Rox Burkey – Blog Place

**** Spine Tingling Thriller Review by Rox Burkey

Author Maura Beth Brennan masterfully creates a thriller with chilling twists and turns. The delivery is fast-paced and engaging. I enjoyed watching Hattie, or Harriet as she was known, try to maintain her calm exterior, especially when Lilly ends up missing.

Celine is her best friend. They met when Harriet came to town to work for Agnes. Agnes is dear to Hattie, like a grandmother.  The plot development is as solid as the character development. The reader is not only drawn into the story but hoping the most recent clue is going to point to the culprit. Each story element keeps the pages turning as the energy heats up like a volcano lava flow that runs for its life. 

The example below is one reason every page made me as a reader want more.

“No, nothing like that. I don’t consider myself a heroine, anyway. I did what I had to do.”

“If you don’t mind talking about it, what happened exactly, Hattie? How did you get in the middle of all that with Agnes and that man you, uh—”

“That man I killed, you mean? Wow. It’s a long story.”

Joanna settled back in her chair and sipped her tea. “Well, how did you come to work for Agnes? I know you came here from New Jersey.”

“I did. I came here in April, almost six years ago, to work for Agnes as a summer’ companion.’ I remember the concept of a paid companion seemed crazy to me, but I was drawn to Agnes. She was such an elegant, grand lady, so different from anyone I’d known, and I hoped the few months in Maine would give me the incentive to start a new life back in New Jersey after my job up here was done.”

The realistic depictions of the crime scene and evidence processing enrich the thriller and mystery aspects. You must read this book to learn if Lilly is found amid the ominous characters who effortlessly fall into their proper plotline position. You can find some relief from the sprinkles of love and hope as I did.  

I recommend this story to mystery and thriller lovers who wish to lose themselves in a tale unable to stop reading until the end. I have the first-hand experience of Maura Beth Brennan’s delivery in her short stories, but this novel demonstrates the power that makes her books worth reading.

About the Author

Maura Beth lives in a small town in the pinelands of New Jersey. A lover of words and books since childhood, she found ways to incorporate writing into a variety of jobs, from editing an organizational newsletter to writing job descriptions for the federal government. Now pursuing writing full time, she is the author of a full-length novel, “The Edge of Memory,” as well as a number of short stories. When not writing, she enjoys walking her dog, watching old movies, visiting the Jersey Shore, bargain hunting in thrift shops and, of course, reading. She has studied Reiki and is a believer in positive thinking, serendipity and second (or third or fourth) chances.

Find her featured in RWISA.

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    2 replies to "The Edge of Fear"

    • Jan Sikes

      What a fabulous review, Rox! I loved this story. Maura Beth has a real talent for storytelling and your review confirms that! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

      • RoxBurkey

        Jan, I so agree. I have enjoyed her shorts immensely but this was a edge of the seat gripper. Thank you for stopping by.

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