Senseless [Mass Market Paperback]

I was pleased with this. It's labeled as a romantic suspense, but the romance happens fairly late in the book. That being said, I think it made it more believable, because we get the time to know Eva and Garrison and root for them to get together. Burton gives us a plot that's thorough without being overly complicated. She's also able to make us wonder about the true motives of almost every character, even those that should be solidly on the good side of things. I actually was unable to guess the true culprit, and that's a rarity for me. The only thing missing is a good sense of the setting. We know it's in Alexandria, since a great deal is made of it, but I can't say that I learned anything about Alexandria. It really could have happened anywhere. But overall, if you enjoy suspense this is a great read.

Eva Rayburn is in her late twenties (although she looks like she's 16). She's strong, incredibly smart, beautiful, tough, and an ex-con. Ten years earlier, while partying with her sorority sisters, Eva was raped and branded with a star-shaped pendant. A fire is set and she barely escaped with her life. Unfortunately (or depending on how you look at it, fortunately), her rapist, Josiah, dies in the fire, and Eva is convicted of killing him. She is fairly certain she did not kill Josiah, but she can't remember much about that night. Is she a cold-blooded murderer, or did she take the fall for someone else? The fact that her sorority sisters testified against her didn't help much either. Neither are the nightmares and bits and pieces of memories that keep coming back. But she is now trying to rebuild her life by, moving back to Alexandria where she was born and raised. She is working nights at a halfway house as an attendant, afternoons as a bartender, and in between as a process server. While she has grown close to King, (the bar owner who has a secret of his own), and his foster son, Bobby, (who has his own issues, as well), she still hasn't let her sister Angela know that she has been back in town for six months. A sister that she pushed away during her trial in order to protect her from Josiah's father, hell bent on making the person who took away his son suffer.

Now someone is killing Eva's former sorority sisters. Each time a body is found, it has the same star-shape branded into them. The killer leaves the body of the first girl at the halfway house where Eva works, torching the place to boot. Detectives Deacon Garrison and Malcolm Kier are assigned to the case. It soon becomes apparent to Deacon that Eva is not just someone who happens to work at the burned-down Halfway House, but that she has a connection to the victim as well. What Deacon can't figure out is how Eva is involved. Is she seeking revenge for those that testified against her and cost her ten years of her life? What he does know is that there is definitely something going on between them. Something that is so instinctual, so deep, that it goes way beyond the cop/suspect/victim relationship.

Eva must now fight to not only save her own life, but to also prove her innocence. Can she do it before it's too late? Or will she become the final victim of this maniac? Senseless is clever, dark, and full of suspense. The reader is pulled in from page one with a gruesome murder that will make you cringe yet have you turning the pages wanting more. The characters are well thought out, real and relatable. Senseless neatly fits into the "romantic suspense" category. What I love about what Ms. Burton has done is that while the reader knows who will end up with whom, it's not forced on you right at the beginning, making it seem implausible; the relationship builds over time, making it more believable. Get your map handy. You'll need it to follow all of the twists and turns Ms. Burton lays out for you all the way to the stunning, unbelievable, didn't-even-come-close-to-see-that-coming ending. Senseless is a rock sold hit! Make sure to check out the next book in the series, Merciless (due out Jan 25th), featuring Eva's sister, Angela, and Deacon's partner, Malcolm.

This book hooked me right off the start. Eva is an ex-con that can't remember if she murdered Josiah...the book keeps you wondering who is behind the recent killings of her old friends and why they are branded with a star. Detective Garrison is trying to find out what happend 10 years ago and how it plays in the murders now.
Can' wait for Merciless..the story of Eva's sister Angie.

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