The House Beyond the Dunes by Mary Burton is a combination of memory-loss and psychological mystery. The story completely revolves around Lane McCord after she has miraculously survived a fall down a flight of stairs; Lana has no hampering injury but is unable to remember the events leading upto the fall. All she remembers is that she was in her new boyfriend Kyle's house when the accident occured and she can think of no reason why she, along with Ian, would have fallen down the stairs. The fact that Ian had died in the same accident only increases her distress and confusion.

And when a police officer tries to question her about two missing women who were last seen around Ian, her confusion only increases. Soon after, Lana starts getting snippets of the diary written by one of the missing women. As she starts reading them, Lana begins to suspect that she never really knew Ian, thus prompting her to visit Ian's house and try to get to know the real person behind his persona.

As Lana tries to navigate the strange people involved in Ian's life and their conflicting accounts about him, the reader along with her, are taken through a maze of lies, deception, vengeance and manipulation, while asking questioning themselves - did Lana push Ian deliberately or was it an accident as she thinks? Was Ian as good as he seemed to be or did he have sinister intentions towards her?

The premise of memory loss along with the seemingly sinister atmosphere conjured by the author, seemed like it would be a great read. And the story started off on a promising note. The author Mary Burton tells the story primarily through Lana and I felt Burton didn't make her complex or interesting enough. Her actions lacked sense some times and I couldn't understand her motivations most of the times. The story itself seemed directionless till about half way through and got thrilling only after that. But certain plot twists were glaringly obvious to me by that point and hence, it was not as great a reading experience as it could have been.

In my opinion, this is a story which had great potential but doesn't arrive there because of the lack in character's depth and certain narrative choices.

Wow!! This is a mystery you do not want to miss. From the first chapter, I was pulled into the intrigue of the storyline. A definite read!

One minute, Lane and her sort-of boyfriend are enjoying a weekend away at his swanky beach house in the Outer Banks, the next, she is waking up in the hospital with a swollen hip, a concussion and the news that Kyle is dead. They had tumbled down the stairs in the house, and the neighbor across the street heard fighting before the “accident.” It’s in quotations because all of a sudden there’s a detective asking tough questions about what happened. In an effort to remember, Lane heads back to the house to see what she can remember. But what she finds is only more questions and confusion…

This book takes place after the major “event” of the book has taken place, but don’t let that deter you - there’s plenty of mystery and action here! As Lane looks for answers, she finds only more questions, especially when she is sent some mysterious journal entries by a woman named “Stevie,” which weaves in a whole new story. And both stories are really good. I was drawn in by the lives of both women and was eager to see how both of them ended up. I mean, it wasn’t exactly a huge surprise who “the bad guys” were, but how it came together was what kept me turning pages, and the author knew how to keep the suspense going throughout.

And it was quite an interesting ending!

It was definitely original, I just don’t know how I feel about it. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t know if it would have been my first choice for how to wrap things up. But I can’t say too much more without giving things away. I CAN say I didn’t see it coming, so that’s a point in its favor.

Overall, this really was a really great atmospheric thriller with multiple layers and plenty of suspense. It was a quick read that I definitely enjoyed and recommend!

I don’t read a lot of thrillers, and if I’m being honest I’m not sure what made me even click on this one, but it definitely kept me hooked and guessing until the very end!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a good read. Kept me turning the pages and wanting to know what happened next.
Well written and another great author for me.

The characters are pretty likable and the story flows quite nicely. It has just a hint of a love story going on in places and lots of edge of your seat thrills.

4 stars for this one.

I’m torn on this one. I really wanted to like it but I am not sure I do. I had a hard time staying engaged with the story. This story moved slow and felt a little choppy to me. I think this is a case of even your favorite author writes something you don’t care for. It happens. If this book sounds good to you read it! She is a great author

Mary Burton is an artist at storytelling! Five stars is not enough! So many twists and turns!
I was hooked from beginning to end. I was figuring a few things out, but never saw it coming!

I simply love Mary Burton and in my opinion she is yet to write a bad book. I don't know how she does it, it is a gift and I am very happy she gets to share it with us. I not only can recommend this book which is absolutely amazing in all senses but I can also recommend any other books she has written as I have read them all... more than once... and really can't get enough of her work. Thank you Mary for having such an amazing creativity ability and for sharing it with us. The setting of the North Carolina coast is as ever beautifully executed and the touch of romance is essential in my view to remind us of the important things in life and leave us with a lasting optimism essential in our daily lives. The only downside in my view is the feeling of sadness when the book finishes as leaving the bubble created by Mary Burton is truly difficult.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The House Beyond the Dunes by Mary Burton in return for my honest review. I have read all of Mary Burtons books and enjoyed them all and this one did not disappoint, once you start reading you’ll find it very hard to put down this is a real page turner with lots of twists and turns and an ending i didn’t see coming. As always a really good read which I defiantly recommend reading.

The House Beyond the Dunes, by Mary Burton, is a twisty psychological thriller with just a touch of romance.
Lane's shocked when she wakes up to find herself laying in a hospital bed. A strange detective tells her that she's the lone survivor in a dangerous fall down the marble staircase at her new boyfriend's beach house. What was supposed to be their first romantic trip, together, has turned into a complete nightmare.
When Lane realizes that her purse, medications and phone are still back at the beach house, she decides to go collect them. Unfortunately, a winter storm turns her quick trip into an overnight stay in the house where her boyfriend died. Now she has to figure out who she can trust: the neighbor, who seems to just want to help or the strange detective who keeps asking her such probing questions.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher, for the eARC in return for my opinion. Firstly, I have to say I did wait for publishing date and borrowed the book via kindle unlimited. The audio was included, so I both listened and read this story alternately. In fact, I couldn't put it down after I started and read it almost in one sitting.

This story is told from Lane's POV, with diary entries from another character, central to the plot. Lane has gone to the house near the beach her new beau of three weeks owns, for their first serious rendezvous. They'd only been there an hour, when she suddenly come to at the bottom of the staircase, her boyfriend dead beside her. Apparently they've fallen. Events start from that point. What happened? Lane's memory is blank for those vital few minutes.

An intriguing man working across the street renovating a house, a busybody female property manager, and a hunky detective star as main side characters. The disappearance of several young women are central to the plot. There are twists and turns - some I saw coming and others I didn't. (No spoilers)

The writing is excellent and if you listen to the audio, the narrator does a first class job of all the characters. At times I was taken aback at how well she did the men's voices. Definitely the way to read this book and be involved in the creepy, stormy atmosphere - by listening! This is a first class psychological thriller and I give it 4.5 stars.

A well woven story of a tragic death that quickly unravels into something sinister when secrets and lies are exposed and concludes with a surprise ending that no one sees coming!

*I want to thank the author for this complimentary copy. The opinion expressed is my own.

Mary Burton has an extensive back library. I've not read all of them, but I have read many, many of them. They all have one thing in common, they're great books of mystery/ thriller/ physcological thriller. Any theme you might think of, she's pulled into a thriller and surprised us at the end. This one is no exception.
Lane is attracted to a young man she meets at the coffee house in which she works. He is a physochologist who asks her to spend the weekend with him after three wekks of dating. She agrees but is reluctant. Lane wakes in the hospital after she and the doctor fall down the stairs in his beach house. He dies in the fall and she can't remember how they came to fall. When Lane returns to the beach house to retrieve her personal belongings, she will be stuck by a storm. The scene/trap is now set!!!!!
If you have read any of Burton's back library, you know someone else is going to die pretty soon and Lane is going to have to double down if she wants it to not be her. If you haven't read any of Burton's back library.....oops!
Either way, you'll spend the rest of the evening, well past the "one more chapter" time until the last twist rushed the ending your way. Then you'll go find the rest of Burton's books. Enjoy!

I have enjoyed every book by Mary Burton I have read and The House Beyond the Dunes is no exception. Suspenseful, I was on the edge of my seat at every turn of the page. It's a quick read that I highly recommend. I look forward to the next release by Mary Burton and find myself trying to catch up on her backlist.

I received an eARC from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The ultimate unreliable narrator is one with amnesia who doesn’t remember what happened! 😱 I liked the format of this book as we go back and forth in time to put the timeline of events into context. It was definitely worth the wait to piece it all together by the end!
*Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the ebook copy for review.

This psychological thriller was fantastic. Lane McCord, working on getting a PhD in s psychology and counseling, takes a trip with Dr. Kyle Iverson, who is a private practice psychologist, to the Outer Banks for a weekend after having known each other for a couple of weeks. His beach house is north of Corolla and the Currituck Lighthouse, where he drives her 11 miles further in his Range Rover, which crossing is only by sand. The area is pretty much desolate except for a few houses. After arriving, they both tumble down the stairs from the second floor to the first. As a result, Kyle died and Lane injured her hip. She does not recall what happened to cause their fall. After being transported to a hospital in Norfolk, she returns to the beach house on her own to retrieve her things. Finding out how all of this came about leads her down a dangerous path of learning about missing women and possible serial killers. Her memory comes back in pieces while she receives parts of a diary that are digitally sent to her from Stevie Palmer. This suspense kept me trying to figure out who Lane could trust, and who was involved in all of her encounters and revelations. Lane did not quit trying to find out the truth, no matter how much danger she was in throughout the novel. I loved it.

What is suppose to be a romantic getaway for Lane and Kyle turns into a nightmare. They travel to Kyle’s Outer Baks home and are only there a few short hours when tragedy strikes. Kyle is dead and Lane is flown to a hospital, battered and with no memory of what happened. She heads back to the beach house to see if she can recreate what really happened. This leads her to uncovering and facing dark secrets.

I must admit, I didn’t figure out exactly what was what until the author had to spell it out for me. A true psychological mystery. I really don’t want to say too much, the reader needs to go on this ride for themselves. Fast paced, easy to get lost in. Character development slowly unfolds with surprising twists. The description of the Outer Banks in winter adds to the dark side of the book.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and the author for an ARC of The House Beyond the Dunes for an honest review.

Wow! This was the first Mary Burton book I have read and it definitely won't be the last. Lane McCord went away for what was supposed to be a romantic weekend with her new boyfriend Kyle and ended up waking up in the hospital after a terrible fall. Lane returns to the beach house to see if she can remember what happened in those final moments before her fall.

How well does Lane know Kyle and herself? When Lane starts receiving cryptic messages and insights into the past she discovers Kyle may not be who she thought he was. Lane starts to uncover decades old secrets about the beach area as well as herself.

A dark secret. A deadly obsession. A Twist you’ll never see coming…

A book filled with secrets, lies, deceit and obsession? Well, you won’t have to twist my arm!

Mary Burton, narrates a wild ride filled with unreliable and perfectly flawed characters. This book is dark! I was completely consumed as soon as I concluded the first chapter. There was no shortage of twists and turns and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The final twist was insane and unpredictable!

I can not wait to see what Burton comes out with next! The House Beyond The Dunes is out now and currently free on kindle unlimited! Happy reading, folks!

Teaser :

A tragic accident or something more sinister? A woman’s buried memories put her life at risk in a novel of shattering psychological suspense by New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.

Lane McCord wakes up in a hospital having survived a near-fatal fall at a North Carolina beach cottage. Her boyfriend, Kyle, wasn’t so lucky. A senseless tragedy on their first romantic getaway. All Lane remembers is lying at the bottom of the stairs in Kyle’s pooling blood.

Confused and grieving, Lane plans to return to the cottage, collect her personal belongings, and get out. Until a winter rainstorm leaves her stranded and vulnerable, but not alone. A concerned neighbor, who claims he heard a violent argument before the accident, has come out of the storm. So has a suspicious detective on the trail of a missing woman, whose diary deepens the mystery―and raises more questions that fill Lane with dread.

How well did she know Kyle? How well does she know herself? What really happened at the cottage on the beach? And when the answers come, who can Lane trust to get out of this waking nightmare alive?