Mary Burton, the modern-day Queen of Romantic Suspense, commands the reader’s attention in the first of her new Morgans of Nashville series. If you want to discover the killer before alpha male detective Deke Morgan does, don’t cover your eyes; don’t even blink, or the queen will be saying “Gotcha!” Burton’s newest release treats her devotees to more twists than a bag of pretzels.

COVER YOUR EYES indulges eager readers with all the ingredients of a blockbuster: steamy sex scenes, victims beaten to an unrecognizable bloody mess, red herrings, a convicted murderer claiming his innocence for 30 years, and a public defender struggling with her own demons while pursuing justice for not only her client but also the brother she believes she failed.

In the prologue, Burton pleasures fans with the perfect sacrificial lamb, Dixie Simmons. Even undiscerning readers know the glittering singer, juiced and full of energy after her successful gig, “dances with trouble” as she dreams of everyone knowing her name. Burton says of Dixie, “Lordy, but she wanted to be worth following more than the breath she took.” Dixie’s solitary walk in the dark is like Hitchcock’s ticking bomb.

"Agatha Christie must be rolling in her grave with jealousy as Burton serves red herring after red herring to her followers. Like a con man, Burton leads us down one path after another until the final trip into the woods."

We hold our breath in fear, waiting for the inevitable disaster. Dixie moistens her lips and smiles, expecting admirers when she hears footsteps behind her. We want to warn her, but the metal rod whooshes through the air and strikes her on the head. By the end of the encounter, the satisfied murderer guarantees, “Dixie Simmons wouldn’t be parading her tart ass around town anymore or singing those songs designed to ruin men’s lives.”

And we readers lick our lips, satisfied that we saw what was coming. But beware; Burton is just pulling us in. Once she has us off guard, we’re in for the ride of our lives as a crazed murderer seeks retribution.

Who killed Dixie? Is it the same person who killed Anne Dawson years ago and framed Jeb Jones, the convicted murderer that Rachel Wainwright is trying to exonerate?

A bundle of mysterious old letters addressed to Sugar from A. is delivered to Rachel and provides what she believes is an important clue to the identity of Anne’s lover. Is he the murderer? Because she isn’t sure she can trust him with evidence that might prove his father had unjustly sent the wrong man to jail, Rachel doesn’t share the intriguing letters with Deke. Instead she gives them to a friend to authenticate --- a costly mistake.

Burton takes the reader on another of her high-speed roller-coaster rides. Pummeled body after pummeled body lands in the morgue. Although the lawyer and the twice-divorced detective try to fight their primal urges, romance kindles between them.

Rachel pushes Deke for the DNA results necessary to justify the reopening of a 30-year-old case, and is attacked by a hooded murderer with a weapon resembling a tire iron.

For the lover of romantic thrillers, COVER YOUR EYES is one giant birthday party full of surprises and dead bodies to the last page. Agatha Christie must be rolling in her grave with jealousy as Burton serves red herring after red herring to her followers. Like a con man, Burton leads us down one path after another until the final trip into the woods.

Of her many New York Times bestsellers, Burton says this is her favorite. Even the most critical reader is challenged to solve the case before Deke. The five-star twister left me with two words: “Got me!”