Tennessee Bureau of Investigations agent Melina Shepard is just helping out a friend when she has a narrow escape from a serial killer. FBI Agent Jerrod Ramsey has been following the trail of that same serial killer for quite a while and hopes the Melina's information will be the tipping point to catching the guy.

The two of them are called to a scene which brings back a lot of Melina's past. A little girl has been found abandoned in a wrecked car. When they open the trunk, they find a pickle jar filled with severed ring fingers. Somehow, they have managed to cross paths with two different serial killers, but it seems Melina is a focus for both of them.

Melina was abandoned on the side of a dirt road when she was five. She was found and adopted by a cop and a schoolteacher. She's had a good life with her adoptive parents but hasn't been able to find out much about her past. She's had her DNA sampled but is reluctant to go further.

But it seems that her past has come to her and now she needs to unravel all of the things that happened to her in order to keep it from happening to another little girl. Meanwhile, another serial killer is determined to track her down and finish the "date" he had planned for her.

The story was exciting and fast-paced. The narration was well-done and enhanced the mystery and suspense building throughout the story. ( )

Tenn. Bureau of Investigation, Agent Melina Shepard, goes undercover to catch a serial killer. She needs help and gets it from FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey. Meanwhile, another case develops involving another serial killer. For Melina, this case brings up memories and has a surprising ending. This is a page turner. ( )

3.5 Stars out of 5.

Third in the Criminal Profiler Series, but the first I’ve read by this author. Started a little slow for me but once it picked up, I flew thru it. Writing style was easy, but for some reason I had a hard time time wrapping my head around following two serial killers...kept trying to make them one in the same.

Melina Shepard is a strong female protagonist with one heck of a backstory. She goes undercover, without approval, and narrowly misses becoming a serial killers next victim. Enter Jerrod Ramsey, FBI, who evidentially has been following one of the killers, and comes in to assist. My mind had a tendency to wander off and on thru this story. Not sure if it was due to the flip flop of killers. I would have preferred one strong storyline instead of the two. Melina’s backstory was interesting and heartfelt. The romance felt rushed and thrown in. Could have used more of the tension and slower follow thru.

One a whole, enjoyable reading if you are into crime dramas. Fast paced, good character development, unique storyline.

Thanks to Ms. Burton, Montlake Romance and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone. ( )

Never Look Back by Mary Burton
Criminal Profiler #3

A van stops, a man beckons a woman on the street to his van to procure a “date”, the woman is leery and then…well…then this book grabbed my attention in a way that I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. This story is intense, gritty and dark and yet filled with a bit of hope and potential long-term romance for a couple of people in the story.

What I liked:
* Melina Shepard – TBI agent that is tough as nails, smart, caring and a survivor.
* Jerrod Ramsay – FBI agent that comes in to assist in catching a serial killer that Melina is searching for, too.
* Elena – a child that Melina sees a lot of herself in
* The dual serial killer threads running through the book
* The police procedural aspects for finding the killers
* The backstory of Melina
* The relationship that develops between Melina and Jerrod
* Melina’s parents – they warmed my soul
* That my mind was left to imagine the horrors perpetrated by the killers rather than having them spelled out
* The supporting characters and the neighbor’s cat
* That the baddies were dealt with by the end of the book

What I did not like:
* Bonnie – an amoral con woman that put herself first and destroyed more than one person in the process
* The serial killers – even though one I *might* have felt a bit sorry for for a second or two.
* Having to say goodbye to the characters that I grew to like and care for in the story

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Without a doubt

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

"Never Look Back" is Book Three in the "Criminal Profilers Series" from master of contemporary romantic suspense, author Mary Burton. An appropriately creepy prologue gives us a chilling look into the mind of a serial killer--and that's just the beginning of this suspenseful race-against-the-clock thriller in which a Tennessee state investigator and an FBI agent must work together to stop a killing spree and solve a mystery. When women who earn their living by walking the streets of Nashville begin to disappear, Reverend Sarah Beckett, who runs "The Mission", a halfway house for prostitutes, calls a friend for help. Melina Shepard, who works for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, doesn't hesitate to go undercover posing as a prostitute while searching for clues to the disappearances. After surviving a too-close call with a serial killer, Melina joins forces with Jerrod Ramsey, and FBI agent who has been chasing this particular killer for years. As the danger around Melina and Jerrod grows, so does the awareness between them. The investigation becomes more complex and more perilous when it becomes clear that there actually two killers at work, and each has Melina in his target sights for his own twisted reasons. Working together as a team, can Jerrod and Melina bring to an end a deadly double reign of terror? They can protect one another's lives, but can they protect their hearts from each other? Mary Burton's suspense thrillers are rich in procedural detail, and "Never Look Back" is entertaining and addictive as the lead characters put their criminal profiler skills to use analyzing those around them--and each other. A highly-recommended series for lovers of top-notch contemporary romantic suspense.

Book Copy Gratis Author ( )