Before She Dies

by Mary Burton

Mary Burton's Before She Dies is a masterpiece of suspense and psychological thrills.

He Is Their Judge . . .
In death, they are purified. Holding his victims under water, he washes away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the ground, exposing them for what they really are. Witches, sent to tempt and to corrupt . . .

Jury . . .
No one knows about defence attorney Charlotte Wellington's murdered sister, or about her childhood spent with the carnival that's just arrived in town. For Charlotte, what's past is past. But others don't agree. And as a madman's body count rises, she and Detective Daniel Rokov are drawn into a mission that's become terrifyingly personal . . .

And Executioner
At last, she is within his reach. All his victims deserve their fate, but her guilt is greatest. And with every scream, he will make her see what it means to suffer and repent . . .

Before She Dies will keep you guessing until the very end and leave you longing for more. Heroine Charlotte Wellington, who appeared in Senseless and Merciless, gets her own amazing story to tell and a hero at her side, Detective Daniel Rokov, who is willing to go toe-to-toe with the irascible Charlotte.

Mary Burton's slick, pacy serial killer thriller Before She Dies is guaranteed to send a chill down your spine - a perfect read for fans of Tess Gerritsen, Kathy Reichs, and Karin Slaughter.

Praise for Mary Burton:
'A twisted tale . . . I couldn't put it down!' Lisa Jackson 'Stieg Larsson fans will find a lot to like in Burton's taut, well-paced novel' Publishers Weekly

Mary Burton is the critically acclaimed author of I'm Watching You, Dead Ringer, Dying Scream, Merciless and Senseless - all set in Virginia, USA, where Mary lives with her family.

• ISBN10: 1611733715
• ISBN13: 9781611733716
• Publish Date: 1 May 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Withdrawn
• Out of Print: 17 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Center Point
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 435
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

Though not technically part of a series, Before She Dies closes off a loosely connected trilogy that started with Burton’s Senseless and Merciless. I think it was on par with those two books. In some ways, it was stronger. The romance is there from the very beginning rather than materializing towards the end, so we get a chance to root for it a bit longer. I would have liked to see a little more wanting from Charlotte’s point of view, but overall I’m not disappointed in how it developed.

I also thought Charlotte’s back story was more interesting than the female protagonists in the previous two books. The carnival makes for an unusual backdrop.

When it comes to the villain, I find that I finished the book feeling somewhat confused about him. (SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD) His placement in the periphery of the story was a bit too obvious, because if he’s not the bad guy, what’s his purpose? Maybe I just read too many of these types of books. I also didn’t understand his ultimate motive. I understood the fixation part of it, I just didn’t get why he started in the first place. (END SPOILERS!)

Overall, I did enjoy the read. I think Burton writes both strong female and strong male characters, yet is able to keep the male characters secondary. I will continue to keep Burton on my “to read” list!