprises. Don’t even think you know what’s going on cause a twist will be thrown in and then your back to wondering..

All aspects of this book blended perfectly from the tracking down of the Butcher that includes help from FBI agents Kyle McKenzie and Cadence Hollow (who are the couple in the next book), the romance, and the suspense on who was next on the Butchers list and why they were on that list. I love this series and look forward to the next sick and twisted killer that is sure to be in Scream for Me.
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In this thriller, the Bayou Butcher escapes from prison and returns to Baton Rough to get revenge against those who put him away. US Marshal, Anthony Ross returns to Baton Rough to hunt the killer and protect those involved in the trial. He is particularly interested in protecting Lauren Chandler, the DA who prosecuted the Butcher. Lauren and Anthony had a brief relationship following the trial, and Anthony can't get her out of his mind.

I don't know what it is about stories like these that grab me. The writing is not all that great. But is isn't bad either. I guess I am just a serial killer geek and will have to learn to live with it. As long as justice prevails in the end, The romance in this one was a bit annoying. Anthony kept calling Lauren "Baby". I thought I might puke after a while. And he was a bit obsessive about her, but it fits into the story so it was sort of OK. I really like the way Eden writes serial killers. I don't know what that says about me. ( )

good story, the mystery kept my attention, but the romance portion of the story was very unconvincing. The romance seemed obsessive from Anthony's point, no romance, tenderness, chemistry between Lauren and Anthony ( )

Another great one by Cynthia Eden! ( )