Dying Scream [Mass Market Paperback]

The DUI shattered Adrianna Barrington's life as she lost the baby she was carrying and her husband Craig Thornton never came out of the coma. Although the other driver drunkenly caused the accident, Adrianna went bankrupt to pay the medical bills; finally leading to her selling her family estate.

However, the buyer demands the family graveyard be relocated, but when the extraction begins, more bodies are found than should be there. Detective Gage Hudson investigates. Soon afterward three females who knew Craig vanish while Adrianna receives calls and cards from allegedly her dead husband claiming he misses his wife and will soon come for her.

This is a tense romantic suspense that grips the audience from the moment Adrianna receives an anniversary card from the grave. The story line is fast paced throughout with the "required" romantic subplot taking a needed back seat to the thriller elements especially that of a serial killer who either is her husband whom the beleaguered heroine interred though he is not in his coffin or something or someone else playing Craig's life, but motive remains elusive. Dying Scream is a taut serial killer investigative thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Mary Burton's "Dying Scream" was a real treat to read. I found that it was hard for me to put down once I would start reading! Her character development was phenomenal - I really felt as though I knew the characters on a very intimate level. The sense of loss that is conveyed by several tragedies which happened to the characters was very real for me. The only thing I found completely unnecessary in this book (keeping me from giving it 5 stars) was the explicit sex scenes. They made me feel as though I was reading a cheap romance novel that you would find in a pharmacy.

Overall though, I would highly recommend this book. It was enjoyable - definitely worth the money!

Adrianna Barrington's world spins out of control just months after her marriage to Craig Thornton. When a drunk driver broadsides their car, Adrianna loses her unborn child. To make matters worse, Craig suffers irreparable brain damage and lingers in a coma for two years until his death, leaving Adrianna with a broken heart and a mountain of bills.

After Craig's death, Adrianna decides to sell the Thornton estate and use the proceeds of the sale to create a neonatal unit at a local hospital and pay off her staggering debt. The Thorntons' brick antebellum Virginia home, called "The Colonies," predates the Civil War and is located on 20 acres of prime riverfront property. The news of her decision to sell the estate is not well received, especially by historians who revere the property and its rich past.

As part of the sale agreement, the buyer insists the family graveyard be removed. Dr. Cyril Heckman, a friend of Adrianna's late mother-in-law, files a motion to stop the sale. When workers arrive to remove the remains, Dr. Heckman shows up carrying a "Save our Dead" sign to protest the destruction of the graveyard. Despite the protest, digging proceeds.

While the workmen survey the property to locate all the graves, they uncover a human skull near the river. The skull and remains are identified as belonging to Rhonda Minor, a woman who once worked for Craig --- and who disappeared without a trace. And Rhonda isn't the only missing woman linked to Craig whose remains are discovered buried on the Thornton estate. Could Adrianna have misjudged her husband all along? Could Craig have tortured and murdered the women and buried them on the family property?

Detective Gage Hudson, a cop for more than a decade, is called to the Thornton estate to investigate who is behind the murders. Gage is a former professional quarterback who left a promising career to become a police officer after his younger sister was abducted and raped. Missing persons cases are Gage's specialty, and he has strong feelings about this one, but his former romantic link to Adrianna complicates his investigation.

In the midst of the murder and mayhem, Adrianna does her best to cope with her secretive and manipulative mother. She also seeks the truth about the facts surrounding her adoption while trying to sort out her feelings for a recently discovered sister who wants to build a relationship with her.

When Adrianna begins to receive cards and flowers from someone claiming to be her late husband, she first gets angry at the cruel joke, but she soon becomes terrified at the thought of someone stalking her. As the investigation deepens, another woman connected to Craig disappears, Gage and Adrianna's past romantic ties rekindle, and in the shadows someone watches...and waits.

DYING SCREAM is an absorbing thriller, ripe with twists and turns. It has all the ingredients of an engaging story: an intriguing setting, compelling characters, rich details, dark secrets and plenty of surprises. Mary Burton does an admirable job of using her characters to help the reader understand the forensics evidence without getting overly graphic or grisly with specifics. To complete the package, the novel's romantic overtones heighten the drama and ratchet up the suspense. DYING SCREAM is a well-thought-out and satisfying read.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

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