I just finished MARRED and it blew me away, so there was no way I was going to wait to read CLEAVED. I have to have more!

I love anything to do with water, and when I saw the Marine Patrol and Fish & Game would be involved, I became even more excited. I know what water can do to a dead body and I’m looking forward to finding out who put it there.

Sue starts her books out with a bang and I am gasping for breath right along with Sage. Then, Sue takes it to an even darker place and I excited to see how it will play out.

I feel as if the characters have become my friends and I worry for them as the serial killer adds body after body and the action continues non stop.

Sage has great instincts and after all she has been through, she listens to them.

Frankie has become my favorite character. She is humorous, brash, dresses as if she’s going out on the town instead of to a crime scene, hates authority and is quick with a sharp retort. Niko doesn’t think she would be good as the Sheriff because of these faults, so he is constantly grooming someone else to take his place when he quits.

Niko’s team has a Keystone Kop, Mayberry feel to them, but they are coming together, making constant progress.

The serial killer is back with a vengeance and I wonder if it is the same one…or is there more than one.

 Sue Coletta takes us to a very dark place with a kidnapping that would make any of us cringe and rage at the villain and the world.

I love how creative Sue is in coming up with new ways for the serial killer to torture and kill his victims, really making them suffer and beg for death. She never thinks the evil is bad enough, so she piles on more and more and more…

 

 Marred by Sue Coletta starts out with a baby’s funeral and a severely broken woman who is pissed off at herself and the world because of it. I can’t help but wonder WHY.

Sage is broken in more ways than one…blaming herself for her unborn baby’s death even though she had been tortured by a serial killer and was lucky to even be alive. She is MARRED for life and now I understand why.

NOW, he’s back, terrorizing her and she has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

I cannot imagine what she has been through, though Sue Coletta’s writing makes me become totally engrossed in her story, filled with details that draw a too vivid picture in my mind. I think it is time she takes matters into her own hands and let him know she will not cow down…this time. I love when the character has been through a traumatic, life changing experience, and the past comes back to haunt them, demanding they take action to defend themselves.

Sage is a bestselling author, writing crime novels, and this adds an extra element, making it even more interesting. Does her writing bring the killer even closer, thinking of her as a challenge? She keeps secrets, pushing people away, even keeping her husband at arm’s length. She writes about crime and her husband investigates the.

The murders are described in detail and they are brutal, savage. The more gruesome the better for me. LOL I guess I am a little twisted myself.

The body count rises.

I’m almost at 50% and I see what you are doing Sue. I know what you set me up for and I think it’s going to get ugly. I am pissed off at both of them for not communicating, but if they did we wouldn’t be in this dark place, with a sense of urgency and danger making me want to read faster and slower all at the same time, savoring the story.

There is a touch of the paranormal, rape, brutal and mind numbing torture. Why do women and society place blame on the vivctim, when it is the villain’s fault?

At times I am so angry with Niko that I want to reach into my Kindle and slap him upside the head, cuss him out, and tell him, “It’s not about YOU!”

Having a couple of critters adds another element that I love. They’d put their lives on the line for her.

Uh oh, I am glad that what I was thinking at 50% was wrong. Sue…you did a great job of yanking my chain and it takes a lot to lead me down the wrong path. Fabulous!

Deputy Sheriff Frankie, a female, is becoming a favorite character for me. To say she is rough around the edges is putting it mildly. She is aggressive and a bit raunchy, but I wouldn’t want any one else by my side in a time of crises.

WOW, Sue. You can sure spin a tale that has a lot of suspense that keeps my emotions raging as I struggle to take a calming breath before moving on to more of the same. You twisted and turned the story, keeping plenty of surprises coming my way.

Marred is the first book in the Grafton County series. One villain is taken care of, but you will want to read more of the series, because one remains.

I voluntarily reviewed Marred by Sue Coletta.

5 STARS