Vulnerable

Written by Mary Burton

Narrated by Rachel Harris

The Nashville woods hold a killer's deadly secrets in this cold case thriller by the New York Times bestselling author of You're Not Safe.



Years ago, three Nashville teenagers went into the woods for a hike—and only one came out. While her two friends disappeared without a trace, Amber Ryder was discovered at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm, head trauma, and zero memory of the horror that put her there. With no leads, the investigation hit a dead end.



Now another woman's body is found it the woods. When the trail leads to the missing teens' remains, the cold case becomes a fresh hell for forensic technician Georgia Morgan. But while Georgia works with Amber to try and reawaken her memories, her gut tells her the worst is yet to come.



Homicide Detective Jake Bishop can't be sure whether Amber is an expert manipulator or the killer's next target. Either way, he's determined to protect Georgia. Because the more she digs into the past, the more deadly secrets emerge. And a nightmare years in the making is about to come to a bloody, terrifying end.



Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666170924

Mary Burton

Mary has been writing historical romance novels for several years. She sold her first book, a Harlequin Historical novel, A Bride for McCain in January, 1999, and saw it published the following year in March. Her second book, The Colorado Bride, was a June, 2001, Harlequin Historical novel. Mary is also the author of The Insider's Guide to Direct Marketing (1995 by Zwieg White Associates), a marketing manual geared toward architectural/engineering firms. She has worked as a freelance writer and written (or ghostwritten) dozens of articles for publications including The RWR, Virginia Review, and Innsbrook Today. A 1983 graduate of Hollins University, Mary was the marketing director for a 100-person civil engineering firm before deciding to write full time. She is based in Richmond, Virginia, where she lives with her husband and two children.

[avoraciousreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5

Book source ~ NetGalley

Three teens went into the woods and only one came out. Amber Ryder was found with a broken arm, a concussion, and no memory about what happened. Nashville forensic technician Georgia Morgan has been assigned the five year old cold case because the father of one of the victims is rich and connected. He keeps pushing for more investigation even though the police haven’t managed to find anything in five long years. Georgia has read all the files and has contacted Amber who now resides in Texas, but before she can really get going on interviews another body is found in the woods - a body that leads Georgia and her team to the missing teens. What fresh hell is this?

There are twists and turns and revolutions both surprising and icky in this suspenseful murder mystery. I’ve read one other book by Mary Burton and I like her writing style. She woos with words and coaxes you to keep looking for answers all while dropping breadcrumbs to follow. Sometimes you think you have it figured out only to doubt yourself with the next revelation. It’s frustrating, but in a good way. There is plenty of science involved without it overwhelming the story and there’s even more foot work involved by Detective Jake Bishop. Police work is a collaborative effort between beating the bushes and science and I’m glad this story shows that. I look forward to reading more stories by Mary Burton.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vulnerable is the fourth book in the Morgans of Nashville series by Mary Burton, but the first one that I have read. I did not have a problem following the story and this book can definitely be read as a standalone novel, but I will go back and read the rest. After quickly perusing them, they will tell the stories of Georgia's three brothers.

Five years ago three teenagers went into the woods to work on a school project. When the they didn't return home there was a massive search which found only one of them. Amber Ryder was located at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm, serious head trauma causing a grade three concussion and amnesia. The last thing she remembers happened three days prior to entering the woods. Many in the town did not believe her and the father of one of the victims was sure she had killed him. She left town and headed to Dallas Texas where she was living and working when she was contacted by Georgia Morgan. Georgia has reopened the cold case determined to find out what happened to the two missing teens. When the body of a young girl is found by a hiker and his dog in a small cave in the woods, Georgia makes gruesome discovery at the site. Sealed in a back area of the cave she finds the missing remains of the case she had just opened. The killer has returned.

Georgia is teamed up with Homicide Detective Jake Bishop to untangle the clues and put the killer behind bars once and for all. Jake is know as a bit of a houndog, and Georgia has no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost. The banter between the two of them is refreshing and it does not take the reader long to figure out where this is heading. This the romance in the "romantic suspense label", however it is not a huge part of the book. I enjoyed getting to know these two characters. The author gave a lot of information and their backstories which made me like them very much. Georgia is a bit of a soft touch. Having been rescued as a young child herself, she fights for the underdog, which might just put her in harms way. Jake is the skeptic. He trusts his gut feelings and wants to protect Georgia as well as solve this case.

This book is full of twists and turns that are sure to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. I read this book in two days because I wanted to see what happened next. I will say that I did figure out who the mastermind was, but the ending still surprised me. Overall, this book was a great thriller that I certainly recommend. Now off to find out what the story is with the rest of the Morgan family. Thank you to Kensington for generously providing me with a copy of this book to read.

[cathygeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wealth, poverty, intelligence, sex, cunning, family and murder all play parts in the solving of a recently reopened cold case in Nashville. Five years earlier three young people went into the woods but only one came out – the other two were never seen again. Five years later a young woman murdered and found in a cave opens new doors of inquiry for the old cold case. Files are opened, read and scrutinized. The team follows leads from the past and present looking for the murderer of the young people wondering if the same person killed all three.

Georgia and Jake are the main couple of interest in this book. Georgia is the only sister of three older brothers and works in forensics. She is paired with Jake Bishop to work on the cold case. Their awareness of one another grows as they work in close proximity with one another during the case. There are interactions while on the job and off the clock, with family and friends and also with potential suspects.

This was an easy read and interesting. I have to say I was fairly certain who the murderer was early on in the story but wanted to find out why…and…I am not really certain I know WHY even though I finished the book. I sometimes think evil is just that – evil – and there is no valid explanation for why evil people do what they do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC to read and review.