Review: Hunted by Elizabeth Heiter

Title: Hunted   

Author: Elizabeth Heiter    

Series: The Profiler, #1      

Published: December 2013, Harlequin MIRA  

Format: Paperback, 368 pages   

Source: Library  

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!

My thoughts: This is the first in Elizabeth Heiter’s Profiler series and I wanted to read it before her second book, Vanished, comes out next week. I flew through this book and think it’s a great start to a new series!

This is thriller had me turning the pages so fast, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Right from the beginning, I was caught up in what was going on. First-year FBI Profiler Evelyn Baine is asked to give a profile for the neighboring police department after two dead bodies are found. Shortly afterwards, she finds herself the target of the serial killer. And so begins the roller-coaster ride of twists and turns. We even get inside the mind of the serial killer, which is quite creepy and sinister.

I love the main character. Evelyn’s a strong, tough female lead that is driven by her past. We get glimpses of this throughout the book and you can tell it really haunts her, yet it also pushes her to be the very best at what she does. She really is a good match for the crazies that she hunts down in her line of work, particularly the killer in this book. But, she’s also a flawed character, which makes her that much more believable. She has secrets from her past that she keeps to herself. She doesn’t let anybody in. Not even the guys at work that want so desperately to help her. She’s socially awkward and tends to come off as stand-offish because she works so much. Small talk is definitely not her thing.

I also loved the secondary characters that Elizabeth created and I’m hoping that they continue to be part of this series. There’s definitely something between Evelyn and Mac, but Evelyn refuses to allow anyone in, so she continually pushes off his advances. Now, I’m not saying I want this to turn into a romance novel, but a little romance added in wouldn’t be bad! I also love the dynamics between Evelyn and Greg, her former mentor at the office. I hope Greg continues to be part of the series as I think he’s a good balance for her. 

I am very eager to start reading Vanished and see just what got Evelyn started on her career as an FBI Profiler. Luckily, I already have my copy of the book and will be starting to read it very soon!!!

Books in this series:

1. Hunted
2. Vanished