Merciless (Senseless Duo, #2)

by Mary Burton

Merciless follows Senseless as the second in Mary Burton's thrilling two-part series.

First you beg. Then you die . . .

No Pity
Each skeleton is flawless - gleaming white and perfectly preserved, a testament to his skill. Every scrap of flesh has been removed to reveal the glistening bone beneath. And the collection is growing . . .

No Compassion
When bleached human bones are identified as belonging to a former patient of Dr James Dixon, Detective Malcolm Kier suspects the worst. Dixon was recently acquitted of attempted murder, thanks to defense attorney Angie Carlson. But as the body count rises, Kier is convinced that Angie is now the target of a brutal, brilliant psychopath.

No Escape
Angie is no stranger to the dark side of human nature. But nothing has prepared her for the decades-long legacy of madness and murder about to be revealed - or a killer ready to claim her as his ultimate trophy . . .

Merciless follows on from Mary Burton's fantastic Senseless. Will Malcom Kier be able to piece together the clues that Deacon Garrison previously uncovered?

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.

• ISBN13: 9781420110203
• Publish Date: 1 February 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 25 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Zebra Books
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

Everything I said about Senseless I could repeat about Merciless. The romance happens very late in the book, though in this one there is much more of a cat and mouse game between Malcolm and Angie. There’s very much a "boy likes girl so he dips her pigtails in the ink" vibe about it. I haven’t read enough of Burton’s work to know if this late-in-the-game romance is a signature of hers or if it has just worked that way in these books. The crime in this one is a little less personal than the previous book, or at least it starts out that way. And again, the book is missing that sense of place I was looking for — I didn’t even remember that it was supposed to be taking place in Alexandria, Virginia. But overall, it’s still an entertaining story. Burton is capable of dreaming up some pretty sadistic killers.