The Burden of Hate

An Annie Collins Mystery, Book 3

By: Helen Starbuck

Narrated by: Suzanne T. Fortin

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Revenge. Hate. Fear. Not exactly traditional wedding gifts. But when convicted killer Ian Patterson escapes from prison, operating room Nurse Annie Collins and fiancé Assistant District Attorney Angel Cisneros are forced to face these realities head-on. The wedding plans are in motion with Angel’s mother laser-focused on micromanaging her firstborn’s wedding into the event of the century. But when events begin to unravel, including the mysterious disappearance of the priest, questions and fears begin to rise.

Where is Ian Patterson? Will his quest for revenge toward the two people responsible for sending him to prison - Annie Collins and Angel Cisneros - bring them face-to-face to settle this once and for all?

In this suspenseful continuation of Annie and Angel’s saga, everything will come into question. When it comes to wedding vows and murder, how far would you go for someone you love?

©2020 Helen Starbuck (P)2020 Helen Starbuck

An excellent and thrilling story!!

Okay, so sometimes the third book in a series starts to become a bit repetitive or boring for me, and my excitement wanes…THIS BOOK THOUGH, only got better! The third book in the Annie Collins mystery series was just amazing!

The action starts off so fast, we’re immediately thrown into a wedding in upheaval and an escaped convict determined to ruin Annie and Angel. It was an exciting, thrilling story that I couldn’t put down!

I really think that it is best if you start this series from the beginning. There’s a lot of history between characters and villains that would be a bit confusing for a reader to understand without reading book 1 and 2.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator has again done a wonderful job. She has a great voice that is easy to listen to, and she’s got this great energy that makes you feel the excitement and suspense as the story progresses!

This was a great third book in this series! I enjoyed the character development and the thrilling twists the story took me on!

I was provided a gifted audio copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

The Burden of Hate

I have had the pleasure of previously reading the two books from the Annie Collins Mystery series by Helen Starbuck, The Mad Hatter’s Son and No Pity In Death. So, I was excited to have the opportunity to listen to the audio version the next and newest installment, The Burden of Hate. Even though this is part of a series, I believe it can be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed catching up with Annie Collins and seeing where she is at now. She is such an entertaining and fun character to spend a few hours with. There is mystery and suspense that had some twists and turns that I did not see coming.

Like the first two books in the series, The Burden of Hate, is narrated by the talented Suzanne T Fortin. Her performance is superb and her adaptation is exactly how the story should be read. I was captivated with this version throughout and was able to hear the whole book in one day.

The Burden of Hate is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading books that are well written mysteries. I am hoping there will be more books from the Annie Collins Mystery series releasing in the future. I would most definitely be interested in reading them. I have become quite the Annie fan.

I received the audio version of The Burden of Hate from the publisher. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Fast pace

This is my first book that I’ve read or listened from the author. I didn’t read the first two books and I was able to enjoy this audiobook without having to go back and listen to the first two books. The author did a great job of bringing the listener up to speed in regards to what happened in the previous books. I found the main character enjoyable and I felt for her. The narrator did well. If you don’t pay close attention it’s easy to get lost when she uses her female and male voice. Not a lot of distinction between the two so I had to pay close attention. Other than that she did a fabulous job telling the story. I would recommend this audiobook to those that enjoy listening to mystery.
I received a free copy of this title in exchange for my unbiased/honest review.

Another Annie Collins drama/mystery

I chose to listen to this audiobook after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Burden of Hate can be read as a standalone but it would be better after reading Mad Hatter’s Son and No Pity in Death.

Annie and and Angel are getting married! Angel’s mom makes sure that it’s a beautiful wedding, but sometimes you can’t plan everything.

The main focus of Burden of Hate is how Annie and Angel deal with Ian breaking out of prison. He’s back, and he’s making clear that he wants revenge. The police are trying to find him, but he’s good at being invisible. Even if he can’t get close enough to kill Annie or Angel, he’s causing a lot of stress in their marriage.

Once again, Annie ends up involved in investigating a murder. This time, the priest who was supposed to marry them was found murdered. She doesn’t plan on investigating it, but her mother-in-law knows the family and promises that Annie will look into it. Annie does come up with some clues for the police.

Annie continues to grow. She’s able to keep her temper under control most of the time, but there were a couple of times she overreacted. Angel doesn’t handle being forced to stay home well. It’s a side of him that I haven’t seen before, and it’s not pretty. It makes him more human, though, rather than the perfect boyfriend he was in the previous book.

I enjoy Helen Starbuck’s writing. It flows well. The narrator, Suzanne T. Fortin, did a fabulous job. Her timing is spot on and vocal expression helps tell the story.

I liked all three of the books in this series that I’ve read so far. I would prefer more focus on the mystery and a little less on the drama, but that’s a personal preference, and I’m sure there are readers who disagree. I enjoyed the ending of Burden of Hate, and I hope there are more Annie Collins stories to come.

Wonderful characters

Love Annie, Angel, and Frost. The plot pulls you along right to the dramatic end. Can’t wait for book 4