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What She Saw
An investigative reporter returns to the scene of a decades-old crime to put her own unsettled past to rest in this chilling suspense novel by
New York Times
bestselling author Mary Burton.
Cold case reporter Sloane Grayson has come to a small mountain town in Virginia to solve a mystery.
Thirty years ago, her mother was one of four women who vanished during a music festival. The event’s promoter was eventually convicted of their murders, and Sheriff CJ Taggart closed the case. But for Sloane, it’s still open. Because the bodies were never found.
With Taggart now long dead, Sloane must make do with questioning the victims’ families and the few remaining witnesses once again. If they’re still willing to dredge up memories of a crime that made their town notorious. As for the incarcerated killer, he has always maintained his innocence. Sloane isn’t entirely convinced he’s lying.
Somewhere nearby, unmarked graves conceal the bones and secrets of the dead. Sloane will do anything to find them and unearth the truth, even if that means playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with someone determined to stop her…
Cold case reporter Sloane Grayson has come to a small mountain town in Virginia to solve a mystery.
Thirty years ago, her mother was one of four women who vanished during a music festival. The event’s promoter was eventually convicted of their murders, and Sheriff CJ Taggart closed the case. But for Sloane, it’s still open. Because the bodies were never found.
With Taggart now long dead, Sloane must make do with questioning the victims’ families and the few remaining witnesses once again. If they’re still willing to dredge up memories of a crime that made their town notorious. As for the incarcerated killer, he has always maintained his innocence. Sloane isn’t entirely convinced he’s lying.
Somewhere nearby, unmarked graves conceal the bones and secrets of the dead. Sloane will do anything to find them and unearth the truth, even if that means playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with someone determined to stop her…
Audible Audio
First published November 1, 2025
About the author
Mary Burton
74 books4,518 followersMary Burton, whose latest novel is THE LIES I TOLD, loves writing suspense, getting to know her characters, keeping up with law enforcement and forensic procedure, morning walks, baking, and tiny dachshunds. She also enjoys hunting down serial killers, which she does in her New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels. Library Journal has compared her work to that of Lisa Jackson and Lisa Gardner, and Fresh Fiction likened her writing to that of James Patterson.
Mary is routinely featured among the top ten writers in Amazon’s Author Rankings for romantic suspense, thriller and mystery. Upon publication, her novels, including NEVER LOOK BACK and BURN YOU TWICE, consistently rank high on the Kindle eBooks Store Bestseller List. Her novels CUT AND RUN and YOU'RE NOT SAFE were nominated for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Romantic Suspense.
A Richmond native, Mary is the author of forty-five published novels and five novellas as Mary Burton and as Mary Ellen Taylor.
A member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Novelists, Inc., and Romance Writers of America, Mary is known for creating multiple suspense stories connected by characters and/or place.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,564 reviews
October 15, 2025
DNF at 30%
How to kill a good premise by Mary Burton. There’s slow and there’s the book equivalent of old man river. LONG winded, extraneous detail and it makes me want to yell JUST GET ON WITH IT. Life’s too short. Onwards and upwards. Hopefully
How to kill a good premise by Mary Burton. There’s slow and there’s the book equivalent of old man river. LONG winded, extraneous detail and it makes me want to yell JUST GET ON WITH IT. Life’s too short. Onwards and upwards. Hopefully
October 1, 2025
Multiple murders happened at a music festival 30 years ago, but the bodies were never found. 30 years later, a true crime writer comes to town to dig up the truth. This book is told in multiple timelines.
I am familiar with the fictional area (based on real surrounding places) where this book was written, so it immediately drew me in. At times it felt a little slow, but other times so much was going on. I liked the dual timelines to piece together what happened. I felt this was well crafted, because I had no idea what really had happened until the end. There were a lot of twists and turns and it was not an easy guess as to who was bad vs who was good.
Even thought this is fictional, I think true crime lovers will love this too based on the way it is written.
Thank you to Amazon First Reads for this free advance copy.
I am familiar with the fictional area (based on real surrounding places) where this book was written, so it immediately drew me in. At times it felt a little slow, but other times so much was going on. I liked the dual timelines to piece together what happened. I felt this was well crafted, because I had no idea what really had happened until the end. There were a lot of twists and turns and it was not an easy guess as to who was bad vs who was good.
Even thought this is fictional, I think true crime lovers will love this too based on the way it is written.
Thank you to Amazon First Reads for this free advance copy.
October 8, 2025
This is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, dual timeline thriller. It has a likable, intelligent female protagonist, a touch of romance, murder, mystery, suspense, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. I especially liked the reference to the movie, "Sole Survivor". Many thanks to Ms. Mary Burton, whose newsletter I subscribe to, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this captivating novel. This is my honest opinion.
October 10, 2025
If you like ponytails, this is the book for you. Literally every female character introduced had her hair in a ponytail, and even the men with long hair had their hair in ponytails too. The author clearly has a thing for ponytails. The story was very slow and repetitive, and the ending seemed like the author just randomly chose someone to be the one behind it all, it didn’t make much sense. Also, spoiler warning but nobody thought to check a nearby mineshaft for 31 years? Really? Okay.
November 6, 2025
6 Star Read
🔍 Bookish Thoughts
This was my first Mary Burton thriller, and it’s safe to say I’ll be reading everything she’s written. I listened to this in one sitting because it was just that good. I loved Sloane and how she views the world, and finding out her mother was one of the missing four immediately locked me in. I really enjoyed that it was a thriller with a small romance subplot.
I liked that we got POVs from both Sloane and Taggart. I usually don’t love dual timelines, but it worked so well here. The ending was solid. The audiobook was excellent, and I really liked the narrator for Sloane’s POV.
🖤 What to Expect
• Cold case mystery
• Small town setting
• Investigative reporter
• Family trauma
• Subtle romance subplot
_ _ _
🎧 Audio Score: 5 stars
🎙️ Narration Style: Multi-narrator (Samara Naeymi, James Anderson Foster, Andrew Eiden, Patrick Lawlor)
📅 Pub Date: November 1, 2025
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.
🔍 Bookish Thoughts
This was my first Mary Burton thriller, and it’s safe to say I’ll be reading everything she’s written. I listened to this in one sitting because it was just that good. I loved Sloane and how she views the world, and finding out her mother was one of the missing four immediately locked me in. I really enjoyed that it was a thriller with a small romance subplot.
I liked that we got POVs from both Sloane and Taggart. I usually don’t love dual timelines, but it worked so well here. The ending was solid. The audiobook was excellent, and I really liked the narrator for Sloane’s POV.
🖤 What to Expect
• Cold case mystery
• Small town setting
• Investigative reporter
• Family trauma
• Subtle romance subplot
_ _ _
🎧 Audio Score: 5 stars
🎙️ Narration Style: Multi-narrator (Samara Naeymi, James Anderson Foster, Andrew Eiden, Patrick Lawlor)
📅 Pub Date: November 1, 2025
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.
October 9, 2025
2.5 stars. Amazon first reads. Disappointing. While the story sounds intriguing the delivery was not. Chapters alternate in time between past and present from 4 characters, 2 of which are the most prominent. The story moved agonizingly slow.The characters not that special or likeable, well except for the dog. There are so many side characters that by the end I realized I should've made a list. The ending wasn't all that climactic.
October 31, 2025
2 stars
I genuinely do not understand the reviews of people saying this was “fast-paced”. This was one of the most gruelingly slow paced books I’ve ever read. There were so many characters, none of them interesting. The main character had the personality of a potato, none. The book dragged on and on and then SUDDENLY, the mystery is miraculously uncovered in the final pages of the book. And just like our main character, Ms. Potato, it ends with no emotion.
Anti-climatic, very slow, and very boring.
Obviously I’m in an irritated mood after reading this as you can tell from the tone of my review 😂.
I genuinely do not understand the reviews of people saying this was “fast-paced”. This was one of the most gruelingly slow paced books I’ve ever read. There were so many characters, none of them interesting. The main character had the personality of a potato, none. The book dragged on and on and then SUDDENLY, the mystery is miraculously uncovered in the final pages of the book. And just like our main character, Ms. Potato, it ends with no emotion.
Anti-climatic, very slow, and very boring.
Obviously I’m in an irritated mood after reading this as you can tell from the tone of my review 😂.
November 10, 2025
I listened to the audiobook for this one and I really liked the narrator. The main character was also very interesting. She was the daughter of a sweet woman murdered far too young and a sociopath who oddly had nothing to do with that murder. She is the perfect blend of them. She doesn’t like bully’s but also doesn’t have the normal range of emotions to hold her back from breaking the rules. She is a writer and is going back to the town her mother died in to try to find the bodies of the four women who went missing and were presumed murdered. Her methods are a bit unorthodox but I enjoyed her investigation, even if I wanted a little more speed and intrigue than I got. Overall this was an enjoyable audiobook and I would read more from this author for sure.
November 7, 2025
What She Saw had all the ingredients for a gripping mystery — a missing mother, small-town secrets, and a journalist digging up old ghosts — but somehow it still managed to feel… flat. The story dragged in parts where it should’ve built tension, and the characters felt like they were reading from a script rather than living through the mystery. Sloane’s investigation had potential, but every time it got interesting, the pacing slowed to a crawl again.
The twists? Predictable. The reveals? Meh. I kept waiting for that “oh damn” moment that never really came. By the end, I just wanted someone — anyone — to tell Sloane what was going on so we could all move on with our lives.
It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not memorable either. If you like slow-burn mysteries with lots of interviews and not much emotional depth, this might work for you. For me, though? Just two stars and a deep sigh.
The twists? Predictable. The reveals? Meh. I kept waiting for that “oh damn” moment that never really came. By the end, I just wanted someone — anyone — to tell Sloane what was going on so we could all move on with our lives.
It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not memorable either. If you like slow-burn mysteries with lots of interviews and not much emotional depth, this might work for you. For me, though? Just two stars and a deep sigh.
November 18, 2025
I need to say that I'm really pissed off, this story is pretty absurd because if a FUCKING STORY needs 98% of it to give you SOMETHING, to leave SOMETHING you can grab and continue reading, you are an absolute asshole for continuing the read. I was one of them, and I don't regret it, because, as always happens in this kind of genre, you want the fucking truth, wasn't it? But, please, in 97% of the book, NOTHING HAPPENS. Please, be a human and give us a fucking bone in the middle of the story. I think the Kindle algorithm is a fucking bastard, because I was trying to escape from these nonsense plots, but I fell again on this annoying path. One girl, with a troubled past, looking for redemption in her life, finds the truth decades later. I'm very fond of this sort of narrative. Kindle, I hate you...
October 12, 2025
A remarkably dull tale of an emotionally detached and amoral crime writer investigating a decades old disappearance of four young women from a local musical festival. The writer conducts many interviews, to little effect, then magically solves the mystery in the last pages. Awkward dialogue and choppy writing make the book feel irritating as well as interminable.
February 26, 2026
I like Mary Burton, who is a really good writer and storyteller. I’ve been a fan of her work for years and have read 13 of her books over the years. So, I was excited when my book club voted to make this the February club read. Once again, Burton did not disappoint.
The book summary basically introduces the primary MC’s Sloan Grayson and Sheriff Taggert. Before Taggert died a few years earlier, he had forwarded his case file to Sloan hoping that she would be successful where he had not, hoping that she could find the bodies. There is also secondary storyline of Sloan and Grant, the grandson of the woman who leased the land for the festival back in 1994. Grant is a former cop who is helping Sloan get an interview with Cohen as well as helping her with any other needs she may have, especially any romantic ones.
The story flips back and forth between 1994 when the women went missing after a local music festival and Sheriff Taggert’s subsequent investigation and case to find the women and 2025 of Sloan’s reinvestigation of the case. There are also some mentions of the trial of the music promoter, Rafe Cohen’s, trial for the murder of the women. Cohen is up for parole again and has always claimed his innocence. He is hoping that after 31yrs and no bodies, that the parole board will be agreeable to a compassionate release now that he is dying of cancer. Like Taggert, Sloan also suspects that Cohen had an accomplice that Cohen is not lying when he is repeatedly asked where the bodies are. Both Taggert and Sloan are certain it is nothing more than a case of plausible deniability – his accomplice never told him what was done with the bodies.
By the halfway point, I have no idea of a killer, but I am suspicious of three people and really leaning more towards one than the other two. It’s in the second half that a major twist is revealed, and while it was a shocker, it didn’t rattle me enough to sway my suspicions. However, by the time that scary and intense ending came around, my suspicions had moved from one of my suspects to one of my other suspicions, which didn’t affect my opinion or rating of the quality of the story.
The character development of Sloan, Grant and a couple of other characters was well done, and the pacing was steady to fast. The storyline was interesting and kept me engaged throughout the story. The writing was classic Burton! I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.2 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review.
The book summary basically introduces the primary MC’s Sloan Grayson and Sheriff Taggert. Before Taggert died a few years earlier, he had forwarded his case file to Sloan hoping that she would be successful where he had not, hoping that she could find the bodies. There is also secondary storyline of Sloan and Grant, the grandson of the woman who leased the land for the festival back in 1994. Grant is a former cop who is helping Sloan get an interview with Cohen as well as helping her with any other needs she may have, especially any romantic ones.
The story flips back and forth between 1994 when the women went missing after a local music festival and Sheriff Taggert’s subsequent investigation and case to find the women and 2025 of Sloan’s reinvestigation of the case. There are also some mentions of the trial of the music promoter, Rafe Cohen’s, trial for the murder of the women. Cohen is up for parole again and has always claimed his innocence. He is hoping that after 31yrs and no bodies, that the parole board will be agreeable to a compassionate release now that he is dying of cancer. Like Taggert, Sloan also suspects that Cohen had an accomplice that Cohen is not lying when he is repeatedly asked where the bodies are. Both Taggert and Sloan are certain it is nothing more than a case of plausible deniability – his accomplice never told him what was done with the bodies.
By the halfway point, I have no idea of a killer, but I am suspicious of three people and really leaning more towards one than the other two. It’s in the second half that a major twist is revealed, and while it was a shocker, it didn’t rattle me enough to sway my suspicions. However, by the time that scary and intense ending came around, my suspicions had moved from one of my suspects to one of my other suspicions, which didn’t affect my opinion or rating of the quality of the story.
The character development of Sloan, Grant and a couple of other characters was well done, and the pacing was steady to fast. The storyline was interesting and kept me engaged throughout the story. The writing was classic Burton! I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.2 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review.
Read
December 24, 2025Dnf at 48%. This book was so boring and was dragging on for me. The premise sounded interesting but as the story progressed nothing happened. Also the story was repetitive and the main character drove me nuts. I couldn’t listen to anymore of this. Sorry if you like this book but this just didn’t work for me. Also side note the way the girls were described by the one cop made me so mad. Rant over.
May 2, 2025
This book was so good! If I had the time I could've read it in one setting but I had to read it over a week span. During the times I had put the book down I was playing detective and guessing all the wrong suspects, which is a pleasure truly, to not figure it out until the author tells you.
I loved our main character Sloane, she's bad ass but doesn't see herself that way, but the passion, the drive, the compassion that is within her to help victims of cold cases shows you that she's an exemplary human. Sloane is looking for the body of her mother, whom she doesn't remember, and the other three victims of the Mountain Music Festival 30 years ago. She meets a hot P.I. who champions her through her investigation and becomes a friend.
While the whole town is against her writing and digging up old trauma and truth she doesn't face an easy go at getting her answers. She sits up shop at the previous sheriff's residence in the middle of the woods and bravely puts each piece of the case back together while obstacles are thrown in her way.
I was thoroughly entertained by this book, I hope to read more of Sloane in the future. I was hooked until the ending and now I wish I had more Mary Burton books to read right now!
You'll keep guessing until the end and then you'll have your socks and shoes blown off. This is a perfect book for thriller lovers!
I loved our main character Sloane, she's bad ass but doesn't see herself that way, but the passion, the drive, the compassion that is within her to help victims of cold cases shows you that she's an exemplary human. Sloane is looking for the body of her mother, whom she doesn't remember, and the other three victims of the Mountain Music Festival 30 years ago. She meets a hot P.I. who champions her through her investigation and becomes a friend.
While the whole town is against her writing and digging up old trauma and truth she doesn't face an easy go at getting her answers. She sits up shop at the previous sheriff's residence in the middle of the woods and bravely puts each piece of the case back together while obstacles are thrown in her way.
I was thoroughly entertained by this book, I hope to read more of Sloane in the future. I was hooked until the ending and now I wish I had more Mary Burton books to read right now!
You'll keep guessing until the end and then you'll have your socks and shoes blown off. This is a perfect book for thriller lovers!
June 6, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The premise for this was interesting, and I was expecting a juicy police procedural type thriller. I usually really like following along with the investigation side of things, but unfortunately I found this book to be more dull than anything else 😬
The author introduced too many characters in the beginning, so it took a little bit of time to mentally unravel everybody. The time jumps were well done but I didn’t enjoy Sloane’s chapters all that much because I actually found her to be quite an unlikeable character. I also didn’t understand why the romantic subplot between her & Grant was included; this felt superfluous to the plot and the couple of light sex scenes were super unnecessary.
Overall, I don’t think that this author is one that I want to look out for.
The premise for this was interesting, and I was expecting a juicy police procedural type thriller. I usually really like following along with the investigation side of things, but unfortunately I found this book to be more dull than anything else 😬
The author introduced too many characters in the beginning, so it took a little bit of time to mentally unravel everybody. The time jumps were well done but I didn’t enjoy Sloane’s chapters all that much because I actually found her to be quite an unlikeable character. I also didn’t understand why the romantic subplot between her & Grant was included; this felt superfluous to the plot and the couple of light sex scenes were super unnecessary.
Overall, I don’t think that this author is one that I want to look out for.
November 6, 2025
The premise was good enough to keep me reading, but in hindsight, I should have DNF'd early on.
This book could easily lose 150-200 pages and not lose anything significant to the story. The protagonist isn't that interesting and tells you time and again how she has no emotions. So if she doesn't feel anything about this story, why should we?
There is a romantic subplot which is pointless and adds nothing except a few awkwardly written sex scenes that felt shoehorned in because the author felt like she had some quota of dirty words she had to hit.
No spoilers but the big "twist" is that a random character is eventually exposed as the perp -- even though there is actually no evidence against them. The protagonist just kind of has a hunch and magically gets this person to confess. Sure. Right. Happens all the time.
Also, the author clearly has never interviewed anyone nor has any understanding of how freelance writers work. Probably not something most readers would care about, but for me as a freelance writer it took me right out of the story.
Finally, there is some SUPER sloppy writing in here. For example, in one scene a woman finishes off her drink leaving an empty glass. Two sentences later, she takes a sip of the same drink from the same glass. During this paragraph, the container she's using also changes form.
The entire book really just felt like the author asked ChatGPT to do a rough outline and then she filled it out a bit.
Avoid.
This book could easily lose 150-200 pages and not lose anything significant to the story. The protagonist isn't that interesting and tells you time and again how she has no emotions. So if she doesn't feel anything about this story, why should we?
There is a romantic subplot which is pointless and adds nothing except a few awkwardly written sex scenes that felt shoehorned in because the author felt like she had some quota of dirty words she had to hit.
No spoilers but the big "twist" is that a random character is eventually exposed as the perp -- even though there is actually no evidence against them. The protagonist just kind of has a hunch and magically gets this person to confess. Sure. Right. Happens all the time.
Also, the author clearly has never interviewed anyone nor has any understanding of how freelance writers work. Probably not something most readers would care about, but for me as a freelance writer it took me right out of the story.
Finally, there is some SUPER sloppy writing in here. For example, in one scene a woman finishes off her drink leaving an empty glass. Two sentences later, she takes a sip of the same drink from the same glass. During this paragraph, the container she's using also changes form.
The entire book really just felt like the author asked ChatGPT to do a rough outline and then she filled it out a bit.
Avoid.
October 12, 2025
Just not a very good story
Really very little to recommend this book. I don’t understand why I even finished it. Characters are pretty much one dimensional and our protagonist does not have really anything to recommend her. Except maybe a serious eating disorder.
Really very little to recommend this book. I don’t understand why I even finished it. Characters are pretty much one dimensional and our protagonist does not have really anything to recommend her. Except maybe a serious eating disorder.
February 14, 2026
Good Mystery!
Any mystery that can keep me guessing all the way until almost the end is what I consider a win. This definitely was a win for me. It has a very intricate plot and featured a main female character that pretty much was close to being a sociopath, if not actually a sociopath. This made for a different sort of read for me to say the least. She writes about true crime and has come to a small town to research her own mother’s murder, along with 3 other women during a 24 hour music festival. It’s been 31 years and the town hasn’t forgotten. There’s a man in jail for the crime but the bodies were never found. He’s up for probation and she’s determined to prove he actually did it or not. I did have a problem with one aspect of the mystery wrap up. It was a bit out there and I didn’t understand how one part happened as it didn’t make sense to me. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I was okay with that. I could even see this as a series, but that’s just me.
Any mystery that can keep me guessing all the way until almost the end is what I consider a win. This definitely was a win for me. It has a very intricate plot and featured a main female character that pretty much was close to being a sociopath, if not actually a sociopath. This made for a different sort of read for me to say the least. She writes about true crime and has come to a small town to research her own mother’s murder, along with 3 other women during a 24 hour music festival. It’s been 31 years and the town hasn’t forgotten. There’s a man in jail for the crime but the bodies were never found. He’s up for probation and she’s determined to prove he actually did it or not. I did have a problem with one aspect of the mystery wrap up. It was a bit out there and I didn’t understand how one part happened as it didn’t make sense to me. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I was okay with that. I could even see this as a series, but that’s just me.
November 11, 2025
Unfortunately I must not have been paying attention the whole time I was reading this because I had to research who the killer was at the end😂. I still don’t really know the person that was the killer?? It’s either this book was TERRIBLE or I really just blacked out for 338 pages
January 31, 2026
this was mid, but kept me wanting to pick it up and keep reading. The ending was bland though.
March 12, 2026
I listened to the audiobook but the story was so slow I considered DNFing and then the ending was just so abrupt. Not my favorite.
January 18, 2026
A good one by Mary Burton.
What She Saw is a well-done crime thriller that delivers solid suspense. An investigative reporter returns to the site of a decades-old crime, determined to finally lay her own unsettled past to rest. The story kept me guessing and fully engaged from start to finish. The use of multiple narrators worked especially well, giving each character a distinct voice and bringing the story to life. I enjoyed this one a lot.
What She Saw is a well-done crime thriller that delivers solid suspense. An investigative reporter returns to the site of a decades-old crime, determined to finally lay her own unsettled past to rest. The story kept me guessing and fully engaged from start to finish. The use of multiple narrators worked especially well, giving each character a distinct voice and bringing the story to life. I enjoyed this one a lot.
January 31, 2026
2.75 ⭐️
I believe this was my first thriller by this author, and I found the writing good and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen.
But…. It really fell short. It was long-winded and if I saw another person be referred to as “hot” I stg…
Meh.
I believe this was my first thriller by this author, and I found the writing good and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen.
But…. It really fell short. It was long-winded and if I saw another person be referred to as “hot” I stg…
Meh.
August 13, 2026
A Cold Case Worth Digging Into
What She Saw was an excellent suspense novel with a cold case that becomes very personal for investigative reporter Sloane Grayson. Thirty years after four women disappeared—including her mother—Sloane returns determined to find out what really happened and, more importantly, where the bodies are.
I especially liked Sloane. She’s strong, intelligent, fearless, and takes no crap off anyone. She stays remarkably cool under pressure and isn’t easily intimidated. Once she decides she wants the truth, she’s going to get it—regardless of whose toes she steps on along the way. My kind of character!
As Sloane digs deeper, the original investigation begins to look far less certain, raising serious questions about whether the man convicted thirty years ago was actually guilty. Or is there another secret - something that no one suspects or has considered?
A very enjoyable combination of cold-case mystery, suspense, and a determined heroine I’d happily read about again. Great Narrator too!
4.5 Stars
What She Saw was an excellent suspense novel with a cold case that becomes very personal for investigative reporter Sloane Grayson. Thirty years after four women disappeared—including her mother—Sloane returns determined to find out what really happened and, more importantly, where the bodies are.
I especially liked Sloane. She’s strong, intelligent, fearless, and takes no crap off anyone. She stays remarkably cool under pressure and isn’t easily intimidated. Once she decides she wants the truth, she’s going to get it—regardless of whose toes she steps on along the way. My kind of character!
As Sloane digs deeper, the original investigation begins to look far less certain, raising serious questions about whether the man convicted thirty years ago was actually guilty. Or is there another secret - something that no one suspects or has considered?
A very enjoyable combination of cold-case mystery, suspense, and a determined heroine I’d happily read about again. Great Narrator too!
4.5 Stars
November 8, 2025
Cold Case mystery
A 31 year old mystery with Live music, small town secrets, writers, family, and closure needed.
This book kept me hooked, it had interesting if a bit unbelievable turns and the reason the main character wants this solved works well. Most of the characters are multi faceted and the style of going back and forth from the past to the present works well.
That being said, I prefer mysteries you have a chance to solve and there really wasn't enough here to figure it out without some hindsight. Also Grant while a good guy, isn't really fleshed out and the relationship with Slone feels flat to me.
Minor issues overall as it was a fun read. First time I have read anything by Mary Burton.
A 31 year old mystery with Live music, small town secrets, writers, family, and closure needed.
This book kept me hooked, it had interesting if a bit unbelievable turns and the reason the main character wants this solved works well. Most of the characters are multi faceted and the style of going back and forth from the past to the present works well.
That being said, I prefer mysteries you have a chance to solve and there really wasn't enough here to figure it out without some hindsight. Also Grant while a good guy, isn't really fleshed out and the relationship with Slone feels flat to me.
Minor issues overall as it was a fun read. First time I have read anything by Mary Burton.
October 24, 2025
DNF at 52%
Boring beyond belief
Boring beyond belief
April 28, 2026
2.75⭐️
This didn’t work for me. I loved the premise and setting but everything else just kind of fell flat. I think there was too much telling and not enough showing.
I did like the ‘past’ chapters especially the hours leading up to the festival and during it where small incidents foreshadowed what happened later. But after that, I don’t think the past chapters were needed. I already had all that info in the present chapters. I did like to spooky vibes and the fact no one was to be trusted.
I still don’t understand how a festival can go on with the little protocols Colton had in place, but I suspended disbelief.
I really wish the romance subplot between Sloane and Grayson hadn’t been there. It just took away from the atmosphere completely. It felt like the author just added it in because ‘every book needs a romance’. But this one definitely didn’t.
For half the book I felt like things were going in circles and Sloane wasn’t actually finding anything new but was just being led from interview to interview. And she ended up finding out the twist herself so all the interviews she did seemed pretty pointless in the end.
I get that in thrillers there’s loads of timelines and time stamps we need to follow, but WSS was doing way too much and I was getting confused: she arrived here, she left with her, they went into the woods at this time, the band started playing before this happened - it was a lot.
The big reveal at the end didn’t make sense at all and they kind of just showed up and explained themselves rather than Sloane finding it out herself. For 340 pages this could have been cut down as many parts - like the romance - could have been cut out. But I did like the overall plot and mystery so I’ll give it points for the atmospheric vibes.
This didn’t work for me. I loved the premise and setting but everything else just kind of fell flat. I think there was too much telling and not enough showing.
I did like the ‘past’ chapters especially the hours leading up to the festival and during it where small incidents foreshadowed what happened later. But after that, I don’t think the past chapters were needed. I already had all that info in the present chapters. I did like to spooky vibes and the fact no one was to be trusted.
I still don’t understand how a festival can go on with the little protocols Colton had in place, but I suspended disbelief.
I really wish the romance subplot between Sloane and Grayson hadn’t been there. It just took away from the atmosphere completely. It felt like the author just added it in because ‘every book needs a romance’. But this one definitely didn’t.
For half the book I felt like things were going in circles and Sloane wasn’t actually finding anything new but was just being led from interview to interview. And she ended up finding out the twist herself so all the interviews she did seemed pretty pointless in the end.
I get that in thrillers there’s loads of timelines and time stamps we need to follow, but WSS was doing way too much and I was getting confused: she arrived here, she left with her, they went into the woods at this time, the band started playing before this happened - it was a lot.
The big reveal at the end didn’t make sense at all and they kind of just showed up and explained themselves rather than Sloane finding it out herself. For 340 pages this could have been cut down as many parts - like the romance - could have been cut out. But I did like the overall plot and mystery so I’ll give it points for the atmospheric vibes.
April 12, 2026
Enjoyed the journey, not so much the ending.
Not sure I'm convinced it's realistic to interview people on the minutiae of what happened on a night 31 years prior.
Even the sharpest of memories fade.
Also not a huge fan of this thing where someone's nabbed and they start immediately recounting everything they've kept secret for 31 years to the person investigating it.
Is it sick that I hoped it was Grant? He's creepy, right? Which upstanding citizen puts a tracker on the car of the woman he had a one night stand with six weeks ago?
That's unhinged and I'm amused he's this good guy she was considering raising a baby with towards the end.
Like.....ma'am!
Not sure I'm convinced it's realistic to interview people on the minutiae of what happened on a night 31 years prior.
Even the sharpest of memories fade.
Also not a huge fan of this thing where someone's nabbed and they start immediately recounting everything they've kept secret for 31 years to the person investigating it.
Is it sick that I hoped it was Grant? He's creepy, right? Which upstanding citizen puts a tracker on the car of the woman he had a one night stand with six weeks ago?
That's unhinged and I'm amused he's this good guy she was considering raising a baby with towards the end.
Like.....ma'am!
April 11, 2026
Sloane Grayson is a writer that focuses on true crime. There’s a story that’s been waiting for her to investigate and see if she can follow the clues to find the answer that’s been hidden for thirty years. One night in a small Virginia town, four girls disappeared from a music festival. Their bodies were never found, and now the man who was convicted is up,for parole and is likely to be released. The sheriff who investigated the case even sent his notes to her, prior to killing himself. But Sloane is more than a writer, she’s the daughter of one of the victims.
Sloane doesn’t remember her mother, and was raised by a grandmother who took care of her but they never had a warm relationship. Sloane doesn’t show much emotion, but she does want answers and justice. As Sloane starts asking questions, she finds there are secrets hidden and people who want them to stay hidden.
This is a slow burn. There’s lots of poking around and talking to people, but Sloane isn’t making much progress. She isn’t above breaking the law to get information though, and soon she is finding pieces of a puzzle, but they’re not fitting together. Her life is in danger as she gets closer to the truth. The slow pacing will not be for everyone, and Sloane is a hard character to embrace. Regardless, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook, and though there’s no mention of it, I think it could be a good series.
3-1/2 rounded up to 4 ⭐️
Sloane doesn’t remember her mother, and was raised by a grandmother who took care of her but they never had a warm relationship. Sloane doesn’t show much emotion, but she does want answers and justice. As Sloane starts asking questions, she finds there are secrets hidden and people who want them to stay hidden.
This is a slow burn. There’s lots of poking around and talking to people, but Sloane isn’t making much progress. She isn’t above breaking the law to get information though, and soon she is finding pieces of a puzzle, but they’re not fitting together. Her life is in danger as she gets closer to the truth. The slow pacing will not be for everyone, and Sloane is a hard character to embrace. Regardless, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook, and though there’s no mention of it, I think it could be a good series.
3-1/2 rounded up to 4 ⭐️
July 13, 2026
2,5⭐️
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