Near You

By: Mary Burton

Narrated by: Melissa Moran

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

In a scorching novel of obsession and revenge, New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton ignites fear in the heart of a woman targeted by a killer who knows her secrets.

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. 

It’s not hard for Ann to be reminded of the charismatic Elijah Weston, who served a decade in prison for arson - a crime that nearly cost Ann her life. Elijah may have been exonerated, but the connection to these rage killings is impossible for Ann to ignore. One of the victims has been identified as an obsessed Elijah groupie. Elijah has obsessions, too. Ever since Ann returned to town, he can’t take his eyes off her. And as a mother with a secret, she’s the perfect victim for an infatuated psychopath.

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 her long-held secret. It’s that the secret itself has put Ann into a killer’s line of fire.

©2021 by Mary Burton. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Too predictable and no thrills

I rarely write reviews, but I was so disappointed in this book for a number of reasons.

1. The narrator sounds very robotic and is difficult to listen to.
2. The phrase "the boy" is used excessively and once you notice it, it becomes very annoying. This became my number one pet peeve throughout the book.
3. The author's description of the heroine was disappointing. She was introduced with descriptors that focused on her body rather than her intelligence. I knew from that moment that there would be some sort of love scene. The other characters were also clichés.
4. This was definitely a romance disguised as a thriller. It focused on the heroine's relationships with men, the victims' relationships to men, and there were sexual scenes almost every other chapter. Definitely not the genre I thought I was getting with this novel.
5. Very predictable - there were no twists and I figured out the killer by the first few chapters.

Overall, I was very disappointed in the story, the characters, and the narration. This has the biggest let down out of all of my Audible purchases. If you're looking for a thriller, skip this.

Gory story

I have tried twice to listen to this book but find the detailed description of a knife murder from the killers perspective too gory for me. I can’t get past the first chapter.

Better than the first one!

Yeah, I liked this book so much better than the first one. Things really get shaken up in Montana with this sequel.

Good book and narration..

What a good story. Ann and Bryce were a great couple and it was a constant wonder who killed all those women and removed their faces. Elijah was a curiosity as to whether he was involved but you'll have to read this if you want to find out for sure.

No sex, just a few kisses and that was it. The F-bomb was used 2 times.

As for the narration: Melissa Moran was alright. She still needs to practice her male voices more. They were still a little too feminine but not horrible. She's getting better.

Finished in a day

Mary Burton is an amazing author! Every one of her books is always good. Melissa Moran is a good narrator too.

Narration distracting and story predictable

It was obvious very early on who the killer was, so there wasn’t much mystery to it. The main issue for me was the narrator — I’m not sure how to describe it, but her reading was kind of robotic and/or overly formal. I’m not sure if that’s was the way she read or the book itself, but both could have benefited from a contraction every now and then.

Pretty Good...

Warning... Moderate Spoiler at the end of the review.
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I wish Mary's books would be marked if they are part of a series. It is in some places but not others so I read book 2 first

3.5 Stars for me!

My rating range of this story... 2.75-4.25 Stars
If significant, why? The h puts herself at risk multiple times, even though she is a single mom and daddy is kind of a psychopath.

Main Character Ratings...
H = 6/10
h = 4/10

Was cheating involved? No
Any major triggers to be aware of?

Scenes with heat... A couple
What point does it start? Don't remember.
How much of the story? 2%
Anything beyond M/F? No
If yes, explained

Heat Rating... 3/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above

Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No

The back story... See the blurb.

The Romance... The H is enamored by the h and they build a relationship during the investigation and fall in love quickly.

The drama explosion...
Did it feel real or contrived? Contrived
Was it OTT? Yes
Separation involved? Not really
Was it resolved properly or rushed? A bit rushed

Final Notes... This story left a lot of loose ends and the psycho ex-husband is given a pass for all that he illegally did.


HEA or HFN? HFN

Disgusting

I am shocked at this book!
Teaches devious people what to accomplish. Won’t finish 2 nd chapter!

Riveting story!

Ann has a secret...someone knows that secret and is intent on getting revenge. Forensic pathologist, Ann Bailey, is good at her job and she is intent on providing that Elijah Weston is guilty for the recent murders of two women...who had been doused in gasoline and burned. But what if the real killer is closer than she thinks? Can Ann protect her sin from a killer who knows her secret? Riveting story and worth the read/listen.

Good listen

This was a good listen. Narration was okay. Melissa Moran isn't the best but I have definitely heard worse.

What it lacked in narration I think it made up for in story. I guessed who it was about half way in. but it still held my attention.

It would have been nice to know beforehand that there was a previous book. But I wasn't completely lost.