Books & Spoons Review VULNERABLE by Mary Burton

The Smallest Mistake

Three went in; one came out. For five years, no trace has been found of two high-school friends who went hiking in the woods near Nashville. The third teen, Amber Ryder, was discovered at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm, head trauma--and zero memory of the horror that put her there. 

Will Put You

What started as a cold case has become a fresh hell for forensic technician Georgia Morgan. Another woman's body is found in the woods, and it leads to the missing teens' remains. But while Georgia works with Amber to try and reawaken her memories, her gut tells her the worst is yet to come. 

At A Killer's Mercy

Homicide Detective Jake Bishop can't be sure whether Amber is an expert manipulator or the killer's next target. Either way, he's determined to protect Georgia. Because the deeper she digs into the past, the deadlier the secrets that emerge, and a nightmare years in the making is about to come to a bloody, terrifying end…

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Intriguing, arresting and analytical story about the police investigation during a multiple murder case.
This is the book four in the series, and in the bright lights is now Georgia Morgan, the adopted daughter of the family.
The tale is told from several different points of views, giving a good rounded picture of the event escalating around the murders.
To be able to handle the constant crime, devastation, and injustice of their jobs, the law enforcement holds their feelings close to their hearts, not letting them show at the job site. This cold, emotionless, facts only attitude carries through the book, also to the reader, making it hard to connect with the characters. Georgia was supposed to be the fire-cracker of the family, but her manners, temper, and behavior were very much in check at all times.
The crimes committed themselves are interesting, the whodunit question is in the air, and the answers are not that clear. I wish there would have been more closure for the crime as well at the end of the story. 
The romance was more on of an afterthought, a shadow at the back of the story. There are a couple of sex scenes in the book, some between other characters in the story, as well as between Georgia and Jake. Those scenes didn't seem to fit well into the story, the flow, or the tune. Might be added just because of it, came to mind. 
I have read one of the previous books of the series, and enjoyed it immensely. This story is good, it is well written, and the crimes are hideous, gruesome, and grim. The investigation is very organized, with gripping details. But it is missing the spark, the deep emotions the characters have to be feeling, faced with the situation they are in, the depth of a story, that will lure the reader into the tale, and keep the hold tight. 
I think it was a good story, but it had the potential to be great
~ Three Spoons

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