Bea Reviews Cover Your Eyes by Mary Burton

Publisher: Zebra 
Series: The Morgans of Nashville
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Kobo | Barnes & Noble |
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Blurb from goodreads:

Don't Look

At first, they struggle to escape. Then a torrent of blows rains down upon their bodies until their eyes cloud over in final agony. The killer shows no remorse--just a twisted need to witness each victim's last terrified moments.

Don't Speak

Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree. But if Rachel's hunch is correct, whoever fatally bludgeoned young, beautiful Annie Dawson thirty years ago could be the source of a new string of brutal slayings.

Just Prepare To Die

Rachel's investigation is about to reveal answers--but at a price she never thought to pay. Now she's become the target of a rage honed by years of jealousy and madness. And a murderer is ready to show her just how vicious the truth can be.

Bea's Thoughts:

Well, this book started off fast and didn't let up. Despite being 400 pages, the book was a quick read, no doubt due to the fact that Burton grabbed and kept my interest. "Cover Your Eyes" has some intense moments, and I literally did cover my eyes a few times and skimmed some scenes. I did guess who the killer was but wasn't certain of it and had no clue why until late in the story. There were several twists and turns that kept me guessing.

The title is a bit confusing as it's not really relevant to the story unless maybe it refers to the intensity and gruesomeness (a small part of the story) while the cover has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with anything. It's a pretty cover but irrelevant to the story. So, ignore the cover, ignore the title, read the blurb and dive in.

"Cover Your Eyes" is 80% mystery and 20% romance so if you like a stronger romantic element to your romantic suspense this may not be the book for you. I thought it worked well and liked that it was a subtle element in the story. The focus was on the murder and neither Rachel nor Deke were impulsive nor did they let their feelings for each other interfere unduly with their jobs. There are sparks between them from the beginning and they dance around each other, resisting the attraction, but behaving like mature, responsible adults.

There's too much emphasis on and replaying of what inspired Rachel to become a defense lawyer and do pro bono work and it was a bit too clichéd for my taste. Despite that Rachel is a likable character and I admired her dedication to her and her realism. She wants justice even while knowing that sometimes expediency wins and sometimes mistakes happen.

Deke is following in his deceased father's footsteps, as are several of his siblings, with his spot on the force. He's in charge of a current murder investigation that ties back to a murder from several decades ago. He's also in charge of DNA testing for a old case that Rachel wants reopened. They clash and while working on their respective cases, it soon becomes obvious that both the old case and new case are intertwined. Burton deftly shifts the POV between Rachel, Deke, and Baby, the killer. Well, one of them. Burton gives us frightening glimpses into Baby's mind while being careful not to reveal any identifying information.

I do have one gripe regarding some incorrect word usage. I know I read an ARC but I strongly hope that the numerous, some quite glaring, errors were found and fixed before the final book went on sale. 

"Cover Your Eyes" is a tense, fast paced, engrossing story that will keep you up late. Make sure you have the lights on!