The Dying Game (Wheeler Hardcover) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Beverly Barton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2007 | Series: Wheeler Hardcover

WHEN A SHOCKING SCANDAL EXPOSES SOUTHERN SECRETS...

As the blazing heat of summer gives way to sultry September, a shroud of suspicion settles over Noble's Crossing, a sleepy Alabama town. Nothing is as it seems--and never will be again. Lane Noble Graham stands accused of murdering her ex-husband. And the one man who can help, Johnny Mack Cahill, vowed never to return to the town that scorned him--or the woman whose love he knew he didn't deserve.

...NO ONE IS SAFE FROM COLD-BLOODED MURDER

From the rusted-out trailers on the wrong side of the river to the stately pillared mansions along Magnolia Avenue, everybody has something to hide--but one secret could make Lane and Johnny Mack the next targets of a twisted killer, who's struck once and is bent on striking again...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Close Enough To Kill‘A gripping read’Closer“A good, tense read”Yorkshire Evening Post --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 645 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597225630
• ISBN-13: 978-1597225632
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,121,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An avid reader since childhood, Beverly Barton wrote her first book at the age of nine. Since then, she has gone on to write well over seventy novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Beverly lives in Alabama in the U.S.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More thriller than romance, and a bit gruesome, May 4, 2007

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dying Game (Mass Market Paperback)

The latest victim of the "Beauty Queen Killer," has been discovered, this time alive, and hopes to catch the culprit are raised as the FBI and a special private investigative team race to identify her attacker before she succumbs to her injuries. The BQK has stalked former beauty queens throughout the southeast the last five years in an apparent game of murder, which they discover when the victim manages to tell them that she was worth 20 points due to her red hair. PI Lindsey McAllister has been in on the investigation since the beginning; she was a detective in the case of the first victim, Jennifer Walker. Along the way she managed to fall in with Jennifer's grieving husband, who wants nothing more than to find solace in alcohol and wallow in his misfortune.

When she is summoned by her boss Griffin Powell (who has appeared as a minor character in many of Barton's thrillers) to bring Judd Walker in on the case, Lindsey's checkered and painful history with Judd must be dealt with head on, just as Judd needs to finally reach out for help. But he BQK is not done, in fact, he is escalating as his five year anniversary of death nears.

Though graphic in some parts, particularly the gruesome methods that the killers employ, the story was riveting from cover to cover as the FBI and Powell's detective agency race to unmask and find the motivation of the killers. As always, Griff steals the show and makes for a very charismatic lead. Lindsey and Judd were not as charismatic as her other pairings, but this was more a thriller than a typical romance novel. Barton has cleverly only given small clues to Griff's past, making readers hungry for his story (which won't be out until 2008). One aspect I could have lived without is the ESP and other paranormal activity attributed to Dr. Meng; I hate this overused and trite plot device (and Barton seems to employ it a lot). If you can stomach the cruelty of the BQK, check this one out!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A page-turning thriller, March 27, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dying Game (Mass Market Paperback)

A serial killer is on the loose and his victims are all former beauty queens who are found mutilated and with a single rose placed by or on their body. Lindsay McAllister knows the killer's pattern all too well. A former police officer in Chattanooga, Tennessee (now a private investigator), her first contact with the brutal killer was when the beautiful young wife of attorney Judd Walker went out one evening to sell a house, and lost her life instead.

When the killer strikes again, Lindsay must put aside her feelings about Judd and convince him to leave his ever-deepening grief to help solve the case. The murderer is picking up speed and leaving an ever-increasing number of dead women behind. If Lindsay isn't careful, her idea to solve the murders just might mean she will become a victim herself.

The Dying Game is an interesting twist on the usual serial killer thriller and I didn't see the twist coming. The plot is unique and the characters are to be loved, hated, feared or pitied. At times I felt that the story bogged down in extraneous detail, but overall, this is a novel worth reading.

Armchair Interviews says: If you like thrillers, The Dying Game will keep you turning the pages.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars There's only one reason to read this book!, April 3, 2007

By 

Jules Rosewood - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dying Game (Mass Market Paperback)

Beverly Barton usually delivers, but she lost me with The Dying Game. The lead characters are pathetic, needy, and unlikable. By the end of the book, I didn't care what happened to them. The only reason you should read this book is to get the background set up on Grif and Nic. Now there's a pair I'm looking forward to reading more about. Grif and Nic outshine the lead couple so much so that I found myself skimming parts just to get to Grif and Nic's interactions. Grif is really overbearing, but I have a feeling Nic is going to knock him down a peg or two in the next book in the series. The story line in The Dyine Game will keep you interested but you'll definitely get tired of the lead couple. Guaranteed! Treat this book as a prequel to the "real" story that's coming in Febuary, 2008.