The Fifth Victim [Paperback]

Beverly Barton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2011

In Cherokee Pointe, Tennessee, deep in the Smoky Mountains, a victim lies sacrificed on a makeshift altar -- the gruesome work of a killer who has evaded the authorities in state after state. FBI agent Dallas Sloan knows the scene all too well -- just as he knows the killings won't stop until there are four more bodies.

Genny Madoc's "sixth sense" has brought many of Cherokee Pointe's residents to her isolated log cabin, looking for help. But now it's Genny who needs help from the disturbing visions she sees -- images that are getting stronger and more violent day by day.

Thrown together by necessity, drawn to each other by desire, Dallas and Genny must band together, searching the darkest heart of a town's hidden secrets before a twisted killer can complete a sinister plan that will make one of them the fifth victim.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unlike Barton's family-centered romantic intrigues (What She Doesn't Know, etc.), this visceral tale fits firmly in the thriller genre, but shades of romance and the paranormal keep it from being just a slasher story. Set in the heart of the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, the novel opens as a killer sacrifices an innocent woman and drinks her blood to gain strength. He performs these deadly rituals in sets of five before moving on to repeat the process elsewhere. When FBI agent Dallas Sloan hears of the first sacrificial murder in Cherokee Pointe, he takes a leave of absence to investigate and hopefully avenge the death of his niece, who was killed by the same murderer. Genny Madoc, a half-Cherokee with physic abilities, foresees Dallas's approach to the town, and she immediately senses that he's her soul mate. What she doesn't know is that her "sixth sense" makes her the madman's fifth target. As Genny and Dallas join forces, Barton turns her narrative lens on the community and its peculiar inhabitants, transforming this thriller into an insightful exploration of a small town. Scenes of explicit sex and violence can be jarring, but the tension and foreboding twisted throughout provide ample incentive for readers to reach the novel's chilling yet far-fetched conclusion.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In Barton's latest chilling romantic thriller, Genny has visions that leave her drained and helpless, but when she sees a young woman being sacrificed on an altar she is able to tell her cousin, the sheriff, exactly where to find her. The similarity between this murder and an earlier series of killings brings F.B.I. agent Lucas Sloan, who is searching for the murderer of his niece, to town. Lucas doesn't believe in paranormal powers, but finds himself falling head over heels in love with Genny. Then an F.B.I. profiler informs them that the killer has been killing in series of five; the first four victims are picked at random, but the fifth is always a woman with paranormal abilities. Barton's graphic descriptions of murder and sex are gritty and not for the faint of heart, but they do work well within the context of the crimes, and her characters are so well drawn and so realistic that readers will be thrilled to know they'll be back in at least two more installments. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821781642
• ISBN-13: 978-0821781647
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,495,975 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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helps to be a fan of paranormal, March 9, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: The Fifth Victim (Paperback)

When a ritualistic killing similar to his niece's murder happens in a small Tennessee town, FBI agent Dallas Sloan travels to investigate and falls for the woman who "saw" the gruesome murder. He has done a lot of research on the killings - so far 20 victims have been found - five in each of four different cities, with the fifth killing being more sadistic. Genny Madoc is Cherokee Pointe's town oddity. She inherited the "sight" from her grandmother, enabling her to see the crimes while they are in progress, and occasionally see into the killer or victim's minds. While Dallas does not believe in this hocus pocus, he cannot deny that Genny's visions have elicited results and additional clues. Working with her cousin, Jacob, the town sheriff, Dallas discovers that there is indeed a link to the fifth victims, and that Genny may be on the killer's hit list.

The murders are sadistic and chilling, and nothing is left to the imagination. There are many potential suspects on the list - it is up to Dallas to identify the culprit and save the woman he loves. I thought that the police relied too much on Genny's visions to solve the crime - made them a little inept. And since I am not a fan of paranormal stories, it was hard to suspend belief at times. But Barton is a first rate storyteller.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start!, August 25, 2008

By 

Colleen Laughlin (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fifth Victim (Zebra Romantic Suspense) (Paperback)

You have to have a strong stomach for this one. This serial killer is just seriously insane. I thought I was going to lose my lunch reading some of the things this killer does. Very suspenseful! Great love story too between Dallas & Genny. Whether you belive in the paranormal or not, if you can keep an open mind, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Relies too much on the paranormal, April 7, 2003

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Fifth Victim (Paperback)

If you like the paranormal, and I don't, then you might enjoy this story. FBI agent Dallas Stone arrives in Cherokee Pointe to investigate the gruesome sacrificial murder of a young woman. This murder has similarities to the unsolved serial murder of his niece two years ago. Genny Madoc lives a simple life in Cherokee Pointe but her psychic abilities allow her to 'see' the murder and draw her into this investigation. Dallas and Genny are strongly attracted to eachother as they search for a killer before he gets his fifth victim.

Although pleasantly presented this police procedural relies too heavily on the paranormal findings in decifering the case and finding the murderer.