Silent Killer [Paperback]

Beverly Barton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

In A Town Full Of Secrets

To most people, men like Mark Cantrell are fine, upstanding pillars of the community, completely beyond reproach. But their killer knows better. They are sinners of the worst kind, and they must burn on earth before they burn in hell. . .

Trusting The Wrong Person

Eighteen months after her husband's unsolved murder, Cathy Cantrell has returned to her Alabama home, eager to build a new life for herself and her son. But pieces of her past are everywhere--including Jackson Perdue, the town's deputy sheriff. The spate of recent deaths--each victim burned in the same horrifying manner--leave Jack and Cathy in no doubt that a serial killer is at work, one whose rage grows more vicious each day. . .

Can Be Fatal. . .

Now as a twisted killer moves in for a final, brutal act of vengeance, buried crimes are coming to light once more. And this time, justice will be swift, merciless, and as silent as the grave. . .

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Barton (The Murder Game) tangles a pair of reunited high school sweethearts in a fast-paced, intriguing plot. Eighteen months after Catherine Cantrell's husband, a respected minister, was burned to death before her eyes, Cathy is back in her hometown of Dunmore, Ala., struggling to make a new life for herself and her teenage son. Further gruesome deaths among the clergy send police detective Jackson Perdue, Cathy's first love, on a search for a serial killer. Barton cleverly interweaves the family lives and dark secrets of a range of religious leaders while convincingly portraying Jack and Cathy's slowly reviving love. The unwieldy cast of characters can be difficult to keep track of and several plot threads are left irritatingly unresolved, but the balanced and pleasing mix of romance and suspense will keep readers satisfied and looking forward to sequels. (Sept.)
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Review

Praise for Close Enough to Kill and The Dying Game:"Not for the faint of heart! Shocking and terrifying, it will chill you to the bone." Tess Gerritsen, bestselling author of The Bone Garden‘This gripping crime novel … [is] not for the faint-hearted … you’ll be guessing until the very end.’Closer‘Barton cleverly interweaves family lives and dark secrets…the balanced and pleasing mix of romance and suspense will keep readers satisfied and looking forward to sequels.’ Publishers Weekly --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Zebra; First Edition edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420100505
• ISBN-13: 978-1420100501
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense

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

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great new release from Mrs. Barton, August 25, 2009

By 

Cheryl Koch (CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silent Killer (Paperback)

Eighteen months ago, something terrible happened in the town of Dunmore. Catherine Cantrell and her pastor husband Mark were relaxing at home, when the doorbell rings. Mark heads to the door to answer it. Suddenly Cathy hears Mark screaming bloody murder. When Cathy arrives at the door, she finds Mark in the front yard engulfed in flames from head to toe.

Cathy has returned to Dunmore. she wants to put the past behind her and get on with her life with her son, Sean. There are two reasons why Cathy shouldn't have returned...one is named Jackson Perdue and the other is that there is a serial killer on the loose.

Jackson has also returned home to Dunmore. He has been offered a job working for the police department. His first case is stopping a serial killer. One that newspaper reporters have dubbed "Fire and Brimstone Killer", because the killer has taken it upon themselves to dish out God's punishment on clergymen who are anything but innocent.

It has been a little while since I have read a Beverly Barton novel. After reading her latest release Silent Killer, I am a 100% convinced that Mrs. Barton can not write a bad book. What I liked about this book is that even though there was clues given bit by bit of the identity of the killer, I still was comeplety surprised when the killer's identity was finally revealed. I love when this happens. This is hard to do as I am a big thriller fan.

There were some loose ends that involved some of the characters in the story. Luckily Mrs. Barton explained that this is because she has already been working on a new novel that will tie up all these loose ends. I can't wait. The killer may be silent but you don't have to by picking up a copy of this book to read for yourself.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of Barton's best, March 23, 2010

By 

Deborah Verlen "Deborah" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Silent Killer (Paperback)

I love the Powell Agency series and specifically the relationship between Griffin Powell and Nicole Baxter in the The Murder Game! The two have a few scenes in Silent Killer, but the book itself was a bit of a disappointment.

The story revolves around a mystery that has someone killing ministers by setting them afire. Cathy Cantrell is the wife of one of the first victims. After her husband Mark dies, Cathy ends up in a mental institution and her fifteen year old son goes to live with her in-laws. Now out and much stronger than she was before, Cathy comes home to claim her life and to get her son back from her husband's parents. Jackson Perdue is now a deputy sheriff is assigned the cold cases and together Cathy and Jack are thrown into a religious maelstrom of vengeance and religious fervor to find Mark's killer.

This book was too religious for me. Barton generally delivers a good mystery and this one fell flat. I guess the killer almost immediately and then had to endure the religious dogma to get to the end. There were a few loose ends also. For instance Cathy's husband Mark was killed because the killer saw him with another woman. Another minister is murdered because the killer believes he is a pedophile. Yet it is unclear whether either of these "reasons" were true.

This is definitely not one of Barton's best!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars exciting action packed romantic suspense, September 6, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silent Killer (Paperback)

Eighteen months ago, Catherine Cantrell observed in horror her well respected spouse Mark die in an inferno on their front porch. Horrified by the arson that killed her spouse, Cathy fled to Birmingham leaving their teenage son Seth with in-laws. Now with the help of her BFF Lorie Hammonds, she returns to her hometown of Dunmore, Alabama to raise Seth; though she knows she will never forget what she saw or heard. The case remains unsolved.

However, more clergy are murdered in Dunmore that local police detective Jackson Perdue assumes is tied somehow to Cathy. As his former lover back in high school and knowing he still loves her, he rejects the circumstantial evidence that Catherine is the avenging serial killer as the Cantrell family implies.

This is an exciting action packed romantic suspense that is at its best when Catherine and Jackson share the stage with no one except a corpse even though the underlying premise focuses on the families of religious leaders who try to keep secrets from being revealed. The subplot of Jack and Cathy rekindling their love is done well as he struggles with his heart saying she is innocent, but his upper head and the townsfolk think otherwise. SILENT KILLER is a strong tale that contains too many subplots and townsfolk detracting from the super main theme of an enjoyable regional police procedural romance.

Harriet Klausner