The Seventh Victim by Mary Burton, a Mysterious Review.

Review: A serial killer has targeted young, blond women in the Seattle area. Six are known dead, but one has managed to escape and live, in The Seventh Victim, a novel of suspense by Mary Burton.

The "Seattle Strangler" dressed his victims — all tall, blond, and young; all with bruises on their bodies but none raped — in a homemade white dress with lace trim, carefully placing the bodies with their hands at their sides. This information was known to the public. A single detail was kept secret: a penny was found in their hands. Lara Church would have been the killer's seventh victim had she died, but she lived. Unfortunately, she has no memory of the ordeal; indeed, she cannot remember anything earlier than waking up in the hospital. Two months later, she changed her appearance and left Seattle to move to her Grandmother's farm in Austin, Texas, where she had spent her summers growing up. Though keenly aware that the killer may believe her memory might return, she's cautious but tries to lead a normal life. That is until a Texas Ranger shows up at her door, telling her that the Stranger was at it again, this time in Austin.

The Seventh Victim has many tense moments, as Lara's fear simmers beneath the surface of her everyday activities. Lara's interest in photography, which has sustained her through the trying times and which she teaches at a local college, helps add depth to her character. How the plot unfolds may not be quite the surprise that was intended, but it doesn't diminish the overall effect it has on the reader.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Seventh Victim.

Acknowledgment: Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting provided a copy of The Seventh Victim for this review.

Merciless
Zebra (Mass Market Paperback), February 2011
ISBN-13: 9781420110203; ISBN-10: 1420110209