The Shark

The Shark by Mary Burton
Romantic suspense.
Virginia State Trooper Riley Tatum’s past comes back to haunt her. A body is found with playing cards in the pocket and Clay Bowman of Shield Security fears it’s a warning to Riley. Clay believes that Riley was a survivor of a deadly card game and the Shark is not willing to let her escape the destiny he has planned.

Tense and gripping, the story is filled with the investigation to find the killer and reason behind the playing cards. Riley has built her life to protect and serve. She has also mentored and loved a teen and the adoption is pending. Riley will do whatever she has to, even revisiting her past.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

A fast-paced thriller where the protagonist is also a previous victim. This murder mystery was the first I've read by this author, and I will definitely pick up another one in the near future by her. The story is action-packed, there's lots of twists and turns, and the author does a good job of humanizing a disadvantaged and often demonized group of victims. A couple of scenes were predictable, but overall, this novel is a worthy thriller.

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Riley Tatum is a Virginia state trooper now, but twelve years ago she very nearly died at the hands of a serial killer in her childhood home of New Orleans. It was a painful lesson in the dangers of the streets she had fled to when her mother died and her stepfather proved to be a predator, and she still has no idea how she escaped and wound up at a bus stop in Virginia.

Riley is a topnotch investigator who had the chance to be promoted to agent, but turned it down to stay with her search dog, Cooper. She's also in the process of adopting a former runaway, Hannah, and is just a couple of weeks away from the adoption being finalized. The last think she needs, she feels, is her carefully concealed past to come out now, and possibly mess show more up the adoption.

But best-laid plans and all...

She's called to the scene of a dead body, a teenage girl about the age she was when she was kidnapped off the streets of New Orleans. A girl who, as the local sheriff as well as other officers notice, has a fair degree of similarity to her.

Riley claims not to see the resemblance, and sets about investigating the case like any other, but the similarities mount up. At the same time, a man from her somewhat more recent past reappears--the best instructor she had at the police academy, and, very briefly, her lover. Clay Bowman is now working for a private security firm, Shields Security, which is investigating this case for reasons of their own.

Riley's past, Bowman's, the past of the shelter operator, Duke Squires, who rescued Riley from the streets when she arrived in Virginia, all come into play. Lurking behind it all is the serial killer himself, who has kept himself very well hidden until now. Both the characters and the mystery are very well constructed. It's all very well done.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook. show less

I have read all three books but not in chronological order. I started with book two, then book three, and now book one. Yet, by doing so not planned, it did not take away from my reading experience. I liked this series a lot.

Riley is not one to be messed with. In fact, I found that she was tougher through the adversity that she went through that is her past. For example, she left a suspect handcuffed to a tree in the middle of the night alone until the other cops arrived. Regarding, Clay and Riley; they worked well together. Although, the romance was more on the mild side. In case of this story, it worked. The romance was not the star and therefore, it did not distract from the main story between Riley and the Shark and redemption. show more Calling all suspense fans to check out this book. show less

Riley Tatum is the only survivor of an encounter with "The Shark," a poker player who uses women as stakes in his poker games. She has no memory of that time, but when young women are being taken off the streets and killed, their bodies found with playing cards in their pockets, Riley knows that "The Shark" is back. Clay Bowman crossed paths with Riley as her tracking instructor, and she hoped that their one night together would lead to something more, but the time wasn't right as Clay was still dealing with the grief over the death of his wife. Now he is back as a member of Shield Security, helping to investigate the recent murders, and he has no intention of letting Riley slip through his fingers again.

The premise of the serial killer show more in The Shark is interesting and makes for a good set up for this book and makes for a good mystery, however, it isn't very difficult to figure out who the culprits are by the end of the book. Riley and Clay both have lots of baggage, and we learn a lot about their them from their interactions with the other people in their lives. Their romance is kept on the back burner for most of the story, making this less of a romance and more about the suspense. There is enough here to hold the interest of the reader, but the story is a let down by the end. Overall, The Shark, has a good premise but doesn't really live up to expectation. show less

Not bad. Decent storyline. Enough twists to keep me guessing, although fairly obvious towards the end. Romance sucked. All instalove with no development. I liked Riley, she seemed sensible but fierce. Very caring towards the young girls that got caught up on the streets. 3 stars.

I likely won't pick up the rest of Burton's books though. I'm not a fan of ex lover stories. They just irritate me.

Strong police procedural that did not need the romance.