Dying Scream
Mary Burton
Language: English
Pages: 394
ISBN: 1420129082
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
The killing just won't stop as a ruthless psychopath revisits his greatest obsession--but this time, a Richmond, Virginia homicide detective is determined to stop him in his bloody tracks. . .
An aspiring artist. A high-school senior. A stripper. Three missing women with only one thing in common--wealthy Craig Thornton knew them all. For that, they paid the ultimate price.
When Craig's widow, Adrianna, begins to receive cards and flowers from her late husband, she assumes it's someone's cruel joke. Then grisly remains are found on the Thornton estate. Detective Gage Hudson believes the bodies are linked to Craig. But the biggest shocks are yet to come. A psychopath has resumed his work, each death a prelude to his most cherished target. The only way to stop him is to uncover a family's dark past--and a twisted love someone will kill for, again and again. . .
"A twisted tale. . .I couldn't put it down!" --Lisa Jackson
Praise for the novels of Mary Burton
"Will have readers sleeping with the lights on." --Publishers Weekly on Before She Dies (starred review)
"Terrifying. . .this chilling thriller is an engrossing story." --Library Journal on Merciless
"Stieg Larsson fans will find a lot to like in Burton's taut, well-paced novel." --Publishers Weekly on Senseless
house into the kitchen. On a butcher-block countertop there was a crystal cake stand filled with cookies. ‘So did you buy that to impress the buyers or did you bake them?’ Laughing, she dropped her shoes and purse in an overstuffed chair by a dining table. ‘They’re real. I bake.’ ‘I would have taken a bet against that one any day.’ She moved behind the center island and clicked on a preset coffeepot. Immediately it started to gurgle. ‘I bake when I can’t sleep.’ He glanced at the pile of
New York client, Pauline Collins, and told her she’d not be able to make their appointment. She’d spent the better part of the next half hour convincing the woman that the colors that she’d chosen would be perfect. She moved through the house flipping on lights as she made her way to the kitchen. A gray slate floor and buttery yellow walls accentuated honey maple cabinets, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances. In the center of the room was an island and above it a pot rack filled
anniversary card, and the unlocked front door, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was another anonymous cruelty. That had to be the explanation. She glanced at the kitchen counter and searched for a business card that signaled a visit from her realtor. It was there. By the stove. She grabbed the kitchen phone and dialed. Voicemail picked up immediately. ‘Catherine, this is Adrianna. Just checking to see if you showed the house today? You left the house unlocked. Please be more careful.
the rest of us?’ ‘The rest of us?’ ‘The rest of the world that doesn’t have a two hundred plus IQ?’ ‘Do you only talk to forensic people? Is that all you like to discuss?’ ‘No.’ ‘I’m not just interested in quantum physics and autopsies.’ She shrugged. ‘I just think you’d get bored with someone who wasn’t as smart as you.’ He looked up. ‘What brought this up?’ She scraped a layer of dirt off the earth. ‘I dated a guy back in California. He was kind of a mentor. So, so smart. I thought we’d
retreat down the hallway to her bedroom. Painted a pale blue, the room was her sanctuary. A two-hundred-year-old four-poster bed and canopy that had been hers since she was a kid dominated the center. The sleek white comforter and dozen or so eyelet pillows gave the antique an updated, clean feel suited for a woman, not a girl. Sleek bedside tables complemented the bed, sheer curtains pooled on the floor and a painting by a local artist hung over the bed. Fresh daisies filled a vase on her