A tragic accident or something more sinister? A woman's buried memories put her life at risk in a novel of shattering psychological suspense by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton. Lane McCord wakes up in a hospital having survived a near-fatal fall at a North Carolina beach cottage. Her boyfriend, Kyle, wasn't so lucky. A senseless tragedy on their first romantic getaway. All Lane remembers is lying at the bottom of the stairs in Kyle's pooling blood. Confused and grieving, Lane plans to return to the cottage, collect her personal belongings, and get out. Until a winter rainstorm leaves her stranded and vulnerable, but not alone. A concerned neighbor, who claims he heard a violent argument before the accident, has come out of the storm. So has a suspicious detective on the trail of a missing woman, whose diary deepens the mystery--and raises more questions that fill Lane with dread. How well did she know Kyle? How well does she know herself? What really happened at the cottage on the beach? And when the answers come, who can Lane trust to get out of this waking nightmare alive?
Mary Burton Book order
Mary Burton masterfully crafts suspenseful narratives that draw readers into intricate plots and psychological duels. Her novels, often weaving characters and settings across series, are celebrated for their tension and meticulous detail. Burton delves into the intricacies of serial killer investigations and the procedural aspects of law enforcement and forensic science, creating authentic and unsettling worlds. Her ability to build suspense and develop compelling characters solidifies her as a significant voice in romantic suspense.







- 2023
- 2022
For a woman obsessed and a killer in her shadow, remembering the past becomes a mind game in a novel of psychological suspense by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton. Twin sisters Marisa and Clare Stockton were sixteen when Clare's body was found in Virginia's James River. No arrests were made. Fourteen years later, Marisa's friends and dedicated career as a photographer help her to cope with the open wound of the past. But Marisa still feels the hurt--and the unsolved murder isn't the only thing haunting her. A recent car crash has erased ten days of Marisa's memories--a black hole leading up to the accident that's left her disoriented. Every text and phone call from that crucial missing time has vanished, along with her phone. A photograph she took of the river has disappeared. A new neighbor Marisa believes she knows introduces himself as if he were a stranger. And there's the growing fear that her near-fatal accident was no accident at all. As dreams of Clare and nightmares of the crash begin to converge, so do two disturbing puzzles fourteen years apart. Putting the pieces together could be fatal. As she struggles to remember everything, Marisa closes in on a killer--without realizing that he's already closed in on her.
- 2022
'Mary does it again with another thrill ride of a book! So many twists and turns right from the start.' - NetGalley Reviewer, Old secrets are hard to keep buried in this gritty and gripping novel of suspense from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.
- 2022
'Fast paced, twisty and unpredictable. I couldn't put this book down, I devoured it in one sitting and it kept me guessing right until the end.' - NetGalley Reviewer, The chase is on in this utterly suspenseful and unputdownable mystery from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.
- 2022
'What a scorcher of a thriller! I was sucked in from the very first page and I couldn't put it down!' - NetGalley Reviewer, An unsolved mystery ignites a deadly game of chess in this scorching thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.
- 2021
Forensic psychologist and single mother Ann Bailey has joined forces with Montana Highway Patrol officer Bryce McCabe. An expert in untangling the motives of depraved minds, Ann is tasked to help solve the mystery of two murdered women doused with gasoline and set aflame. The deeper Ann and Bryce's investigation goes, the nearer they get to each other and to danger. After another murder hits close to home, Ann fears a clue is hidden in her own past. Only one thing terrifies her more than the reveal of a long-held secret. It's that the secret itself has put Ann into a killer's line of fire.
- 2021
Don't Look Now
- 367 pages
- 13 hours of reading
A homicide detective in the dark. A serial killer on the loose. Both have their obsessions in a nerve-twisting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton. Austin homicide detective Jordan Poe is hunting a serial killer she fears is the same man who assaulted her sister, Avery, two years ago. The details line up: the victims are the same age, same type, dead by the same grim MO. Luckily Avery survived. But the terrible memories linger, making Jordan more determined than ever to stop this monster in his tracks. Texas Ranger Carter Spencer isn't one to poach on a detective's territory. Yet no matter how resentful a capable lone wolf like Jordan is, when she is attacked at a third crime scene and suffers a trauma that leaves her with limited vision, it's up to Carter to help Jordan navigate a world she no longer recognizes. He needs her instinct, her experience, and her fearless resolve to crack this case. A case that's about to get even darker. A stranger is watching. He's closing in on his ultimate prey. And no one but the killer can see what's coming.
- 2020
After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute. While working the street, she narrowly avoids becoming a serial killer’s latest victim; as much as it pains her to admit, she needs backup.Enter lone wolf FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey. Stonewalled by a lack of leads, he and Melina investigate a scene where a little girl has been found abandoned in a crashed vehicle. They open the trunk to reveal a horror show and quickly realize they’re dealing with two serial killers with very different MOs. The whole situation brings back memories for Melina—why does this particular case feel so connected to her painful past?Before time runs out, Melina must catch not one but two serial killers, both ready to claim another victim—and both with their sights set on her.
- 2020
FLUFFY is a toughie, Mandee is handee, Toulouse is on the loose and Merlot is on the go! These are just some of the things Mary Lou’s cats get into and up to in her book for new and beginning readers. I decided to write this book many, many years ago. I thought about it a long time. Finally, after being retired a while, I decided to “make it so”.It contains stories about four of my cats. Three have passed away and Merlot Henry Lawrence is still with Mary Lou. He will turn 14 in October. Fluffy was a Maine Coon and lived 21 years. Mandee was a beautiful calico cat. She had diabetes and lived to 13. Toulouse Thomas Lawrence Roy had kidney problems and died earlier this year. Toulouse and Merlot are brothers and are Ragdoll cats.While I worked in the field of Medical Libraries and Computer Science, my heart has always been in working with very young children. This was my impetuous in writing a children’s book. I hope you enjoy reading it to and with your children, grandchildren or even among cat lovers. I have always believed that READING is FUNdamental!
- 2020
Fire can destroy the past. It can also uncover secrets in this novel of searing suspense by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton. Ten years ago as an undergrad, Joan Mason escaped an arsonist's fire. Shaken, she fled the small collegiate Montana town, leaving behind friends and not looking back. Now a Philadelphia homicide detective, Joan's trying to put her traumas to rest. It's not easy. Elijah Weston, the classmate who torched her house, is out of prison and returning to Missoula. Gut instinct tells Joan he'll strike again. To stop him, she must return to the past as well. To face not only the man she fears but Detective Gideon Bailey, too. The man she loved and left behind. When a local woman dies tragically in another fire, it can't be a coincidence. Can it be Elijah? He has a solid alibi for the night of the blaze. Reunited by the tragedy, Joan and Gideon have their doubts. So does Gideon's sister, Ann--Joan's old college roommate. The investigation draws Joan and Gideon together, but it also sends them down a dangerous path--into a troubling history that Joan, Elijah, and Ann all share. As more lives go up in flames in Missoula, this town's secrets are just beginning to rise from the ashes.
