Actually, 4.5 stars.

Mary Burton, you’ve done it again! “The Shark,” is the beginning of what I know will be another hit series by you. Fast, furious, vicious and tender, what a read.

A very dark psychological thriller, “The Shark” explores present and past trauma, and the disappearance and murder of women on the street. Riley Tatum, disappeared 12 years ago for 7 days, with very little recollection. She is now a police officer, a State Trooper to be exact, and women are once again disappearing and turning up murdered! 12 years ago Riley found 5 playing cards in her back pocket? The women now, are found with a playing card with the word loser found on them.

With her faithful dog, Cooper, she tracks cases. A murdered prostitute beings the haunting time back for Riley. In addition, she is reunited with Clay Bowman, from her past, who warns her she is a possible target of the killer.

Combining romantic suspense and a depraved killer this book will shock you, the plot twists will have you gasping, and the story will keep you guessing. Some of it is a bit predictable but Burton, writes in an entertaining and engrossing fashion so that is forgiven.

Riley Tatum, I can’t wait to read more of your story in books to come.

Thank You NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a good one! The twist will make your jaw drop. Its definetly a slow burn but well worth it!

I Love Mary Burton, if she writes it, I will read it!

An engaging suspense where past and present collide. Over twelve years ago young women who lived on the streets were being killed in New Orleans and now the killings have started again in Virginia. State trooper Riley Tatum is first on the scene and what she sees brings back fuzzy memories of 7 days she cannot remember from 12 years ago. Seems she was the only one that got away.

Looking forward to all the books in this series.

New version of an older publication but first time read for me. Virginia trooper Riley Tatum is pulled into a case that may have ties to her past. Young girls, living and working on the streets, are being murdered in apparent high stakes, life or death, poker games. As Riley gets deeper into the case, missing days from her life, when she was a teenager and disappeared for several days while living on the streets , start rearing their heads and invading her present.
Enthralling and totally chilling.
Great character development and locale placement.
Not sure how I missed this first time around but glad I found it this time.

This is such a twisted tale. Lots of mystery and suspense. The characters all had a great deal of depth to them. There are a lot of twists and turns. I never saw the end coming.

Officer Riley Tatum works as a Virginia State Police trooper with her trained dog Cooper. She is trained to track pimps and drug dealers. The work is personal for Riley having taken to the streets herself as a teenager. She is always trying to save runaways. She knows most aren’t in this business by choice. Most are coerced into the work as sex slaves.
…
A private firm called Shield Security offered to assist Riley but she declined. Then a man wearing fatigues, a small backpack, and a knife strapped to his thigh with a Colt M4 Carbine rifle slung over his shoulder showed up. It was Clay Bowman, but Riley didn’t recognize him.
…
Five years ago, Bowman trained Riley. He never meant to fall for her. Six months prior he lost his wife to cancer, the guilt of being with someone else was too much for him. Both moved on and focused on there careers. Now he’s ready to be back in her life.
…
Mary Burton writes an interesting crime thriller about the Shark a man who plays life and death high-stakes poker games. Death becomes the girl when they lose against him. Leaving poker cards on his victims is his signature mark. When Riley was a teenager she found similar unmarked poker cards in her pocket. It’s been twelve years since she’s had that memory. Riley’s not ready to share the memory with police until she’s certain there’s a connection.
…
Overall, this book held my interest. Although I wasn’t immersed in the story. There was definitely a steady pace of investigating activity. Mary Burton blended Riley’s personal life as a woman in the process of adopting Hanna a seventeen year old runaway with her life as a Trooper well. The personal agenda tied in with her line of work easily. Bringing Clay as a romantic interest for Riley gave her a more sensitive side compared to her hard exterior as a Trooper tracking drug dealers and pimps.
…
I wasn’t surprised by the reveal at the end. Although I was disappointed that a hint of information was kept from the story. I’m not sure if that information was held back on purpose to carry over into another book. A comment was made regarding Riley’s mother that I would’ve liked to explore more. Again not sure if Riley’s backstory is being reserved for more books.

This is my first time reading this author, but I’ll definitely be reading more. I am really excited to continue this series as well as read the author’s backlist. Riley Tatum is a state trooper that comes across a murder scene that she is trying to deny connects to her past. The mystery is quite interesting, with several red herrings to keep you guessing. Although Riley is a trooper, there is plenty of detective work here. Th ex-FBI/private intelligence agency is a good excuse for our characters to have access to plenty of information they wouldn’t have otherwise. Clay is interesting but it would be great to see more into his working past. In my eyes this was a pretty well-rounded romantic suspense novel - there was the right amount of lusting in between all the detective work and death. Although it’s not a full blown emotional romance yet, it’s well on the way. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review!

I am becoming a true fan of Mary Burton. This book kept me turning pages in anticipation of what was going to happen next. A dark disturbing thriller with twists that keep the reader engaged through out the entire read. I am not a real explicit romance fan but overall a great read.

The Shark (The Forgotten Files book 1) by Mary Burton is a re-release of 2016 book. It is a clever story filled with twists/turns and keeps the reader engaged. The story jumps from different character viewpoints to fill in the gaps of knowledge, which is something that Mary Burton handles very well. Riley Tatum is a trooper and a foster mother looking to finally adopt her daughter. She is drawn into the case because she is one of the troopers called to the scene with the first body. But it isn't the first body, just an active serial killer who has now started killing in Riley's area. The similarities start to pile up quickly when she finds a fancy playing card with the body, very similar to a playing card that she found after waking up with a week's worth of time missing. You follow the clues with Trooper Riley and Shields Security Agent Clay Bowman, and hope that the killer will be found prior to Riley being targeted again. I would like to thank #NetGalley,#KensingtonBooks, #Zebra for the digital copy of book for my review.

Absolutely loved this book! Mary Burton never disappoints, one of my favorite authors. Love the action and suspense that keeps you guessing til the end.

The Shark by M. Burton, published by Kensington Books, is the first book in the authors new The Forgotten Files Series.
Riley is a state trooper and dog handler who stumbles over the case of a serial killer and with determination, wit and knowledge she gains a teenager and knowledge to catch a bad bad man.
A stunning read, 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trooper Riley Tatum and her K9 Cooper find themselves embroiled in a hunt to stop a serial killer with the unlikely help of former FBI, turned Shields Security Agent, Clay Bowman. Riley and Clay both have to face their painful past on this edge of your seat thrill ride. Betrayal, Deception and maybe even a new Love make this a page turner you don’t want to miss.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Kensington Books, Zebra in exchange for honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC of The Shark by Mary Burton in exchange for an honest review. The Shark has a premise that I normally enjoy. However, that said, I did not feel a connection to anyone in this book. . I felt the protagonist held everyone (reader included) at arm’s length. The storyline was very predictable with a very foreseeable conclusion and I was just glad to be finished. 2.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. From New Orleans to Virginia this book is a thrill ride. Sex trafficking, murder and a little romance thrown in. Ms. Burton kept me interested and turning pages way into the night. I give it 5 stars and suggest you add it to your next up to read!

Mary Burton can't do anything wrong in my book. I have read ALL of her books more than once actually as I love immersing myself into her world for a few hours.... I know what I will get from this author and she delivers every time to the highest of standards! There will be a well researched murder mystery mixed with a beautiful romance background involving the main character. I just love it and can't get enough of her books.
The Shark is a re-release of a book I had already read before. I did not mind reading the book again.... I fact I read the whole forgotten series again I enjoyed them so much.
I simply cannot recommend this author highly enough....

At the grisly murder scene of a teen prostitute, Virginia state trooper Riley Tatum’s past roars back to haunt her in The Shark by Mary Burton. I liked Riley and Hanna, and I loved Cooper, the dog! There was a nice romance plot that was subtle and not too in your face.

The Shark was a gripping novel. The author skillfully unraveled the story scene by scene and had an excellent reveal at the end. This was a thrilling mystery with credible and likable characters.

I was intrigued by the blood information: Dark-red blood implied a punctured vein. Light red meant blood diluted with gastric fluids from an abdominal wound. Pink and foamy signaled a possible chest wound. Good info!

I would read more by this author and would recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars for me.

#TheShark #NetGalley @KensingtonBooks

Do you play any card games?

I love playing blackjack, but we play a lot of go-fish and UNO in my house with my daughter. I do know how to play a wide range of games in addition to these.

At a murder scene of a teenage prostitute, State Trooper Riley Tatum’s past catches up with her real quick. As a teenager, she was a runaway who was drugged, kidnapped, and left unconscious on the streets. Luckily she got out, but her victim did not fair as well. All Riley remembers of her kidnapping is a recurring dream of two men playing cards.

The Shark murders girls as part of a sadistic poker game. Only one girl has survived, and Shark is hell bent on settling the score.

Turns out its Riley who escaped, and her victim was also a part of Shark’s game. When he realizes that it’s the Riley from his past, he’s determined to finally make her his. Will she be able to escape again?

I really enjoyed this book! It was a fantastic thriller with a romance vein as well. I’m a sucker for that, thrillers are better with romance. The twists and turns on this one was nail biting! I did find this one dragged a little in the middle, but the rest of it held my attention and was nicely paced.

This is a re-cover of this book that was originally released a few years back. It will be released in mass paperback June 27th and is part of a series!

Thank you to the publisher, Kensington Books (@Kensingtonbooks), NetGalley (@netgalley) and the author for my e-ARC in exchange for this review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Shark by Mary Burton.

Unfortunately, I made it about halfway and then DNF. Sometimes you just don't jive with a book, and this was that time for me. The plot was too dark, too outlandish, and I couldn't get myself invested enough in the characters to continue forward. I can see it's appeal, it just wasn't for me.

It’s a card game with the highest of stakes, life or death. What inveterate gambler wouldn’t want in on that ultimate game.
The buy in to join the game is a young girl with long brown hair and that no-one who cares about. An endless supply can be had among the disillusioned girls who have left home for whatever reason and can be found on street corners, bus stations and road stops. Who would look for these girls if that high roller lost the game and then had to carry out the final part of the game.
Surely they would never have to kill anyone because they lost. There’s always a chance they could beat the house, right? Those odds were put to the test in this mystery about egos, addictions, power and revenge.
Riley Tatum was once one of those street girls in that card game….in fact, she was the only game the house ever “lost”. She went free that day, was rescued from that life and now was a policewoman with a focus on runaway teens. But the house never forgot that loss and now wanted to gamble her again……would the cards be in her favor again?
This book really moved along. The subject matter is relevant to the times and was well presented. A twisty thriller with a little romance the side.

It was a game for The Shark when one of them got away.
She now is a State Trooper hunting the men like The Shark
Full of twists in the plot.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Kensington for my voluntary review