Book source ~ NetGalley

Ever since her brother was wrongfully arrested, convicted, and sent to prison, Rachel Wainwright has fought for those she feels gets shafted by Lady Justice. As a public defender she gets a lot of those cases and she gets the occasional Innocence Project client, too. She has taken on the 30-year-old case of Jeb Jones, a man put away for murder. He has steadfastly declared his innocence and has been petitioning for his DNA to be tested for over a decade and getting nowhere. Enter the Innocence Project and Rachel. Does she think he’s innocent? It’s not up to her. Her job is to get the DNA tested now that such a test is available. After that? Well, one step at a time.

Detective Derek Morgan inherited the case from his late father. The Jeb Jones case is the one that made his dad’s career so he’s understandably pissed that the DNA test is calling his dad’s integrity into question. But the law is the law, so he sent it in. And the wait for results begins. In the meantime, he has cases to solve, including the brutal bludgeoning murder of an aspiring singer. But that’s not the only murder he’ll need to solve as bodies start dropping like flies and the only connection he can find is Rachel Wainwright. Uh, oh…

This is one hell of a twisty turny tale! It held my attention from the first chapter all the way to the end. I even stayed up way past my bedtime trying to finish it. That’s a rare thing for me since I love my sleep. The characters are awesome, the world is great, the killer is…whew, what a mess. The mystery is one that kept me guessing. I had started to glean a few half-formed inklings at about the 60% mark, but not nearly enough to state with any certainty who I thought was the murderer. Great job! This is one of my favorite reads of 2019. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series even though I’ve already read book 4 by accident. Luckily, my memory sucks ass and I didn’t remember it until after I was finished with this one. I hate reading books out of order. lol ( )

From Amazon:

Don't Look
At first, they struggle to escape. Then a torrent of blows rains down upon their bodies until their eyes cloud over in final agony. The killer shows no remorse--just a twisted need to witness each victim's last terrified moments.

Don't Speak
Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree. But if Rachel's hunch is correct, whoever fatally bludgeoned young, beautiful Annie Dawson thirty years ago could be the source of a new string of brutal slayings.

Just Prepare To Die
Rachel's investigation is about to reveal answers--but at a price she never thought to pay. Now she's become the target of a rage honed by years of jealousy and madness. And a murderer is ready to show her just how vicious the truth can be.

My Thoughts:

If anyone picks this book up expecting it to be Romantic Suspense as it's pitched to be, put it back. No romance in it but then...it didn't need it. I enjoyed the way this story unfolded. A clue here and there, another character thrown in just to keep you on your toes about guessing the story’s outcome. And while I did guess correctly on some of the clues, the ending was perfect for a die-hard mystery reader like myself.
( )

COVER YOUR EYES by Mary Burton is a crime mystery suspense thriller, with twists and turns, and a whodunit which will leave your head spinning.

Annie was a good-looking, blonde, sexy gal and all the men swoon when she walks into a room. She loves country music, a singer in local honky-tonk bars, looking for a chance to make it to the big time in Nashville. All the men want her, and offer her an array of promises. However, just when she thinks she may get it all, she is brutally murdered.

Jeb Jones, a man convicted some thirty years ago for Annie’s murder before DNA testing was available; however, now the case may be reopened when new DNA evidence is available.

Rachel, a tenacious attorney is out for the truth, to find the real murderer. Of course many do not want to stir the pot.

Homicide Detective Deke Morgan is now on the case of a bar singer, Dixie Simmons, with a similar murder relating to the one years ago. However, are these two cases related? Of course his father Buddy was the cop in charge of the previous case years ago.

As the intensity heats up, Rachel is attacked as she gets closer to mounting evidence. Someone wants to keep her quiet. Of course the Morgans kind of run the Nashville Police Department, and then there is also Georgia Morgan, a forensics technician called in to investigate.

Buddy Morgan was a hero of sort back in the day, and no one wants show any evidence that he could have put away the wrong man.

Wow, the audiobook was quite intriguing, and my favorite parts were those of Annie and her tidbits throughout the book. Readers only hear short notes, letters, and updates to her lover, called SUGAR and BABY. Love A. OMG, I am still hearing this southern voice saying SUGAR over and over in my head ….. Narrator, Karen White, delivered a nice southern performance, true to setting. I kept saying….please who is Sugar? I liked the back story more than the present one; however the connection was well done.

Burton’s delivers a well- paced mystery and suspense, continuing to the end, keeping you guessing as to the identity of the murderer. Crime fans will enjoy this complex southern tale of whodunit, with some light romance.

Fans of Leslie Tentler, Nancy Bush, Lisa Jackson, Sandra Brown, and Tami Hoag will appreciate Burton’s style.

I also recommend Burton’s upcoming 4/28/2015 book,
BE AFRAID, just finished an ARC --another case of a murder set in Nashville between cases twenty-five years apart. 5 Stars ( )

Publication date: 28th October 2014

Publisher: Zebra

ISBN: 9781420132113

Source: Netgalley

3/5 stars

About the author:
Mary Burton is the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author of I'm Watching You, Dead Ringer, Dying Scream, Senseless, Merciless, Before She Dies andThe 7th Victim - all set in Virginia, USA, where Mary lives with her family. Her website is www.maryburton.com.

Rachel Wainwright failed to overturn her brother Luke's conviction before he died in prison, so she is determined to prove that Jeb Jones is an innocent man and set him free from its prison cell. Detective Deke Morgan is ready to fight her every step of the way for he too has personal reasons why he believes the right man was caught thirty years ago; his father was the arresting officer in charge of the case. Rachel believes that a recent murder was carried out by the original killer, making it impossible for her client to be guilty. With the body count increasing, it's a race against time for Rachel and Deke to prove their conviction is right.

This is a fairly good crime thriller with a few twists and turns; professionals fighting it out, each to prove that they are right; a killer on the loose. Rachel is a well written and likeable character who, despite being a feisty attorney, has a naivety about her. Deke is likeable too, trying to prove his father right whilst infuriating Rachel at the same time.

The story is solid, if a little long-winded at times. I lost interest slightly in the middle section, when the pace seemed to slow up, but persevered to find out what happened at the end. A good ending, if a tad predictable, and a nice conclusion to the book. ( )

There is a killer on the loose murdering women who are beautiful, blonde and great singers. (For some reason, I kept picturing Hayden Panettiere in NASHVILLE). The murders are quite similar to a murder that happened years ago, except the convicted killer is still in prison. Did he really kill Annie 20 years ago or is the killer still on the loose?

I was quite surprised at the twists and turns in this novel. I really loved it and would recommend it to a friend. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. ( )