2.5/5 stars! The premise of the book was interesting and I was intrigued to help track down the shark. My issue with this book was that the leads had no chemistry and there was a majorly icky power dynamic between Clay and Riley. Not a fan of that element at all and it took me out of the story. Would try another book by this author to see if other pairings are more successful for me.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Trooper Riley Tatum has a dark past she likes to keep hidden. Tough, strong, and a take no-nonsense woman, she has a soft spot for teen runaways. So much so she is in the process of adopting one, Hanna.

When a young prostitute is killed and found with a five-card playing hand, memories begin to float back to Riley from a missing 7 days she had twelve years prior.

As another girl is found under the same circumstances, things start to take a turn for the worse. All the victims look like Riley.

Is she in danger? Is this someone from her past sending her a message?

Enter for FBI Agent Clay Bowman. These two have a short, tortured history and their chemistry is off the charts. But nothing will stop Clay from finding out who is murdering these girls …or from keeping Riley safe.

This was a long story with a great deal of twists and turns. Told from multiple revolving viewpoints, it was easy to keep track of who was speaking and this added to the tension of the piece.

Riley is the one who got away from the Shark spoiled all his fun and now that he has found her it is game on: Riley is now a State trooper and tracking criminals like the shark. Clay had one night with Riley and felt guilty for having one night who wasn’t his late wife. Now he feels guilty for the way he treated Riley.

I was really excited to see a new Mary Burton book only to get it and realized it was a repackaged Older book of hers that I had previously read. Despite that it was a good book with twists and turns and a solid mystery. And I look forward to reading her next NEW book!

A great mystery with lots of twists and turns. As always with Burton's thrillers, great characters and plots. A really fun read.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This is the first in the Forgotten Files series and it is also a reissue from 2016. This was my first book by this author and it kept me reading and trying to figure out who the Shark was. An excellent romantic suspense and a great beginning of a new series.

State Trooper Riley and her K-9 Partner, Cooper are on the chase of a criminal. As she follows the criminal, she starts to lose her backup and ends up with a little bit of help from an individual from Shield Security. Clay Bowman is a former FBI agent who now works with Shield Security. Clay’s boss has figured out that a recent murder is linked to cold case that he has been trying to solve. Not only that but they Clay and his boss think that Riley was one of the victims of the Shark and was lucky to be alive. Riley and Clay decide to work together to find the Shark and stop is killing spree.

Yet again, this author manages to keep me guessing. I had an idea of who was behind this, then had to rethink because it didn’t add up. And then again. And again. Her ability to make everyone suspect while no one could be is second to none and her twists only make this all the more impossible to put down.

And the best part? Riley is strong, smart, stubborn, loyal, and isn’t about to go down without a fight. She’s also got Clay in her corner, at her back, and hoping to be by her aide when all is said and done. These two work wonderfully together and keep the story from feeling too dark in its saddest moments. And there is quite the heartbreak to be had for Riley, I swear. They had a short chance once and a much more permanent chance now, and I was so glad to see them embrace it. I know we’ll see them again in future stories, too, because this author likes to give us glimpses of the future for each couple in other books, which I definitely enjoy.

Mary Burton is definitely a go-to author and "The Shark" is a clear cut case of why she's one of the best. Great read.

this was a great start to the Forgotten Files, it had what I was looking for in this type of book. I was invested in the story and the characters in this world. Mary Burton has a great writing style and it worked with the thriller genre. I was invested in what was going on and it left me excited to read more in this series and from the author.

"He’d always been a bad liar, but at this point she couldn’t tell. “Get off my property, William. ”He turned to the car and hesitated. “I hear you’re about to adopt a kid. That’s a surprise. Maybe we’ll meet again.” She closed the gap between them in seconds. In a low voice so only he could hear, she said, “If you come within a mile of my kid, I will kill you.”

Mystery and intrigue…the protagonist is a law officer and searches for criminals. The characters are so realistic on this novel, written by a talented and gifted author. The story moves quickly but is a difficult subject. The language does not add to the story…crude and unnecessary. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review.