Book Title: The Burden of Hate (An Annie Collins Mystery) by Helen Starbuck
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 216 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Routt Street Press
Release date: March 2020
Content Rating: R. Several explicit sex scenes, profanity, medical scenes
How far would you go for someone you love? How much hate would you need to commit murder? Revenge. Hate. Fear. Not exactly traditional wedding gifts. But when convicted killer Ian Patterson escapes from prison, operating room nurse Annie Collins and fiancé assistant district attorney Angel Cisneros are forced to confront these realities head on. Will Ian Patterson’s quest for revenge toward the two people responsible for sending him to prison—Annie Collins and Angel Cisneros—bring them face to face to settle the score once and for all? Find out why Kirkus Reviews calls The Burden of Hate, “A thriller that offers a master class in suspense.”
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My Review
I chose to listen to this audiobook after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Burden of Hate can be read as a standalone but it would be better after reading Mad Hatter’s Son and No Pity in Death.
Annie and and Angel are getting married! Angel’s mom makes sure that it’s a beautiful wedding, but sometimes you can’t plan everything.
The main focus of Burden of Hate is how Annie and Angel deal with Ian breaking out of prison. He’s back, and he’s making clear that he wants revenge. The police are trying to find him, but he’s good at being invisible. Even if he can’t get close enough to kill Annie or Angel, he’s causing a lot of stress in their marriage.
Once again, Annie ends up involved in investigating a murder. This time, the priest who was supposed to marry them was found murdered. She doesn’t plan on investigating it, but her mother-in-law knows the family and promises that Annie will look into it. Annie does come up with some clues for the police.
Annie continues to grow. She’s able to keep her temper under control most of the time, but there were a couple of times she overreacted. Angel doesn’t handle being forced to stay home well. It’s a side of him that I haven’t seen before, and it’s not pretty. It makes him more human, though, rather than the perfect boyfriend he was in the previous book.
I enjoy Helen Starbuck’s writing. It flows well. The narrator, Suzanne T. Fortin, did a fabulous job. Her timing is spot on and vocal expression helps tell the story.
I liked all three of the books in this series that I’ve read so far. I would prefer more focus on the mystery and a little less on the drama, but that’s a personal preference, and I’m sure there are readers who disagree. I enjoyed the ending of Burden of Hate, and I hope there are more Annie Collins stories to come.
About the Author
Helen Starbuck is a Colorado native, former OR nurse, and award-winning author of the standalone romantic suspense novel Legacy of Secrets, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series. She loves mysteries, suspense, romance, and any book that is well written. She’s a huge fan of books with independent, strong, women characters and, as Neil Gaiman says, “…stories where women save themselves.”
Connect with the author: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads
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Jan 13 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of The Mad Hatter’s Son / giveaway
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Jan 14 – CorinneRodrigues – book review of The Mad Hatter’s Son / giveaway
Jan 14 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review of The Mad Hatter’s Son / giveaway
Jan 15 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of No Pity in Death / giveaway
Jan 15 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – book review of The Mad Hatter’s Son / giveaway
Jan 15 – Bound 4 Escape – audiobook review of The Mad Hatter’s Son
Jan 18 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of The Burden of Hate / giveaway
Jan 19 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 19 – – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review of No Pity in Death / giveaway
Jan 19 – Bigreadersite – book review of The Mad Hatter’s Son
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Jan 26 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review of The Burden of Hate / giveaway
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Jan 28 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of No Pity in Death / giveaway
Jan 29 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – book review of No Pity in Death / giveaway
Jan 29 – Bound 4 Escape – audiobook review of No Pity in Death
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Feb 3 – Locks, Hooks and Books – audiobook review of The Burden of Hate / giveaway
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Feb 5 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – book review of The Burden of Hate / giveaway
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