Merciless by Mary Burton

Mary Burton ratchets up the suspense yet again in MERCILESS in which Detective Malcolm Kier and Angie Carlson come up against a brutal, brilliant psychopath who leaves behind the gleaming white and perfectly preserved bones of his victims. Kier—and most of Alexandria law enforcement—believes the murderer is Dr. James Dixon. They blame Angie Carlson for setting him free when she defended him at an earlier murder trial during which he was acquitted.

Today, Angie’s not at all sure of Dixon’s innocence and is becoming more and more convinced that the police may be right—she helped let loose a killer. As lead after lead dead-ends a young man claiming to be Eva Rayburn’s half-brother shows up, bringing with him their dead father’s diary. Suddenly, two things are shockingly clear—the killer has always intended to make Angie his ultimate victim, and his madness has roots going back to the Sorority House Murder over a decade ago.

In SENSELESS and MERCILESS, Mary Burton once again brings readers stories enhanced by inexplicable crimes, complex relationships and the strong sense of place they’ve come to expect and applaud, even as they are kept guessing as to whom among her suspects may be guilty and why.

TWO BOOKS…TWO MONTHS…TWO KILLERS…ONE CITY

FIRST YOU BEG. THEN YOU DIE.

A Central Virginia native whose family’s Richmond roots run as deep as the nation’s, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary Burton has also lived in Alexandria the setting of her latest suspense novels SENSELESS (1/11) and MERCILESS (2/11).

Mary’s commitment to realism and accuracy in her writing has led to eye-opening interviews with law enforcement, to forensic seminars and to the firing range. She is a graduate of the Henrico County Citizen’s Police Academy and the Richmond FBI Citizen’s Academy, and has participated in Sisters in Crime’s Forensic University program. Recently, she attended the Writer’s Police Academy in Jamestown, NC, where she attended seminars on autopsies, undercover work and the motives behind murder. Mary is an avid baker and an accomplished cook. She practices yoga, enjoys her miniature dachshunds Buddy and Bella, volunteers at the University of Richmond’s Culinary Arts Program, attends professional conferences, and visits with readers and booksellers.