Determined to make a new life for herself, Lorie Hammonds
returns to her hometown of Dunmore with a somewhat
tarnished reputation. She's co-owner of Treasures of the
Past with her best friend and manages to keep a low
profile. When the first threatening letter arrives in her
mail, she puts it down to a crank and gets rid of it. When
the second arrives with the same message, promising that
she will soon be dead by midnight, Lorie takes the threat a
bit more seriously. Unwilling to go to the local sheriff,
former love Mike Birkett, Lorie takes the letter to Powell
Private Security Investigation Agency. Powell agent Maleah
Perdue and former FBI profiler Derek Lawrence take the
threat seriously and advise involving the local police.
Mike Birkett has no desire to get involved with Lorie
Hammonds again. The widower has enough on his plate raising
his two young children. Lorie is a part of his past he'd
prefer to forget, especially when being around her
reawakens old feelings that have never gone away. When the
Powell investigators uncover more victims, all who've
received the same threatening letter as Lorie, all who have
a common moment in their pasts with Lorie, Mike takes the
threat against her life seriously and dedicates himself to
keeping her safe.
DEAD BY MIDNIGHT is a tautly written thriller by Beverly
Barton. Neatly weaving multiple character arcs into one
beautifully plotted story is a skill Ms. Barton executes
brilliantly, keeping readers interest in old characters
while focusing on the primary hero and heroine and whetting
our appetites for the next story. Mike Birkett and Lorie
Hammonds are reluctant to grab their second chance at love,
but circumstances force them together. They will have to
defeat a killer to grab their chance at happiness. Maleah
and Derek's sparring as they are repeatedly thrown together
provide some lighter moments in this character-driven
thriller. There was one time when I felt the reader was
given too much information, taking away a potential twist
to the end, but overall DEAD BY MIDNIGHT is an entertaining
adventure.
The last sounds
Dean Wilson hears are a clock striking twelve and a killer's
taunting words. And his death is just the first. One by one,
victims are stalked and shot at close range. Only the killer
knows their sins, and who will be the next to die at
midnight…
And In Life…
In the
ten years since her Hollywood career imploded, Lorie
Hammonds has built a good life in her Alabama hometown. When
the first death threat arrives, she assumes it's a joke.
Then she gets a second note. Sheriff Mike Birkett, her
high-school sweetheart, has avoided Lorie since she returned
to Dunmore, but when investigators uncover her connection to
a string of recent murders, he's drawn into a case that's
terrifyingly personal.
Timing Is
Everything
With every murder, the killer
edges closer. Soon Lorie's will be the last name left on his
list. Her only hope is to unearth a deadly secret-before the
clock runs out for good…
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