I'm Watching You


Romance - Suspense
384 Pages
Reviewed on 09/01/2009
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

<p> </p>
<p>Lindsay grew up in an abusive home.  Her father beat her mother to death.  As an adult Lindsay just wants to help abused women at the shelter she manages. Then, a dead body is dumped behind the shelter.  The deceased is an abuser.  The killer sends her a message, and her soon-to-be ex-husband is investigating the case. Can things get worse?  Homicide Detective Zach Kier is an alcoholic.  Soon there is another murder.   The killer is stalking Lindsay.  The murders are a gift to her; he sends her their severed hands.  The stalkers next target is Lindsay’s friends.  Lindsay and Zack work together to solve the murders. 

This is a great mystery with a twist of a love story. The characters are well-developed. It is impossible to guess who the killer is until the end.  Zach is sexy and Lindsay is courageous.  The dialogue is crisp.  The subplots keep the pace moving.  The suspense builds to a climatic ending.  Put this on your reading list. Look for Mary Burton’s next book, Dead Ringer!</p>

D. Hines

This was a great romantic suspense novel. It will keep you guessing until the end. I couldn't put it down until I finished. I loved the romance between Zack and Lindsay. I hope we read more about them in Mary Burton's new novel, which according to her website will be about two other characters in this book. Great read-looking forward to more from her in the romantic suspence novels.

Marie M.

Lindsay O'Neil came from a home where she and her
mother endured a life of physical abuse at the hands
of her father. One day, she came home and found her
mother's brutally battered body. Her father had left
the scene and gone to a motel where he committed
suicide. Lindsay was seventeen. To avoid ending up
in a foster home. Lindsay ran away to California where
she assumed a new name and moved on with her life.
What had happened to her mother was something that
she could not overcome. While in California, she was
able to earn her college degree.

Lindsay return to Richmond, Va. where she grew up. She
is committed to helping battered families get a second
chance in life. When the body of an abuser is found behind
the shelter where Lindsay is the director, her estranged
husband, Homicide Detective Zach Kier takes the case, on the
condition that his partner Detective Jacob Warwick is the lead.
Lindsay and Zach are separated due to his alcoholism, he was
able to seek help, Lindsay was unable to trust him.

There is a deranged killer on the loose who kills men who
battered and abused their wives and leaving the bodies in
different locations. The killer sends Lindsay flowers with
a note "Lindsay, you are not alone anymore. The Guardian."
Detective, Warwick and Kier they realize that Lindsay is in
some way connected to the murders. She may not be the
killer The Guardian knows her.

I liked Lindsay and Zach. Their characters were well
developed as well as the secondary characters. It was
impossible to figure-out who the killer was until the
very end of the book. The plot line, about a serial
killer, was not described in a gross way, more of a
protector. The story line kept me captivated until the
last page. My first book, I've read by this author,
excellent writing, suspenseful and very little romance.
I'm Watching You it's the first in the series.
Mary Burton has a second book in the sequel
"Dead Ringer."

I highly recommend.

Lori

This is a page turner from the moment you open the book. A good suspense with a little romance between lindsey and zack. She kept my interest that I had to force myself to put the book down so I could get some work done. This is the first Mary Burton book I've read and I plan to go check out and see what other books she has out. I put this author with my other favorites like Lisa Gardner, Mary Clark Higgins, Laura Griffin, Tami Hoag, Sandra Brown, just to name a few. Highly recommend this book.

Colleen Laughlin

Nothing too exciting and it was pretty predictible. I figured out the mystery pretty early on. I will say the characters were definitely interesting and I will read her next book in this series just for that alone. I just hope the next one relays more chemistry between the two lead characters. I didn't feel there was any chemistry between Zach and Lindsey. If you like a good suspense novel, this will be good, but do not buy it if you want a good romance story as well - there really isn't one.

Love to read

Really enjoyed this book, the first I've read by this author. Hope she will keep on writing and looking forward to the next book. It was a book I didn't want to put down, kept me guessing.

S.L. Chessor

This is another 5 star book that caught me from page one. Excellent story, great characters! I would recommend this book highly to others. You're in for a great ride when you start this book. Mary Burton has found a devoted reader in me. Can't wait to start her next one. S.L. Chessor author of Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers and My Tongue Fell Out. Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry Collection

OV chick

Read "Dead Ringer" first and liked it very much. This book is the first in the series but I did not feel I missed much reading them out of order. I enjoyed the characters and the story line is good. Kept me guessing until the end. Set in Richmond, VA which was fun as we used to live there. An entertaining book.

Doris McLellan

I really enjoyed this book I went back to see and regretfully this is her
first I look forward to the next one. Hope it does not take a year.

Misty D. Wilkins

This was a great romantic suspense novel. It kept me up all night. I loved the romance between Zack and Lindsay. I hope to see more of Ms. Burton.

A. Rowley

I don't usually give out 5 stars in a review, but this one deserved more than 4. It is not the best book I have read, but the author did an excellent job creating suspects that left the reader wondering how they fit into the plot and whether they were the killer or not. Good use of red herrings.

This is the first Mary Burton novel I have read and I was impressed. The suspense was good. Characters were fairly well developed, but I still felt distanced to them during their bouts of problems, almost as if the author was just writing their stories rather than using life experience or real emotion behind the writing-if that makes sense to anyone.

Someone is killing off the men who batter and abuse their wives and dropping off their dead bodies at the women's shelter where Lindsey works thinking that it is what she would want. "The Guardian" wants her to know that she is not alone in her fight to rid the world of these violent men who threaten and hurt not only the women, but the children as well. The killer knows about her tormented past that mimicks these abused women's lives. She is not sorry that the bad men are dead, but the killer's actions are threatening her job and the lives of all the women she has helped. It is not until the killer sends her the severed hand of the victims with notes attached that Lindsay gets scared. Her soon to be ex-husband is the detective on the case and would like nothing more than to patch things up with Lindsey and solve the case, but as Zack Kier gets farther into the case, he realizes that Lindsey has a connection to the murders. She may even be the killer. How many people will die before Zack finds the killer and will it be in time to save Lindsey from her own murder?

Is it worth buying?
Yes. Nothing all that new in the serial killer plot line, but good writing, good suspense with a little romance thrown in as well and enough suspects to keep the reader guessing up to the end.

D. Hines

This was a great romantic suspense novel. It will keep you guessing until the end. I couldn't put it down until I finished. I loved the romance between Zack and Lindsay. I hope we read more about them in Mary Burton's new novel, which according to her website will be about two other characters in this book. Great read-looking forward to more from her in the romantic suspence novels.

Marie M

Lindsay O'Neil came from a home where she and her
mother endured a life of physical abuse at the hands
of her father. One day, she came home and found her
mother's brutally battered body. Her father had left
the scene and gone to a motel where he committed
suicide. Lindsay was seventeen. To avoid ending up
in a foster home. Lindsay ran away to California where
she assumed a new name and moved on with her life.
What had happened to her mother was something that
she could not overcome. While in California, she was
able to earn her college degree.

Lindsay return to Richmond, Va. where she grew up. She
is committed to helping battered families get a second
chance in life. When the body of an abuser is found behind
the shelter where Lindsay is the director, her estranged
husband, Homicide Detective Zach Kier takes the case, on the
condition that his partner Detective Jacob Warwick is the lead.
Lindsay and Zach are separated due to his alcoholism, he was
able to seek help, Lindsay was unable to trust him.

There is a deranged killer on the loose who kills men who
battered and abused their wives and leaving the bodies in
different locations. The killer sends Lindsay flowers with
a note "Lindsay, you are not alone anymore. The Guardian."
Detective, Warwick and Kier they realize that Lindsay is in
some way connected to the murders. She may not be the
killer The Guardian knows her.

I liked Lindsay and Zach. Their characters were well
developed as well as the secondary characters. It was
impossible to figure-out who the killer was until the
very end of the book. The plot line, about a serial
killer, was not described in a gross way, more of a
protector. The story line kept me captivated until the
last page. My first book, I've read by this author,
excellent writing, suspenseful and very little romance.
I'm Watching You it's the first in the series.
Mary Burton has a second book in the sequel
"Dead Ringer."

I highly recommend.

Lori

This is a page turner from the moment you open the book. A good suspense with a little romance between lindsey and zack. She kept my interest that I had to force myself to put the book down so I could get some work done. This is the first Mary Burton book I've read and I plan to go check out and see what other books she has out. I put this author with my other favorites like Lisa Gardner, Mary Clark Higgins, Laura Griffin, Tami Hoag, Sandra Brown, just to name a few. Highly recommend this book.

Colleen Laughlin

Nothing too exciting and it was pretty predictible. I figured out the mystery pretty early on. I will say the characters were definitely interesting and I will read her next book in this series just for that alone. I just hope the next one relays more chemistry between the two lead characters. I didn't feel there was any chemistry between Zach and Lindsey. If you like a good suspense novel, this will be good, but do not buy it if you want a good romance story as well - there really isn't one.

Love to read

Really enjoyed this book, the first I've read by this author. Hope she will keep on writing and looking forward to the next book. It was a book I didn't want to put down, kept me guessing.

S.L. Chessor

Read "Dead Ringer" first and liked it very much. This book is the first in the series but I did not feel I missed much reading them out of order. I enjoyed the characters and the story line is good. Kept me guessing until the end. Set in Richmond, VA which was fun as we used to live there. An entertaining book.

Liviania

Lindsay O'Neil survived her father's abuse. He killed her mother and then himself, but she managed to survive and begin a sheltered for battered women. But now someone calling himself `The Guardian' is threatening that. He's killing abusers in her name and sending her their severed hands. To complicate matters, her estranged husband Zach Kier is one of the lead detectives investigating the case.

She and Zach separated due to his alcoholism, fueled partly by his work as an undercover vice cop. Zach managed to get clean, but Lindsay is still wary of renewing their relationship. His partner Jacob Warwick believes he'll return to drinking as well and treats him rather brusquely.

Lindsay works with the cops to catch the killer, but she also tries to continue protecting battered women - including her secret roommate Nicole Piper. Unfortunately, some of those women are suspects. Even more unfortunately, Nicole's husband is looking for her. I liked that Lindsay both had a reasonable motive for not cooperating completely with the police and didn't go looking for the killer on her own. She trusts them to do their job.

I likewise enjoyed Mary Burton's portrayal of Zach. An alcoholic is easy to make unlikeable. But I know many undercover narcotics cops do have substance abuse problems, and he made the effort to change his lifestyle and get clean. Lindsay's decision to kick him out wasn't the best possible, but it makes sense given her background of abuse.

Some scenes in I'M WATCHING YOU are rather violent, but I don't think Burton revels in the gore as much as some suspense writers. Children (teenagers) are hurt during the course of the novel, which I know bothers some readers. There are many references to and scenes of abuse that might not be palatable to those close to the subject. Nothing in the story bothered me, but it does tread close to issues that bother some people (often with good reason).

Burton develops an interesting serial killer who is all the more disturbing because his motives are altruistic. I'M WATCHING YOU plays well within the conventions of the genre and possesses the favorable characteristics of a non-jerk hero and a thinking heroine.

Doris McLellan

I really enjoyed this book I went back to see and regretfully this is her
first I look forward to the next one. Hope it does not take a year.

Misty D. Wilkins

This was a great romantic suspense novel. It kept me up all night. I loved the romance between Zack and Lindsay. I hope to see more of Ms. Burton.

CR

NEEDLESS TO SAY, I DIDN'T GET MUCH WORK DONE WHEN I STARTED READING THIS BOOK. DEFINATELY WORTH MAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS BOOK.

A. Rowley

I don't usually give out 5 stars in a review, but this one deserved more than 4. It is not the best book I have read, but the author did an excellent job creating suspects that left the reader wondering how they fit into the plot and whether they were the killer or not. Good use of red herrings.

This is the first Mary Burton novel I have read and I was impressed. The suspense was good. Characters were fairly well developed, but I still felt distanced to them during their bouts of problems, almost as if the author was just writing their stories rather than using life experience or real emotion behind the writing-if that makes sense to anyone.

Someone is killing off the men who batter and abuse their wives and dropping off their dead bodies at the women's shelter where Lindsey works thinking that it is what she would want. "The Guardian" wants her to know that she is not alone in her fight to rid the world of these violent men who threaten and hurt not only the women, but the children as well. The killer knows about her tormented past that mimicks these abused women's lives. She is not sorry that the bad men are dead, but the killer's actions are threatening her job and the lives of all the women she has helped. It is not until the killer sends her the severed hand of the victims with notes attached that Lindsay gets scared. Her soon to be ex-husband is the detective on the case and would like nothing more than to patch things up with Lindsey and solve the case, but as Zack Kier gets farther into the case, he realizes that Lindsey has a connection to the murders. She may even be the killer. How many people will die before Zack finds the killer and will it be in time to save Lindsey from her own murder?

Is it worth buying?
Yes. Nothing all that new in the serial killer plot line, but good writing, good suspense with a little romance thrown in as well and enough suspects to keep the reader guessing up to the end.

Anne M. Derhodes

This is a new author for me but I enjoyed her book very much. Lots of suspence and kept me reading. I looked for more books by Mary Burton but couldn't find any. If this is her first writing I hope she starts another one soon.

Rene Nuss

This was a great book. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future