Evelyn Baine is an FBI profiler with the Behavior Analysis Unit and she is good at her job, very good. Working in a male dominated field, she struggles for acceptance and is a workaholic, stubborn and persevering. A traumatic incident when she was twelve was the guiding factor in her career choice. Her best friend, Cassie, was abducted/kidnapped from next door, never to be seen again.

Called to the scene of a brutal double murder in the woods of Bakersville, Evelyn begins her profile of a sadistic killer . He is called the Bakersville Burier because after raping, and torturing the women, he buries them with their heads out of the ground. He steals their wedding rings, as his trophies and his murder scenes are gruesome, his killing acts diabolical and it is obvious he hates women and won't stop until he is caught. This killer is smart, wily, a disguise expert but he is evil, pure evil.

HUNTED has an interesting cast of characters, including her boss, Dan, who isn't sure whether he likes Evelyn or not. Greg, her partner, knows she is a perfect profiler and is a good friend to her in BAU. There are a bunch of them that are not. Churlish, ego driven, they treat Evelyn shabbily but she can take it and give it back. However, an agent from FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, Kyle McKenzie, with his sexy smile and heavenly blue eyes, seems to be trying for the beginning of a sweet romance. Will Evelyn ever slow down enough to remember his sweet kiss? He has her back, is always there to listen to her. Isn't it time for her to take that next step? Closer to him, would be my guess.

HUNTED is the debut novel by Elizabeth Heiter. She may be a new voice in writing suspense but she nailed it with this one. HUNTED grabbed me from the first page and never let go until the smashing conclusion. This fast paced thriller had a high fright factor for me. It had me looking under my bed before I prepared to jump into it and read far into the night. Evelyn Baine is tiny in stature but relentless in her hunt for a crazed killer. Her final struggle with this sadistic monster had my heart pounding, hoping for help to arrive but rooting for Evelyn to really kick his butt or better still, kill him.

An easy five star rating for HUNTED. I am a new fan that eagerly awaits the sequel, VANISHED, coming soon.

Book Summary

Terror stalks a small Virginia town. 

FBI rising star, criminal profiler Evelyn Baine, knows how to think like a serial killer. But she's never chased anyone like the Bakersville Burier, who hunts young women and displays them, half-buried, deep in the woods. As the body count climbs, Evelyn's relentless pursuit of the killer puts her career—and her life—at risk. And the evil lurking in the Burier's mind may be more than even she can unravel.

Terror is closer than she thinks… 

The Bakersville Burier knows he's got an FBI profiler on his trail. He knows who she is and where to find her. And he's biding his time, because he's planned a special punishment for Evelyn. She may have tracked other killers, but he vows to make this her last chase. This time it's her turn to be hunted!

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