Cathy Cantrell is trying to get her life back together after losing it when her husband was murdered at home.  Cathy knew she had needed help and decided to get it for herself so she could become a good mother for her son once again.  Now back in her town and trying to pick up the pieces, it appears life is going to be throwing her yet another hardball.  Her first love is back in town and Cathy still has feelings for him but she has a secret that could kill anything that might develop between them.

Jackson Perdue has come home to become a sheriff’s deputy.  Jackson has been discharged from the military after he was first taken as MIA and then almost died while on a mission.  Jackson isn’t sure coming home was the best decision but he is willing to give the job a try.  He is surprised when one of first cases is the cold case involving Cathy’s husband.  A love he has never forgotten.

Jackson and Cathy are being cautious with each other when a murder happens which is exactly like the one that killed her husband.  Someone is killing men of the cloth by burning them to death.  Jackson knows he has a serial killer on his hands but his first concern is if Cathy can handle the memories the killing brings.  Things finally combust with Cathy and Jackson that show their past had only simmered during the years apart.  Dealing with their personal lives, Cathy’s teenage son and the danger of a serial killer, which is getting closer, tests their newly restored love.   Will Jackson be able to discover and arrest the killer before the flames burn too close to Cathy and her son?

What happens when the love of your life returns?  Silent Killer returns both Cathy and Jackson to their Alabama hometown years after their love affair.  Cathy just wants to gather up the threads of her life that were scattered when her husband was killed.  Jackson needs a place to find out what his life out of the military will consist of and to slay his ghosts.  It was painful, but in a heartwarming way, to read while Cathy and Jackson tried to discover just what was between them now.  I also could believe the initial outrage from Cathy’s teenage son when his Mom is suddenly dating again.  Jackson was a hero in every sense of the word and Cathy was an extremely strong heroine when they had to face down people in town, her teenage son and most importantly a cunning serial killer while declaring their love to one another.  Like my normal way of reading suspense, I had the characters narrowed down to two and one of them turned out to be the killer.  However I was surprised at just how the capture happened.  Silent Killer is a must read that will warm your heart, have your mind racing and send chills down you spine alternately. 

There are other side characters from the Powell Agency, which show up in Silent Killer from past books.  I was concerned about some loose ends until I read the after note from Ms. Barton and learned she was writing the follow up novel as we speak which will tie them up.  Now I can’t wait until then to find out what will happen with them.