Book Review: The Shark by Mary Burton

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  From the first day of this new year I vowed to read genres other than my normal thriller books. However, I still find myself gravitating to the dark and mysterious world of crime thrillers. What I discovered was a new author to me that I will most likely binge-read all of her titles this year.

  The Shark is written by Mary Burton and is the first novel in her Forgotten Files series. It is published by Thomas and Mercer, an Amazon imprint. In this tense thriller we are introduced to the Shark. An aging serial killer who uses games of chance to find his victims. Many years ago a young socialite, Riley Tatum, escaped her abusive stepfather only to be drugged and delivered to one of his games. The stakes were simple: if the Shark won, the girl dies. If his opponent won, the girl lives. On that day the Shark lost and the girl survived, leaving the madman forever regretful.  Now a member of law enforcement, Trooper Riley Tatum has escaped her demons and worked hard to emerge from her runaway status. She now works to finalize the paperwork that will allow her to adopt Hannah, a troubled runaway that she has cared for for five years. Traversing the county truck stops, Riley looks for those who prey on runaways. And she does her best to aid those that wish to be helped.

   But after a decade of silence the Shark returns, and so does the body count. Riley is on edge as her past begins to seep into her present with the arrival of of two men. Her lecherous stepfather pays her a visit and vows to look out for her and her young charge. An old flame from her academy days, Clay Bowman, returns with a mission to track and apprehend the Shark with the aid of the high-tech agency that he works for. With the aid of Agent Dakota Sharp, Riley tries to piece together the fuzzy memories from her abduction ten years ago. Having been heavily drugged at the time, she is hard-pressed to remember any details. That is until a DVD with a recording from the time of her disappearance arrives on her doorstep. Riley is the star of the video and proves to be sent by the Shark. A dangerous game of cat and mouse has begun as a diabolical serial killer emerges from the past to destroy the future of the one girl who escaped him. But who holds the winning hand in this new game of life and death?

  The Shark was a pleasant surprise that sucked me into its twisted tale from the first the few pages. Riley fast became a new favorite of mine as I saw how determined and strong her character was. Her love for Hannah and her aid of those in need were admirable and carried the protagonist until the very end of the novel. Since this appears to be the only Riley-centered book in the series, I hope that Burton writes more with the character (Dakota Sharp also appears in book two). Riley's co-stars in this story were also very well fleshed-out, with interesting backgrounds that worked well with their character development. The mystery was excellent with teases here and there as to who not only the Shark was, but who the player was that won Riley's life back when she was kidnapped. The Shark was a villain that was creepy and relentless, with Burton handing us many suspects that may be our culprit. And when the finale was revealed I was very satisfied in the ending, which was tense and exciting.

  I read this novel in part with the narration of actress, Christina Traister. I have enjoyed her work before, and her presentation here was done very well. I enjoyed her accents and even her male voices came through convincingly. Her sense of urgency during tense moments lent a dimension to the narrative that had me continuing until the late night hours. Excellent work.

  The Shark was a fun read with a cast of flesh-out characters that keep me reading with excitement. This four star book is the beginning for me, as I will be buying more of Mary Burton's books. She is an amazing addition to my favorite crime thriller writer. If you enjoy a fast-paced thriller that will keep you turning the page, then this is a book for you. Happy Summer reading!        


  Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading this week.

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