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Trust No One
Win a free kindle copy of this book!
13 days and 20:11:23
100 copies available
U.S. only
A woman’s unexpected return to her isolated family estate puts her in a killer’s path in this shocking suspense novel by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.
After seventeen years away, public defender Raine Hale returns to her family’s crumbling Virginia estate when her estranged cousin Maria is hospitalized following a near-fatal cyanide poisoning. As sole beneficiary of Hale House and guardian to Maria’s five-year-old daughter, Molly, Raine confronts a troubling legacy she vowed never to revisit—and is thrust into a deadly mystery.
But she can’t trust anyone. Maria’s husband has a violent past and crushing debts. Raine’s manipulative ex refuses to sign divorce papers and won’t stay away. Her former high school lover, now the lead detective on Maria’s case, views everyone as a suspect, including Raine. And a brutal client who nearly killed her just got out of jail.
When people begin dying, Hale House becomes as dangerous as the secrets it holds. With a killer circling closer and Molly’s life in her hands, Raine must unravel generations of family deceptions before she becomes the next victim buried in the family plot.
After seventeen years away, public defender Raine Hale returns to her family’s crumbling Virginia estate when her estranged cousin Maria is hospitalized following a near-fatal cyanide poisoning. As sole beneficiary of Hale House and guardian to Maria’s five-year-old daughter, Molly, Raine confronts a troubling legacy she vowed never to revisit—and is thrust into a deadly mystery.
But she can’t trust anyone. Maria’s husband has a violent past and crushing debts. Raine’s manipulative ex refuses to sign divorce papers and won’t stay away. Her former high school lover, now the lead detective on Maria’s case, views everyone as a suspect, including Raine. And a brutal client who nearly killed her just got out of jail.
When people begin dying, Hale House becomes as dangerous as the secrets it holds. With a killer circling closer and Molly’s life in her hands, Raine must unravel generations of family deceptions before she becomes the next victim buried in the family plot.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2026
About the author
Mary Burton
73 books4,477 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 499 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I finished it. That's about the kindest thing I can say.
The premise is genuinely good — a woman returning to a crumbling family estate, a poisoning, multiple suspects, a child to protect, secrets buried in generations of family history. The bones of a great thriller are here. Unfortunately the execution lets it down at almost every turn.
The first 40% of the book is pure setup that overstays its welcome significantly. When the pace finally picks up around the halfway mark you feel a flicker of hope — but that hope is short lived. The final action sequence, which should be the payoff for everything that came before, occupies less than 9% of the book and feels desperately rushed. The contrast is baffling.
The characters are either irritating, flat, or both. Raine is difficult to root for — she inexplicably makes and discards coffee repeatedly, refers to five year old Molly as "the child" with clinical detachment, and never quite feels like a real person. The supporting cast fare no better.
The editing is frankly poor. Continuity errors throughout — a child's toy changes from a dragon to a dinosaur and back again, the timeline repeatedly goes backwards between chapters, and there are basic errors like a character being referred to in the third person in their own will. These are not minor quibbles — they suggest insufficient editorial oversight on a manuscript that needed significant work.
I note the current Goodreads rating sits at 4.75 stars. I can only speak to my own honest experience — I will not allow the promise of future approvals to influence my assessment. NetGalley's value lies in genuine feedback.
I want my time back.
I finished it. That's about the kindest thing I can say.
The premise is genuinely good — a woman returning to a crumbling family estate, a poisoning, multiple suspects, a child to protect, secrets buried in generations of family history. The bones of a great thriller are here. Unfortunately the execution lets it down at almost every turn.
The first 40% of the book is pure setup that overstays its welcome significantly. When the pace finally picks up around the halfway mark you feel a flicker of hope — but that hope is short lived. The final action sequence, which should be the payoff for everything that came before, occupies less than 9% of the book and feels desperately rushed. The contrast is baffling.
The characters are either irritating, flat, or both. Raine is difficult to root for — she inexplicably makes and discards coffee repeatedly, refers to five year old Molly as "the child" with clinical detachment, and never quite feels like a real person. The supporting cast fare no better.
The editing is frankly poor. Continuity errors throughout — a child's toy changes from a dragon to a dinosaur and back again, the timeline repeatedly goes backwards between chapters, and there are basic errors like a character being referred to in the third person in their own will. These are not minor quibbles — they suggest insufficient editorial oversight on a manuscript that needed significant work.
I note the current Goodreads rating sits at 4.75 stars. I can only speak to my own honest experience — I will not allow the promise of future approvals to influence my assessment. NetGalley's value lies in genuine feedback.
I want my time back.
September 4, 2026
When did Mary Burton start writing in first person? I hated it. The chapters were too short and choppy. The editing was rather hit and miss. One time Raine and Molly were at a diner. However, instead of Molly, the author said Gabe. I reread that paragraph several times and finally realized that 'Gabe' was a mistake.
The mystery was rather convoluted. As one reader said "Who done it?" The reader was left wondering. I really disliked the ending. Raine was supposed to be one of the good guys.
I will enjoy the author's older books. I don't think I want to read any of her newer books, unless, like this one, it was free.
The mystery was rather convoluted. As one reader said "Who done it?" The reader was left wondering. I really disliked the ending. Raine was supposed to be one of the good guys.
I will enjoy the author's older books. I don't think I want to read any of her newer books, unless, like this one, it was free.
Review of advance copy
Dry. Dull. Formulaic.
Who are these people?
I went out with friends from out of town I haven't seen in a while to a coffee house.
We had espressos and pastries. We sat for almost two hours just talking.
That's how we catch up and how we get to know each other. No rush.
This book was in such a hurry to get to the next scene. What's the rush? Enjoy the kataifi.
Didn't connect with anyone and ending was uhm wait who killed who and why?
Amazon first read that you can skip.
Who are these people?
I went out with friends from out of town I haven't seen in a while to a coffee house.
We had espressos and pastries. We sat for almost two hours just talking.
That's how we catch up and how we get to know each other. No rush.
This book was in such a hurry to get to the next scene. What's the rush? Enjoy the kataifi.
Didn't connect with anyone and ending was uhm wait who killed who and why?
Amazon first read that you can skip.
June 4, 2026
I was ready to down rate this because as I’ve said before, I hate cheating in books. It’s a huge trigger for me.
Raine is beat up and makes her way back to her home town where her cousin is in the hospital. A bunch of nasty people cheat on each other. And people start dying.
I was still on the edge of my seat throughout this book because I wanted a good resolution. I figured most of it out pretty early on. But the ending was a happy surprise, which sounds morbid. But it was a good ending for a book.
This is a good book for the right people, meaning those who don’t find cheating as triggering as I do. It’s worth a read.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
Raine is beat up and makes her way back to her home town where her cousin is in the hospital. A bunch of nasty people cheat on each other. And people start dying.
I was still on the edge of my seat throughout this book because I wanted a good resolution. I figured most of it out pretty early on. But the ending was a happy surprise, which sounds morbid. But it was a good ending for a book.
This is a good book for the right people, meaning those who don’t find cheating as triggering as I do. It’s worth a read.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
August 4, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy of this book.
That ending? Mind blown. Mary Burton just does thrillers like no one else. I loved every minute of this book, and the added bonus of Judson and Raine just sweetened the deal. 100/10, definitely recommend.
That ending? Mind blown. Mary Burton just does thrillers like no one else. I loved every minute of this book, and the added bonus of Judson and Raine just sweetened the deal. 100/10, definitely recommend.
September 15, 2026
professionally unresearched, psychologically inconsistent, and reliant on contrived behavior
spoilers alert
My concerns with Mary Burton’s *Trust No One* go well beyond ordinary suspension of disbelief. The novel repeatedly presents lawyers, police officers, and crime-scene personnel behaving in ways that are incompatible with professional practice, legal reality, and basic common sense.
Raine is supposedly an experienced public defender, yet she crosses police tape at an active crime scene to retrieve personal belongings. She and her husband report the discovery of a body by calling their sheriff friend, Gabe, instead of 911—even though the body is later revealed to be near Roanoke, outside Gabe’s apparent jurisdiction. A crime-scene technician discusses motive as though determining it were part of the technician’s role, while Gabe repeatedly intrudes into a woman’s medical appointments and consultations without any clearly established authority.
The custody storyline is especially ridiculous. The child’s mother has been murdered, the father has been arrested for the murder, and the parents reportedly named Raine as their preferred caregiver. The child, however, is already living with her grandmother. Despite the enormous emotional and legal consequences of removing a recently bereaved child from her current caregiver, Raine is awarded custody with virtually no meaningful investigation, opposition, or judicial scrutiny. The eventual placement with Raine might be possible, but the process portrayed is illogical, highly unlikely, and seemingly uninformed by how custody proceedings actually work.
Numerous smaller details further weaken the story’s credibility. Raine claims to have nothing appropriate to wear to court and appears in her mother’s old suit, despite being a practicing lawyer in a major city. She drives approximately 20 miles to confront Amy when she is responsible for collecting the child only two hours later. She also uses what the book calls a rubber band in her own hair and then in the child’s hair—an oddly unrealistic detail. No one with 6+ years of education is going to ruin her hair with a rubber band! Why is this even in this book?
Raine’s behavior toward her soon-to-be ex-husband is also off-putting. Her excessive deference to him is difficult to reconcile with her supposed experience as a public defender. If he is also a lawyer, his behavior and dialogue surrounding the discovery of their friend’s body are equally unconvincing. His declaration that this is “what I do” sounds like generic detective dialogue assigned to the wrong character.
Any one of these problems might be dismissed as fictional shorthand. Taken together, however, they demonstrate a broader failure of research and characterization. Raine is called a lawyer, but her training rarely influences how she thinks or behaves. The law-enforcement and forensic characters likewise function as convenient plot devices rather than believable professionals.
My overall impression is that the novel is mechanically plotted, poorly researched, and psychologically inconsistent—to the point of becoming ridiculous. “Sophomoric” fairly describes the execution: not necessarily because the grammar is poor, but because the story depends upon stock dialogue, superficial professional identities, implausibly convenient authority, and characters making irrational decisions whenever the plot requires them to do so. Some readers may enjoy it as uncomplicated romantic suspense, but its cumulative legal, procedural, and everyday inaccuracies make the story extremely difficult to believe.
And for me impossible to enjoy. Hard pass.
spoilers alert
My concerns with Mary Burton’s *Trust No One* go well beyond ordinary suspension of disbelief. The novel repeatedly presents lawyers, police officers, and crime-scene personnel behaving in ways that are incompatible with professional practice, legal reality, and basic common sense.
Raine is supposedly an experienced public defender, yet she crosses police tape at an active crime scene to retrieve personal belongings. She and her husband report the discovery of a body by calling their sheriff friend, Gabe, instead of 911—even though the body is later revealed to be near Roanoke, outside Gabe’s apparent jurisdiction. A crime-scene technician discusses motive as though determining it were part of the technician’s role, while Gabe repeatedly intrudes into a woman’s medical appointments and consultations without any clearly established authority.
The custody storyline is especially ridiculous. The child’s mother has been murdered, the father has been arrested for the murder, and the parents reportedly named Raine as their preferred caregiver. The child, however, is already living with her grandmother. Despite the enormous emotional and legal consequences of removing a recently bereaved child from her current caregiver, Raine is awarded custody with virtually no meaningful investigation, opposition, or judicial scrutiny. The eventual placement with Raine might be possible, but the process portrayed is illogical, highly unlikely, and seemingly uninformed by how custody proceedings actually work.
Numerous smaller details further weaken the story’s credibility. Raine claims to have nothing appropriate to wear to court and appears in her mother’s old suit, despite being a practicing lawyer in a major city. She drives approximately 20 miles to confront Amy when she is responsible for collecting the child only two hours later. She also uses what the book calls a rubber band in her own hair and then in the child’s hair—an oddly unrealistic detail. No one with 6+ years of education is going to ruin her hair with a rubber band! Why is this even in this book?
Raine’s behavior toward her soon-to-be ex-husband is also off-putting. Her excessive deference to him is difficult to reconcile with her supposed experience as a public defender. If he is also a lawyer, his behavior and dialogue surrounding the discovery of their friend’s body are equally unconvincing. His declaration that this is “what I do” sounds like generic detective dialogue assigned to the wrong character.
Any one of these problems might be dismissed as fictional shorthand. Taken together, however, they demonstrate a broader failure of research and characterization. Raine is called a lawyer, but her training rarely influences how she thinks or behaves. The law-enforcement and forensic characters likewise function as convenient plot devices rather than believable professionals.
My overall impression is that the novel is mechanically plotted, poorly researched, and psychologically inconsistent—to the point of becoming ridiculous. “Sophomoric” fairly describes the execution: not necessarily because the grammar is poor, but because the story depends upon stock dialogue, superficial professional identities, implausibly convenient authority, and characters making irrational decisions whenever the plot requires them to do so. Some readers may enjoy it as uncomplicated romantic suspense, but its cumulative legal, procedural, and everyday inaccuracies make the story extremely difficult to believe.
And for me impossible to enjoy. Hard pass.
Review of advance copy
I got my book from Kindle First Reads. The only reason this was a DNF for me was because I just rarely put a book away. As it was on my Kindle, it was easy to take to work and read during my lunch break. There are many two and three star reviews that delve into the weaknesses of this book, so I won't go into them. Suffice it to say, I just didn't care for any of the characters and the ending was confusing.
October 1, 2026
Seventeen years away wasn't nearly enough. Raine comes back to this giant crumbling family house for about five minutes before somebody gets poisoned, her cousin lands in the hospital, she's suddenly responsible for a five-year-old, her ex refuses to disappear, her old boyfriend shows up wearing a detective badge, and every single person she makes eye contact with looks like they either committed a murder or are about to. I would've turned the car around before I unpacked.
The thing about Raine is she has the exact personality that hears, "Maybe leave this alone," and responds with, "Interesting. I'll be poking every terrible family secret with a stick until further notice." Meanwhile everyone around her keeps acting just suspicious enough that you're constantly changing your mind. Every conversation felt like someone was hiding either a body, an affair, financial fraud, or all three. Sometimes before breakfast.
And poor Molly. Every time that little girl showed up I wanted someone, literally anyone, to wrap her in a blanket, hand her some chicken nuggets, and move her about four states away from Hale House. The adults in this family have been making catastrophically bad decisions for generations, and this kid is just standing in the middle of it like, "Are...are we okay?" No, sweetheart. Not even a little.
Judson was exactly the kind of detective you want in a murder mystery and exactly the kind of former boyfriend who complicates absolutely everything. Every interaction between him and Raine came with enough unfinished business to qualify as its own cold case. Then you throw in the almost-ex husband who refuses to understand the word "divorce," Maria's husband, Raine's dangerous former client, and every other person wandering around this town looking suspicious for recreational purposes, and I just accepted that literally nobody was getting the benefit of the doubt.
What I loved was that every time I settled on my suspect, somebody else did something wildly questionable. It became less about solving the mystery and more about wondering whether this entire town should be placed under professional supervision. Hale House certainly wasn't helping. That place felt like it had absorbed two hundred years of family drama into the wallpaper and was quietly enjoying every second of the chaos.
Underneath all the bodies and betrayals, though, there's something surprisingly grounded about Raine trying to figure out what "home" even means after spending years running from it. Sometimes going back doesn't heal old wounds. Sometimes it just reminds you why you left. But watching her decide what was actually worth fighting for ended up being my favorite part.
By the time everything finally clicked into place, I realized Mary Burton had gotten me again. Every time I thought I'd finally sorted the good guys from the bad guys, someone else wandered in looking guilty enough to deserve their own interrogation room. I finished this smiling because the ending managed to surprise me without making me feel cheated, and that's one of my favorite things a thriller can do. This was an easy 4-star read for me.
Whodunity Award: For Making Every Single Person in a Fifty-Mile Radius Look Like They Had Motive, Means, and a Spare Shovel
Huge thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC. Next time you hand me the keys to a creepy inherited estate full of family secrets, I'm respectfully declining and meeting everyone at a nice, well-lit chain restaurant instead.
The thing about Raine is she has the exact personality that hears, "Maybe leave this alone," and responds with, "Interesting. I'll be poking every terrible family secret with a stick until further notice." Meanwhile everyone around her keeps acting just suspicious enough that you're constantly changing your mind. Every conversation felt like someone was hiding either a body, an affair, financial fraud, or all three. Sometimes before breakfast.
And poor Molly. Every time that little girl showed up I wanted someone, literally anyone, to wrap her in a blanket, hand her some chicken nuggets, and move her about four states away from Hale House. The adults in this family have been making catastrophically bad decisions for generations, and this kid is just standing in the middle of it like, "Are...are we okay?" No, sweetheart. Not even a little.
Judson was exactly the kind of detective you want in a murder mystery and exactly the kind of former boyfriend who complicates absolutely everything. Every interaction between him and Raine came with enough unfinished business to qualify as its own cold case. Then you throw in the almost-ex husband who refuses to understand the word "divorce," Maria's husband, Raine's dangerous former client, and every other person wandering around this town looking suspicious for recreational purposes, and I just accepted that literally nobody was getting the benefit of the doubt.
What I loved was that every time I settled on my suspect, somebody else did something wildly questionable. It became less about solving the mystery and more about wondering whether this entire town should be placed under professional supervision. Hale House certainly wasn't helping. That place felt like it had absorbed two hundred years of family drama into the wallpaper and was quietly enjoying every second of the chaos.
Underneath all the bodies and betrayals, though, there's something surprisingly grounded about Raine trying to figure out what "home" even means after spending years running from it. Sometimes going back doesn't heal old wounds. Sometimes it just reminds you why you left. But watching her decide what was actually worth fighting for ended up being my favorite part.
By the time everything finally clicked into place, I realized Mary Burton had gotten me again. Every time I thought I'd finally sorted the good guys from the bad guys, someone else wandered in looking guilty enough to deserve their own interrogation room. I finished this smiling because the ending managed to surprise me without making me feel cheated, and that's one of my favorite things a thriller can do. This was an easy 4-star read for me.
Whodunity Award: For Making Every Single Person in a Fifty-Mile Radius Look Like They Had Motive, Means, and a Spare Shovel
Huge thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC. Next time you hand me the keys to a creepy inherited estate full of family secrets, I'm respectfully declining and meeting everyone at a nice, well-lit chain restaurant instead.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
GENRE: Thriller • Mystery
TROPES & THEMES:
Estranged family estate
Inheritance drama
Manipulative ex
Second‑chance romance tension
Generational secrets
Murder
Cyanide poisoning
Domestic violence history
Stalking / harassment
Child endangerment
RECOMMENDED TO:
Readers who enjoy family‑estate thrillers with gothic undertones
Fans of Mary Burton’s suspense style (though this one may divide opinions)
Those who like multi‑suspect mysteries where everyone has a motive
This author has written books before? Right!?
It felt very soap opera type of thing with not much depth to the characters.
I appreciate receiving the ARC, but honesty matters: this one wasn’t for me.
🎶snitch by joyner lucas
TROPES & THEMES:
Estranged family estate
Inheritance drama
Manipulative ex
Second‑chance romance tension
Generational secrets
Murder
Cyanide poisoning
Domestic violence history
Stalking / harassment
Child endangerment
RECOMMENDED TO:
Readers who enjoy family‑estate thrillers with gothic undertones
Fans of Mary Burton’s suspense style (though this one may divide opinions)
Those who like multi‑suspect mysteries where everyone has a motive
This author has written books before? Right!?
It felt very soap opera type of thing with not much depth to the characters.
I appreciate receiving the ARC, but honesty matters: this one wasn’t for me.
🎶snitch by joyner lucas
Review of advance copy
3.5
October 9, 2026
Paranoia at its Finest: Why Mary Burton’s Latest is a Must-Read
Intro
Trust No One is a masterclass in psychological tension written by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton. This fast-paced thriller brings readers face-to-face with generations of family deception, toxic relationships, and an isolated estate that holds a literal and metaphorical graveyard of secrets.
The Hook
What if returning home to save your family meant stepping directly into the crosshairs of a serial poisoner?
Elevator Pitch
~Setting: A decaying, crumbling family estate known as Hale House in Virginia, dripping with gothic isolation and dark history.
~Vibe: Claustrophobic, paranoid, dark, and deeply unsettling.
~Genre: Romantic Suspense / Psychological Thriller.
~Themes: Generational trauma, betrayal, the illusion of safety, and the suffocating weight of family secrets.
Standout Characters
~Raine Hale: A fierce public defender who returns home after 17 years away to protect her young niece after her cousin is poisoned.
~Molly: Raine’s innocent five-year-old niece who becomes the stakes in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
~The Lead Detective: Raine’s former high school lover who is forced to view everyone as a suspect—including Raine herself.
Author Writing Standout
Mary Burton is a master at pacing and creating a genuine sense of paranoia. Her signature style is evident in her ability to skillfully manage multiple credible threats at once. The tension builds as she introduces an abusive ex-husband who refuses to sign the divorce papers, a violent relative burdened with overwhelming debts, a recently released criminal client seeking revenge, and a mysterious poisoner. Burton keeps readers on edge, making it impossible to predict where the next deadly strike will come from.
Takeaway
The people who claim to love you are often the ones most capable of destroying you.
Title Significance
The title, "Trust No One" serves as both a literal piece of advice for the protagonist and an explicit warning to the reader. In Hale House, every single character has something to hide, a debt to clear, or a grudge to settle.
Metaphor
Hale House is a beautiful spiderweb. It looks grand from afar, but once you step back into its perimeter, you are instantly trapped by sticky strands of old lies, and the threat of the predator lurking in the center gets closer with every movement.
📚 Why You Should Read
You should read this book if you love high-stakes, domestic thrillers where the setting feels like a character itself. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy solving complex puzzles and prefer their suspense with a healthy dose of romantic tension and legal drama. For fans of strong female leads forced to face their past wtih multiple suspects and shifting motives.
💭 My Thoughts
Burton completely outdoes herself with the sheer atmosphere of this novel. Raine is surrounded by suspects—and every one of them has something to hide: The paranoia is palpable from the very first page. Raine is a phenomenally strong, smart protagonist whose instincts as a public defender make her exceptionally sharp, even when dealing with her own messy past. The web of suspects keeps you guessing until the final, explosive reveal.
Verdict 5/5 Stars
"A gripping, unputdownable thriller that will keep you up late into the night double-checking the locks."
📖Recs or Read-Alikes
~The Last Move by Mary Burton (for another dose of her signature high-stakes suspense)
~The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (for dark family secrets and claustrophobic estate vibes)
~A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (for a sharp female lead digging up a haunting past)
Special thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for sharing an advance reading copy for my honest thoughts.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 1, 2026
Oct 2026 Must-Read Books
Oct Newsletter
Intro
Trust No One is a masterclass in psychological tension written by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton. This fast-paced thriller brings readers face-to-face with generations of family deception, toxic relationships, and an isolated estate that holds a literal and metaphorical graveyard of secrets.
The Hook
What if returning home to save your family meant stepping directly into the crosshairs of a serial poisoner?
Elevator Pitch
~Setting: A decaying, crumbling family estate known as Hale House in Virginia, dripping with gothic isolation and dark history.
~Vibe: Claustrophobic, paranoid, dark, and deeply unsettling.
~Genre: Romantic Suspense / Psychological Thriller.
~Themes: Generational trauma, betrayal, the illusion of safety, and the suffocating weight of family secrets.
Standout Characters
~Raine Hale: A fierce public defender who returns home after 17 years away to protect her young niece after her cousin is poisoned.
~Molly: Raine’s innocent five-year-old niece who becomes the stakes in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
~The Lead Detective: Raine’s former high school lover who is forced to view everyone as a suspect—including Raine herself.
Author Writing Standout
Mary Burton is a master at pacing and creating a genuine sense of paranoia. Her signature style is evident in her ability to skillfully manage multiple credible threats at once. The tension builds as she introduces an abusive ex-husband who refuses to sign the divorce papers, a violent relative burdened with overwhelming debts, a recently released criminal client seeking revenge, and a mysterious poisoner. Burton keeps readers on edge, making it impossible to predict where the next deadly strike will come from.
Takeaway
The people who claim to love you are often the ones most capable of destroying you.
Title Significance
The title, "Trust No One" serves as both a literal piece of advice for the protagonist and an explicit warning to the reader. In Hale House, every single character has something to hide, a debt to clear, or a grudge to settle.
Metaphor
Hale House is a beautiful spiderweb. It looks grand from afar, but once you step back into its perimeter, you are instantly trapped by sticky strands of old lies, and the threat of the predator lurking in the center gets closer with every movement.
📚 Why You Should Read
You should read this book if you love high-stakes, domestic thrillers where the setting feels like a character itself. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy solving complex puzzles and prefer their suspense with a healthy dose of romantic tension and legal drama. For fans of strong female leads forced to face their past wtih multiple suspects and shifting motives.
💭 My Thoughts
Burton completely outdoes herself with the sheer atmosphere of this novel. Raine is surrounded by suspects—and every one of them has something to hide: The paranoia is palpable from the very first page. Raine is a phenomenally strong, smart protagonist whose instincts as a public defender make her exceptionally sharp, even when dealing with her own messy past. The web of suspects keeps you guessing until the final, explosive reveal.
Verdict 5/5 Stars
"A gripping, unputdownable thriller that will keep you up late into the night double-checking the locks."
📖Recs or Read-Alikes
~The Last Move by Mary Burton (for another dose of her signature high-stakes suspense)
~The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (for dark family secrets and claustrophobic estate vibes)
~A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (for a sharp female lead digging up a haunting past)
Special thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for sharing an advance reading copy for my honest thoughts.
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 1, 2026
Oct 2026 Must-Read Books
Oct Newsletter
September 14, 2026
I received an Advanced Copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review. Thank You to NetGalley and the Author.
I started this book about a week ago and forgot to log it as reading. I did not finish this book the same day I started it.
Although I do greatly appreciate an ARC book I hate it when my honest review is not all Stars and Smiles.
This book had promise. It had mystery, violins a little bit of romance that did not really need to happen, but the characters in the book were just not likable. Raine, the books main character was just blah. Not much personality. Judson, her ex high school boyfriend was the crime solving police officer and he was not all that exciting to me either.
I did like the premise of the Hail House. It was a spooky estate filled with memories from Raine’s dead family. The kind of house where you expect a ghost to toss a chair across the room because they don’t want company.
These are twist and turns, but they are a bit predictable and then there is The Ending.
Yeah…. The ending was a shocker, but it was also an eye roller because there is just no way it could have happened it the world of technology we live in now.
The dates on the book are dates that do not begin until after the book comes out. Kind of confused me a bit until I remembered I was reading an ARC and the author wanted the book to be really, really present day.
It was not a bad book. I did enjoy some of it, but honestly, the characters were just not great people and far too much time was spent telling back stories for too many people.
Good book to read between commercials or between says at the US Open Tennis Match which is where I read most of the book.
Some people may love this author and think this is a great book. It was my first by this author and reading another by her is not high on my priority list.
I started this book about a week ago and forgot to log it as reading. I did not finish this book the same day I started it.
Although I do greatly appreciate an ARC book I hate it when my honest review is not all Stars and Smiles.
This book had promise. It had mystery, violins a little bit of romance that did not really need to happen, but the characters in the book were just not likable. Raine, the books main character was just blah. Not much personality. Judson, her ex high school boyfriend was the crime solving police officer and he was not all that exciting to me either.
I did like the premise of the Hail House. It was a spooky estate filled with memories from Raine’s dead family. The kind of house where you expect a ghost to toss a chair across the room because they don’t want company.
These are twist and turns, but they are a bit predictable and then there is The Ending.
Yeah…. The ending was a shocker, but it was also an eye roller because there is just no way it could have happened it the world of technology we live in now.
The dates on the book are dates that do not begin until after the book comes out. Kind of confused me a bit until I remembered I was reading an ARC and the author wanted the book to be really, really present day.
It was not a bad book. I did enjoy some of it, but honestly, the characters were just not great people and far too much time was spent telling back stories for too many people.
Good book to read between commercials or between says at the US Open Tennis Match which is where I read most of the book.
Some people may love this author and think this is a great book. It was my first by this author and reading another by her is not high on my priority list.
October 7, 2026
I listened to the audiobook & really enjoyed this one!
I did guess who the killer was pretty early on, but honestly that didn’t wake away from the story.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters, the very messy dysfunctional family drama, and the investigation.
The narration was great!!
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced listener copy!!
I did guess who the killer was pretty early on, but honestly that didn’t wake away from the story.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters, the very messy dysfunctional family drama, and the investigation.
The narration was great!!
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced listener copy!!
October 9, 2026
Entertaining
Raine descends from the locally famous, wealthy and dwindling Hale family. She left the family land years ago after the passing of her mother, but has now returned to town when her cousin has a heart attack under suspicious circumstances.
Decent plot with well developed characters. Predictable but with a twisty little reward at the end.
Raine descends from the locally famous, wealthy and dwindling Hale family. She left the family land years ago after the passing of her mother, but has now returned to town when her cousin has a heart attack under suspicious circumstances.
Decent plot with well developed characters. Predictable but with a twisty little reward at the end.
September 1, 2026
ARC review
I always forget how much I enjoy Mary Burton books until I read a Mary Burton book. Another masterpiece of trying to figure out who is involved, and never truly knowing until the very last sentence. Brilliant!
Raine returns to her childhood home after a tragedy occurs. Shortly thereafter several more happen in her wake. Through history and coincidence we unravel what happened before and now, somehow all tied together Easy to read, enough characters to keep it interesting but not overwhelming, twists and turns abundant, set in the back drop of old money dilapidated with neglect. A great story, quick paced, read all night to figure it out suspense thriller.
I always forget how much I enjoy Mary Burton books until I read a Mary Burton book. Another masterpiece of trying to figure out who is involved, and never truly knowing until the very last sentence. Brilliant!
Raine returns to her childhood home after a tragedy occurs. Shortly thereafter several more happen in her wake. Through history and coincidence we unravel what happened before and now, somehow all tied together Easy to read, enough characters to keep it interesting but not overwhelming, twists and turns abundant, set in the back drop of old money dilapidated with neglect. A great story, quick paced, read all night to figure it out suspense thriller.
October 3, 2026
A woman collapses at her kitchen sink after one glass of wine her husband bought as a peace offering. She is thirty-four, a nurse, a distance runner, and she has just finished telling him she knows about the affair. The toxicology screen comes back as hydrogen cyanide. Within five days there are three bodies, all poisoned, and every single person with a claim on one Virginia estate is dead. Trust No One by Mary Burton is built like a clock, and the first thing worth saying about it is how the clock is assembled.
How Trust No One Is Built
Seventy-three chapters in three hundred and fifty-seven pages. Every chapter opens with a hard date and time stamp, sometimes a place as well, and the run begins at midnight on a Wednesday in October and closes in January. You always know exactly where you stand in the week, which matters enormously in a case where cause of death turns on an order of events.
Each chapter also names its point of view in the contents, so the architecture is visible before you read a word. A lawyer narrates about fifty of them in first person. A state police agent narrates roughly fifteen, also first person. A violent former client gets six short third-person interludes. The dying woman gets exactly one, the opening. And one more character gets a single chapter, right at the end. Trust No One by Mary Burton withholds that last allocation until it lands, and the allocation itself is the reveal.
What Trust No One Does With Fourteen Fragments
Spliced between the chapters are fourteen untitled pieces, six to ten lines each, unsigned and in the present tense. Each follows the same shape: a thing the speaker used to believe, then the words "But here's the truth," then the correction. Cheaters don't win, except they do, all the time. Bad people are easy to spot, except they are not, and the speaker notes that monsters look like everyone else. Like me.
That is the whole device, and it works for three reasons. The fragments are short enough never to outstay their welcome. They are flat and unliterary, which keeps them from reading as authorial throat-clearing. And because the speaker is never named, they function as a running unreliable narrator layered over a book that otherwise plays straight. When the voice resolves, all fourteen reverse at once, and the honest test of Trust No One by Mary Burton is that you will want to go back and read them in sequence.
The Child Who Remembers Everything
The best character in Trust No One by Mary Burton is five years old.
Molly's parents are gone by the midpoint, and the novel does something difficult with her: it treats her as a witness without making her precocious or cute. The information arrives sideways, in the way children actually give it. She draws the same picture twice, a house with two chimneys, three stick figures outside it and one woman alone inside, and will not explain why the family is on the outside. She mentions that her mother never cut the crusts off, but somebody else always did. She remembers a red bear from the zoo that smelled funny. She remembers a candle, a game of ring around the rosie, and who put the fire out.
Each of those is evidence, and none of it is delivered as a set piece. An interview with her is just a woman making peanut butter sandwiches and asking what shape she wants them cut.
The House Is the Best Character in Trust No One
The estate in Trust No One by Mary Burton is a working antagonist rather than a backdrop. Five hundred acres of Piedmont, a lodge from the mid-1700s extended across two centuries, a walled family graveyard with room already allocated for the narrator, and an avocado-green kitchen a grandmother installed in the 1970s and swore would never go out of style.
It also actively resists being lived in. The hot water runs out after four minutes. A fuse scorches and the furnace dies. The third step from the top creaks, so the narrator has spent her life stepping over it. A light keeps coming on in her dead mother's bedroom. The renovation quotes arrive in bronze, silver and gold, which is a joke that stops being funny at the second set of figures. And at some point the reader works out, several pages before the narrator does, that the reason there is fresh coffee in the cabinet of a house nobody has lived in for seventeen years is that somebody has been living in it.
Where Trust No One Loses Momentum
The stalker's chapters add nothing. Six interludes inside the head of the man who assaulted the narrator, and they mostly restate the same fixation in the same register. One exists solely to demonstrate that he strangles women during sex, and the plot would survive its deletion intact. He is already frightening as a reported threat. Interiority makes him smaller.
Everyone speaks and thinks the same way. Clipped sentences. Verbless fragments. Nouns doing the work of clauses. It is propulsive for the first fifty pages of Trust No One by Mary Burton and flattening across the whole, because a public defender, a state trooper and a convicted felon all narrate in a voice you could not tell apart in a blind test.
Two investigators, one investigation. The lawyer and the agent interview overlapping witnesses, and several scenes deliver the same information twice from different chairs. The mother-in-law alone is questioned three times about the same locked bedroom door.
The solution arrives as a monologue. Late on, a character sits down with a bottle of wine and explains the mechanism from premise to conclusion. It is a good scene for tension. It is still ten pages of someone narrating the plot aloud.
Content Notes
Trust No One by Mary Burton makes poisoning its method throughout, rendered through symptoms: cramps, vomiting, a throat closing to the width of a straw, cardiac arrest. One death is narrated from inside as it happens. A strangulation assault is recalled in physical detail more than once, and two further strangulations occur on the page, one during sex, with the woman left for dead. A child is sedated with over-the-counter antihistamine and found unresponsive. A child is present when an attic catches fire. A past suicide attempt by pills and blade is described, including the hospital aftermath. An exhumation is shown step by step. A dog was poisoned years earlier and its bones kept. Coercive control and love-bombing by a spouse, financial abuse, stalking, and a man who arranges violence against his own wife. A bereaved five-year-old throughout, and a narrator who felt relief rather than grief when a parent died.
What Stays With You
Not the poison and not the reveal. What stays is a crayon drawing of a house with four people in it, one of them inside and three of them outside, and a five-year-old who will not say why she keeps drawing it that way.
Trust No One by Mary Burton is too long in its middle, too uniform in its voice, and carrying six chapters it does not need. It is also assembled with real care, and it understands the thing most inheritance thrillers miss. The estate is not the prize in this book. The estate is the weapon, it has been in use for seventeen years, and the person holding it has been waiting patiently for somebody to come home.
How Trust No One Is Built
Seventy-three chapters in three hundred and fifty-seven pages. Every chapter opens with a hard date and time stamp, sometimes a place as well, and the run begins at midnight on a Wednesday in October and closes in January. You always know exactly where you stand in the week, which matters enormously in a case where cause of death turns on an order of events.
Each chapter also names its point of view in the contents, so the architecture is visible before you read a word. A lawyer narrates about fifty of them in first person. A state police agent narrates roughly fifteen, also first person. A violent former client gets six short third-person interludes. The dying woman gets exactly one, the opening. And one more character gets a single chapter, right at the end. Trust No One by Mary Burton withholds that last allocation until it lands, and the allocation itself is the reveal.
What Trust No One Does With Fourteen Fragments
Spliced between the chapters are fourteen untitled pieces, six to ten lines each, unsigned and in the present tense. Each follows the same shape: a thing the speaker used to believe, then the words "But here's the truth," then the correction. Cheaters don't win, except they do, all the time. Bad people are easy to spot, except they are not, and the speaker notes that monsters look like everyone else. Like me.
That is the whole device, and it works for three reasons. The fragments are short enough never to outstay their welcome. They are flat and unliterary, which keeps them from reading as authorial throat-clearing. And because the speaker is never named, they function as a running unreliable narrator layered over a book that otherwise plays straight. When the voice resolves, all fourteen reverse at once, and the honest test of Trust No One by Mary Burton is that you will want to go back and read them in sequence.
The Child Who Remembers Everything
The best character in Trust No One by Mary Burton is five years old.
Molly's parents are gone by the midpoint, and the novel does something difficult with her: it treats her as a witness without making her precocious or cute. The information arrives sideways, in the way children actually give it. She draws the same picture twice, a house with two chimneys, three stick figures outside it and one woman alone inside, and will not explain why the family is on the outside. She mentions that her mother never cut the crusts off, but somebody else always did. She remembers a red bear from the zoo that smelled funny. She remembers a candle, a game of ring around the rosie, and who put the fire out.
Each of those is evidence, and none of it is delivered as a set piece. An interview with her is just a woman making peanut butter sandwiches and asking what shape she wants them cut.
The House Is the Best Character in Trust No One
The estate in Trust No One by Mary Burton is a working antagonist rather than a backdrop. Five hundred acres of Piedmont, a lodge from the mid-1700s extended across two centuries, a walled family graveyard with room already allocated for the narrator, and an avocado-green kitchen a grandmother installed in the 1970s and swore would never go out of style.
It also actively resists being lived in. The hot water runs out after four minutes. A fuse scorches and the furnace dies. The third step from the top creaks, so the narrator has spent her life stepping over it. A light keeps coming on in her dead mother's bedroom. The renovation quotes arrive in bronze, silver and gold, which is a joke that stops being funny at the second set of figures. And at some point the reader works out, several pages before the narrator does, that the reason there is fresh coffee in the cabinet of a house nobody has lived in for seventeen years is that somebody has been living in it.
Where Trust No One Loses Momentum
The stalker's chapters add nothing. Six interludes inside the head of the man who assaulted the narrator, and they mostly restate the same fixation in the same register. One exists solely to demonstrate that he strangles women during sex, and the plot would survive its deletion intact. He is already frightening as a reported threat. Interiority makes him smaller.
Everyone speaks and thinks the same way. Clipped sentences. Verbless fragments. Nouns doing the work of clauses. It is propulsive for the first fifty pages of Trust No One by Mary Burton and flattening across the whole, because a public defender, a state trooper and a convicted felon all narrate in a voice you could not tell apart in a blind test.
Two investigators, one investigation. The lawyer and the agent interview overlapping witnesses, and several scenes deliver the same information twice from different chairs. The mother-in-law alone is questioned three times about the same locked bedroom door.
The solution arrives as a monologue. Late on, a character sits down with a bottle of wine and explains the mechanism from premise to conclusion. It is a good scene for tension. It is still ten pages of someone narrating the plot aloud.
Content Notes
Trust No One by Mary Burton makes poisoning its method throughout, rendered through symptoms: cramps, vomiting, a throat closing to the width of a straw, cardiac arrest. One death is narrated from inside as it happens. A strangulation assault is recalled in physical detail more than once, and two further strangulations occur on the page, one during sex, with the woman left for dead. A child is sedated with over-the-counter antihistamine and found unresponsive. A child is present when an attic catches fire. A past suicide attempt by pills and blade is described, including the hospital aftermath. An exhumation is shown step by step. A dog was poisoned years earlier and its bones kept. Coercive control and love-bombing by a spouse, financial abuse, stalking, and a man who arranges violence against his own wife. A bereaved five-year-old throughout, and a narrator who felt relief rather than grief when a parent died.
What Stays With You
Not the poison and not the reveal. What stays is a crayon drawing of a house with four people in it, one of them inside and three of them outside, and a five-year-old who will not say why she keeps drawing it that way.
Trust No One by Mary Burton is too long in its middle, too uniform in its voice, and carrying six chapters it does not need. It is also assembled with real care, and it understands the thing most inheritance thrillers miss. The estate is not the prize in this book. The estate is the weapon, it has been in use for seventeen years, and the person holding it has been waiting patiently for somebody to come home.
October 5, 2026
Trust No One is the latest psychological thriller from Mary Burton. With a cool, fall setting Burton's latest novel takes place at an isolate family estate in Virginia. Public defender Raine left Hale House and all it's memories 17 years ago but after being attacked by a dangerous client, Raine escapes to her family's estate. Soon after arriving she receives a call that her cousin Maria is in the hospital in grave condition. While she and Maria had a falling out, Raine is still guardian to Maria's daughter and the past comes crashing back. While trying to avoid her charming soon-to-be-ex husband (who is STILL refusing to sign divorce papers) Raine finds herself at the center of an investigation that turns deadly. Told from multiple character's perspectives, short, taut chapters and increasing tension, Trust No One is a great fall thriller.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
October 13, 2026
Trust No One by Mary Burton
Thanks to NetGalley and @brilliancepublishing for this audiobook.
Release date 1st October 2026
lactually really enjoyed this book. The narrator's were great, the story line was great, it was mainly told from a dual POV with the odd person speaking. It was a proper 'who done it' storyline.
That had me trying to guess the whole way through. That ending though!!!!! I think I sat open mouthed for ages, trying to come to terms with it
lol
A great thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley and @brilliancepublishing for this audiobook.
Release date 1st October 2026
lactually really enjoyed this book. The narrator's were great, the story line was great, it was mainly told from a dual POV with the odd person speaking. It was a proper 'who done it' storyline.
That had me trying to guess the whole way through. That ending though!!!!! I think I sat open mouthed for ages, trying to come to terms with it
lol
A great thriller.
Review of advance copy
Since Raine’s return there’s been nothing but tragedy. Raine returned to Hale House after she was attacked in a courtroom. Her divorce from Ken helped motivate her to head back to Hale House. Three weeks later her cousin Maria was poisoned. Raine’s ex-boyfriend from high school is the agent working the case. A once close-knit circle of friends grew apart after high school only to find themselves working together to solve this case.
…
The Hale House Estate belongs to the last two remaining heirs. Since Maria and Raine are cousins Maria uses the house as collateral to pay for her husbands bad business dealings. When Raine was in high school she hired Amy to care for her ailing mother at the Hale House to give Raine a break. Gabe and his mother were hired by Raine’s mother to take care of the property.
…
Trust No One is about Raine and Molly being the last heirs to inherit the Hales House. Property that is worth money.
…
There once was a time I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a Mary Burton book. Over the years my expectations for thrillers, crimes, and mysteries have advanced. I had high hopes for Trust No One, but those hopes dwindled the further I read. It takes a lot to dazzle this reader. I did enjoy the twists and turns, yet it wasn’t enough to make me feel like a book I could recommend.
…
The Hale House Estate belongs to the last two remaining heirs. Since Maria and Raine are cousins Maria uses the house as collateral to pay for her husbands bad business dealings. When Raine was in high school she hired Amy to care for her ailing mother at the Hale House to give Raine a break. Gabe and his mother were hired by Raine’s mother to take care of the property.
…
Trust No One is about Raine and Molly being the last heirs to inherit the Hales House. Property that is worth money.
…
There once was a time I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a Mary Burton book. Over the years my expectations for thrillers, crimes, and mysteries have advanced. I had high hopes for Trust No One, but those hopes dwindled the further I read. It takes a lot to dazzle this reader. I did enjoy the twists and turns, yet it wasn’t enough to make me feel like a book I could recommend.
October 2, 2026
I had the bad guy figured out immediately and the ending was awful.
Review of advance copy
My first gripe is that I was reading this in mid September 2026 and the plot ran from October 2026 to January 2027.
Yes, I was reading under Amazon Prime early release scheme but surely the author could have set the book 1 year earlier so no one would be reading it with future dates?
My second gripe is the number of professional breaches of code of conduct that makes the plot laughably ridiculous in places.
My third gripe is the weaknesses in the plot and the stretches to make it work.
My 4th gripe is some of the ridiculous approaches to grief counselling that were adopted.
My 5 th gripe was the ridiculous risk taken by some in the last chapter
Finally, none of the characters were particularly likeable ( or not) to have me strongly vested in the outcome.
I did like how the chapters were time-lined and told from different person narratives, which was enough to keep me reading but sadly not enough to save the book.
Yes, I was reading under Amazon Prime early release scheme but surely the author could have set the book 1 year earlier so no one would be reading it with future dates?
My second gripe is the number of professional breaches of code of conduct that makes the plot laughably ridiculous in places.
My third gripe is the weaknesses in the plot and the stretches to make it work.
My 4th gripe is some of the ridiculous approaches to grief counselling that were adopted.
My 5 th gripe was the ridiculous risk taken by some in the last chapter
Finally, none of the characters were particularly likeable ( or not) to have me strongly vested in the outcome.
I did like how the chapters were time-lined and told from different person narratives, which was enough to keep me reading but sadly not enough to save the book.
September 18, 2026
This book had several pros and cons for me, but ultimately the pros won out.
The two biggest cons were the writing and the characters. The writing felt very choppy at times, but I’ve convinced myself the style actually fits with the overall tone of the book. And the characters! Every character, with the exception of Molly, who is 5, were very flawed human beings. Out and out unlikable for the most part. But once again, I’m sure it was intentional, especially given the title of the book. You really didn’t know who to trust.
The pros that tipped the scales for me were the plot and the ending. The plot was well laid out and the epilogue was absolutely perfect. It made the whole book worthwhile.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
The two biggest cons were the writing and the characters. The writing felt very choppy at times, but I’ve convinced myself the style actually fits with the overall tone of the book. And the characters! Every character, with the exception of Molly, who is 5, were very flawed human beings. Out and out unlikable for the most part. But once again, I’m sure it was intentional, especially given the title of the book. You really didn’t know who to trust.
The pros that tipped the scales for me were the plot and the ending. The plot was well laid out and the epilogue was absolutely perfect. It made the whole book worthwhile.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.
September 17, 2026
Amazon first read
This was a free Amazon first read for September
Now I enjoy a good thriller but this definitely took some time to get into. There was definitely a lot of setting up the story in the first half of the book.
It was an ok read. I didn’t feel like I was on the edge of seat or anything. I have read i think 1 book from this author before but glad this was a freebie.
The characters definitely didn’t develop as much as I wanted them too. Not bad 2.5/3 star for me
This was a free Amazon first read for September
Now I enjoy a good thriller but this definitely took some time to get into. There was definitely a lot of setting up the story in the first half of the book.
It was an ok read. I didn’t feel like I was on the edge of seat or anything. I have read i think 1 book from this author before but glad this was a freebie.
The characters definitely didn’t develop as much as I wanted them too. Not bad 2.5/3 star for me
Review of advance copy received from Author
I have loved earlier suspense books by Mary Burton and Trust no One is no exception. It kept me turning pages as I tried to figure out who the killer was. There were a lot of choices and several people fit at different times during the novel but the surprising ending upended all of my constantly changing theories while I was reading.
Raine Hale has been away from Hale House for 17 years. She is a public defender who decides to return home after a violent episode with a suspect. She finds that her cousin, Maria, is in the hospital and in a coma. A heart attack Is suspected at first but she is only in her 30s and very healthy so further tests are done. The main detective on the case is Judson, her first love from high school. Raine finds Hale House, her family home, a total mess and has to decide whether to sell it or spend lots of money to make it more livable. The entire situation with Maria is also a mess – the two cousins had been estranged for over a year, Maria’s husband was acting out of character and their daughter Molly is with her grandmother. Raine definitely doesn’t need to trust anyone – she is surrounded by an untrustworthy cast of characters – the man who beat her up, her soon to be ex husband who is in debt and wants the money from the sale of Hale House but is he willing to kill to get his hands on it? Despite being a high school friend, Maria (in a coma for most of the book) doesn’t have much love for Raine during the flashbacks. Plus, it seems like most of the characters are cheating on their spouses and they are all interested in getting their hands on Raine’s house and money. When it’s discovered that Maria has been poisoned, things get even more complicated. Judson, who seems to be the only trustworthy person, tries to solve the crime while dealing with myriad suspects, all of whom were friends in high school. Sound confusing?? Parts of it really were confusing and at times it was difficult to wade through the confusion to figure out what was going on.
There were some definite negatives to this book – it was poorly edited, some of the time lines didn’t make sense and there were a few things that Raine did to try to help Judson solve the crime that were well beyond what she should be doing as a public defender. All of that said, it was still an interesting book the kept me guessing until the end and for me that took precedence over the negatives that I mentioned. I think it’s another great book by this author.
Raine Hale has been away from Hale House for 17 years. She is a public defender who decides to return home after a violent episode with a suspect. She finds that her cousin, Maria, is in the hospital and in a coma. A heart attack Is suspected at first but she is only in her 30s and very healthy so further tests are done. The main detective on the case is Judson, her first love from high school. Raine finds Hale House, her family home, a total mess and has to decide whether to sell it or spend lots of money to make it more livable. The entire situation with Maria is also a mess – the two cousins had been estranged for over a year, Maria’s husband was acting out of character and their daughter Molly is with her grandmother. Raine definitely doesn’t need to trust anyone – she is surrounded by an untrustworthy cast of characters – the man who beat her up, her soon to be ex husband who is in debt and wants the money from the sale of Hale House but is he willing to kill to get his hands on it? Despite being a high school friend, Maria (in a coma for most of the book) doesn’t have much love for Raine during the flashbacks. Plus, it seems like most of the characters are cheating on their spouses and they are all interested in getting their hands on Raine’s house and money. When it’s discovered that Maria has been poisoned, things get even more complicated. Judson, who seems to be the only trustworthy person, tries to solve the crime while dealing with myriad suspects, all of whom were friends in high school. Sound confusing?? Parts of it really were confusing and at times it was difficult to wade through the confusion to figure out what was going on.
There were some definite negatives to this book – it was poorly edited, some of the time lines didn’t make sense and there were a few things that Raine did to try to help Judson solve the crime that were well beyond what she should be doing as a public defender. All of that said, it was still an interesting book the kept me guessing until the end and for me that took precedence over the negatives that I mentioned. I think it’s another great book by this author.
October 7, 2026
Long, Long Way to Go…
The Hale Family Legacy looms large in a community where the family has resided for centuries in an estate surrounded by land, prime land, with five miles of road surrounding it. And it is the place, one of the last of the Hales returns to having been in a near fatal attack. As a defense attorney, she was no stranger to the violence. However, after the attack, she chose to return to her family’s, especially as her marriage was crumbling. Filing for divorce, she settles into an estate that has been crumbling with age and neglect, a place with too few good memories, but an estate she will officially inherit as her 35th birthday nears.
Upon her arrival, she is contacted by local hospital to notify her of her sister’s near death. Although always health conscious, a marathon runner, her young sister seemed to have suffered a heart attack and remains unconscious in the ICU. Suspicions swell and suspects multiply. Test results show that poison had been the cause that had triggered the heart attack.
And from this murder attempt, the danger and attacks increase. Multiple murders occur. Unfortunately, the main character for all her legal experience seems to have been too complacent in her marriage, too dismissive in her assault, and nearly blind to dangers.
Too lengthy and too far-fetched a conclusion leave readers feeling cheated.
The Hale Family Legacy looms large in a community where the family has resided for centuries in an estate surrounded by land, prime land, with five miles of road surrounding it. And it is the place, one of the last of the Hales returns to having been in a near fatal attack. As a defense attorney, she was no stranger to the violence. However, after the attack, she chose to return to her family’s, especially as her marriage was crumbling. Filing for divorce, she settles into an estate that has been crumbling with age and neglect, a place with too few good memories, but an estate she will officially inherit as her 35th birthday nears.
Upon her arrival, she is contacted by local hospital to notify her of her sister’s near death. Although always health conscious, a marathon runner, her young sister seemed to have suffered a heart attack and remains unconscious in the ICU. Suspicions swell and suspects multiply. Test results show that poison had been the cause that had triggered the heart attack.
And from this murder attempt, the danger and attacks increase. Multiple murders occur. Unfortunately, the main character for all her legal experience seems to have been too complacent in her marriage, too dismissive in her assault, and nearly blind to dangers.
Too lengthy and too far-fetched a conclusion leave readers feeling cheated.
October 7, 2026
Trust No One....
...because everyone has a motive, everyone has been lying and everyone is double crossing everyone else....especially Raine and Molly.
This is a very sticky and twisted web of corruption, betrayal, greed and sex, one that has only just been seen. But when they begin investigating they realise it has been there in the darkness for many, many years, just waiting for the right time.....and that time is now. Both Raine and Molly are in danger and like Raine we are kept guessing about who is behind the danger, who has been leaving bodies behind.....and who is now targeting Raine and Molly?
A gripping listen on Audible with Kindle Unlimited.
...because everyone has a motive, everyone has been lying and everyone is double crossing everyone else....especially Raine and Molly.
This is a very sticky and twisted web of corruption, betrayal, greed and sex, one that has only just been seen. But when they begin investigating they realise it has been there in the darkness for many, many years, just waiting for the right time.....and that time is now. Both Raine and Molly are in danger and like Raine we are kept guessing about who is behind the danger, who has been leaving bodies behind.....and who is now targeting Raine and Molly?
A gripping listen on Audible with Kindle Unlimited.
October 9, 2026
The premise is pretty cool and there’s a lot of moving parts, but then all the parts stop moving and it gets kind of boring. I felt fairly insulted by how often the book repeated information and plot points. Like, I get it! I read it the first time! It was ultimately still interesting though so it wasn’t fully bad, and I actually feel like others might like it more than I did.
As a note: I’m ecstatic that Goodreads added half stars, but you will NEVER catch me using 1/4 or 3/4 stars. If you see me do that, some AI bot has taken over my account, I promise.
As a note: I’m ecstatic that Goodreads added half stars, but you will NEVER catch me using 1/4 or 3/4 stars. If you see me do that, some AI bot has taken over my account, I promise.
September 26, 2026
advance copy from Amazon First Reads.
ok this having 4.25+ on here is bizarre to me. I decided to read a quick snappy book because Outlaw Mage is pretty slow going. I'll give this book that it was quick, but it was also quite bad. very flatly written when it wasn't full of hypothetical questions and little suspense.
also there are so many sections that are written like this (formatting the book's):
though truth be told, I was going to give this book two stars until the epilogue, which was thrown in to be SHOCKING and honestly pissed me off.
also, Raine Hale? really? it was also eyerolly every time ANOTHER new male character was introduced that was in love with her.
ok this having 4.25+ on here is bizarre to me. I decided to read a quick snappy book because Outlaw Mage is pretty slow going. I'll give this book that it was quick, but it was also quite bad. very flatly written when it wasn't full of hypothetical questions and little suspense.
also there are so many sections that are written like this (formatting the book's):
I used to believe. . .
Love can fix anyone.
But here's the truth.
It can't.
though truth be told, I was going to give this book two stars until the epilogue, which was thrown in to be SHOCKING and honestly pissed me off.
also, Raine Hale? really? it was also eyerolly every time ANOTHER new male character was introduced that was in love with her.
October 9, 2026
I’m so sorry but I had a hard time even getting into this book. I was not invested whatsoever. I can’t tell if it’s a problem in this book in particular because I am very picky with my thrillers. I originally got this book as an Amazon Kindle First Reads ARC- and it’s now way past the release date… when it takes me this long to read a book it’s either because it’s really long or because I’m not invested or connected to the story/characters. Unfortunately that was the case with this one.
September 30, 2026
I don’t DNF often, but when I do, it’s because I just couldn’t force myself to go on. I spent more time telling myself not to be a quitter than I did actually engaging with the story. The writing wasn’t great, the timing/pacing was off, and I didn’t enjoy the characters. No thanks, maybe next time, Mary. 👋🏼
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