"The House Beyond the Dunes" was an awesome read with an interesting plot following Lane trying to remember what caused her near fatal fall. While trying to remember, she receives pages of a dairy what starts her search for two missing women.

When Lane starts getting the answers, who can she trust to help her?

The story had a good plot with well-developed characters who had multiple layers. The author weaved a great story that had me turning pages deep into the night. The multiple twists and turns are well done. The story and mystery were well done.

I loved this story and I would like to thank NetGalley and Mary Burton for providing me the book for an honest review.

Most of the story was predictable and I found myself getting annoyed with the main characters. I liked Stevie’s story. Great twist at the end!

Secrets beneath secrets and lies upon lies. Nothing is as it seems and danger is everywhere. Almost claustrophobic at times and tense from beginning to end. You won't put it down until the last page.

The main character Lane wakes up in the hospital after she and her new boyfriend fell down the stairs at his beach villa. Kyle didn't survive the fall. Lane returns to the luxury beach house to gather her things, but what she really wants to is to understand what happened. Is it true that she and Kyle had a fight? And what kind of person was her dream new boyfriend really? Instead of answers soon, Lane, who is stuck at the beach house by bad weather, only has more questions.

The secluded luxury beach house, which can only be reached by driving a jeep across the sand in good weather, is ideal for a place full of secrets. It is easy to understand the sense of threat and reliance on her own strength that Lane feels. I also think that the author has found a new and interesting way to cut off the house from the rest of the world, other than the popularly chosen snowstorm, and something similar and yet still different than an island. Fans of this theme who are looking for something fresh will surely be satisfied.

Lane is a strong and intelligent woman who, due to her past, doesn't trust just anyone. She's pretty good at taking care of herself, she's certainly not naive and can ask good questions. It's very satisfying to follow her through the story. The other characters successfully fall somewhere between looking innocent and acting suspiciously.

I found the ending good and fitting the story, although I realize that it may not be to everyone's taste. Recently, I've heard that some readers are tired of this trope. This wasn't a problem for me, still I liked that this solution didn't answer the entire mystery of the book, but just a part of it. Although the book makes many allusions to the fact that violence against women may be a major crime, there are not that many detailed violent scenes. So, people sensitive to these issues should not have much trouble reading this book.

This is a very enjoyable, well written story. I definitely recommend it to both fans of this author and new readers.

What was supposed to be a romantic trip away with her new boyfriend turns into a tragic nightmare for Lane McCord. She survives a near-fatal fall which left her boyfriend, Kyle dead. When Lane starts to learn more about Kyle’s past seeking answers as to what happened in the cottage that day. This is the third Mary Burton novel I’ve read in as many weeks. Mary Burton writes an excellent thriller which incorporates psychological elements, mystery and a whole lot of suspense. While I predicted the ending about half way in, I was excited to see it unfold. Lane is an unreliable narrator with no memory of the events that occurred when Kyle died. This constantly makes you wonder and question everything. The story was captivating and holds your interest right the way through. I kept reading long past when I should have gone to sleep. I’m so glad that the author has a ton of other books and can’t wait to devour them all.

This book had me from beginning to end. I found this to be a really good suspenseful thriller and I found myself really intrigued. I thought the characters were well written and I really liked the twists I didn't see coming. I would definitely recommend this book.




Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

The House Beyond the Dunes was interesting but different from the amazing stories written by Mary Burton, and I've read them all. It had so many twists and turns that some say they figured out early in the story, but I didn't. How does a romantic getaway turn so terrible? What happened at the top of those stairs, and why? Is it safe for Lane to go back to where everything happened, or should she stay away? Those questions came to mind as I started this story in earnest.

For me, this was one of those stories where you talk to the characters in the book and question everything. I thought Lane was crazy to go back to that weird house, and crazier to stay any longer than necessary. The old Pandora's box sure came into play here. Strange neighbors popping up, a caretaker popping in, and who was Kyle really? The transitions between past and future, and character to character were seamless. The flow was done beautifully, and in the end when it all came together my questions were answered, and I was satisfied with the results. Pleased actually, and that's what we want in a great story.

I really enjoy this book and was hooked from the first page.. It's a very well written mystery/suspense and there is plenty of twists and turns. This was an intense read and I was completely entertained to the end. I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A thoroughly enjoyable book I couldn't put down. It's The House Beyond the Dunes by Mary Burton. I got it from Montlake via Netgalley and it will be out on the 5th of September.

We follow Lane McCord who wakes up in a hospital after having had a horrible fall from the stairs leaving her boyfriend Kyle dead. When returning to the cottage to collect her personal belongings she is stuck in that house because of a storm. While having to stay there, Lane finds out more about Kyle. Did she really know him? Can she trust the neighbours? Will she be safe?

This was quite the suspenseful thriller and I was completely intrigued by the book. The story is a great one - some twists I did not see coming! The characters are worked out well as well. You get to know Lane and you really understand her motives. The eerie feeling of the remote cottage during a storm, only accessible via the beach makes the book all the more intense.

5/5 ⭐

I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy through Net Galley of The House Beyond The Dunes . This story is intense and suspenseful and very intriguing . I couldn't put it down . Its definitely an on the edge of your seat story . Lane Cord after falling down steps with her boyfriend Kyle who died in the accident wakes up in the hospital to find she has loss some memory . Lane receives a visit from a Detective Becker asking questions . He's searching for two missing women . Soon Lane receives diary pages that belong to a Stevie Palmer one of the missing women . She also finds a dark and very dangerous past coming back for her . This Thriller is off the charts . I highly recommend taking the time to read .

An unexplained accident that leads to a death, which then becomes a murder investigation!
This is an intense, emotional and downright scary journey that occurs right in the opening pages of this novel.
But.... it is SO MUCH MORE!
Lane returns to the beach-home of her deceased boyfriend of three weeks to try to jar her memory, as she has no recollection of how Kyle died. She, herself is fortunate that she is still alive.
It was an awful incident, but there is no memory!
How can this be? Why is he dead? How did it all happen?

What Lane will learn is nothing short of shocking!
OH- You have no idea of what is next and I must admit I had not a clue either until the last few chapters!

So clever, and incredibly smart of this author that this story had me hooked all the way until the very last page.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @Montlake for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

Lane McCord and Dr. Kyle Iverson had known each other twenty five days and decided to spend their first romantic weekend together at his beach house in North Carolina overlooking the dunes in the Outer Banks.
Within an hour of arriving, the two then accidentally fall down twenty one marble steps in the house. Lane survived, Kyle did not.
To find out what happens next when Lane goes back to the beach house to retrieve her purse and cell phone, you must read "The House Beyond the Dunes" by Mary Burton. Mary will definitely leave you dumbstruck with her latest psychological thriller!

A romantic beach weekend getaway turns tragic in this story about new love and buried memories. What really happened that night? We follow the thought process and survival instincts of a grief-stricken woman left alone and friendless in a storm that blocks her escape across the beach. Can she trust the strangers who appear at her door? What do they know that she doesn't? A page-turner for sure. Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This book was filled with twists and turns galore. Mary Burton draws the reader in and then delivers a realistic narrative. The descriptions of the “Outer Banks” area is very detailed and makes me want to visit that area sometime. The dark side of child and sexual abuse is well written but a sad commentary on our society. The psychological impact is devastating and long reaching. Not a fun, light hearted read but it kept me rooting for a satisfying resolution and held my attention. Well worth the time and effort.

This is a fabulous mystery with a bit of romance thrown in.  The subject matter is  heart wrenching: child abuse and rape.  The suspense will keep you reading well past bedtime


Lane McCord is trying to find out what happened to two missing girls after her boyfriend dies in an accident.  Was he involved,  were his brothers,  or his friend? I kept changing my mind on who I thought the murderer/rapist was.  I was taken by complete surprise with the ending.  A fabulous read!!

Isolated setting, suspicious neighbors, memory loss and a mysterious death made this such a captivating read. This delves into the lives of the lost. People who won't be noticed if they go missing. There's a sadness to it knowing how often this probably happens in reality. This was a great read with the perfect amount of suspense and surprises that sneak up on you when you least expect. Clearly written by a talented, experienced author, I highly recommend this for my fellow mystery readers. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for this ARC.

I enjoyed this book. It is a story inside of another story. Lane McCord goes to North Carolina to spend New Year’s Eve with her boyfriend. Kyle She ends up in the hospital and Kyle ends up dead. She has no memory of what happened. Someone is sending her pages of a diary about a missing girl. Was Kyle involved in her disappearance. I have to say I figured out the mystery but still enjoyed the book.

WOW! First book by Mary Burton. Lane and Kyle go on a romantic trip to his beach house. He ends up dead. Lane cannot remember what happened. She is visited by a cop and asked about two girls who have been missing. Lane can't leave things alone and goes back to the beach house in clues of what happened and who these girls are. Who are these people that Kyle was friends with that seem to just show up? Who was Kyle? What happened to these two girls? What the reader will find out will blow you away! Shocking ending for sure!

All I can say is WOW! Mary Burton has done it again, writing a thriller that continually twists and turns right up to the last page. Lane went away with her new boyfriend Kyle for New Years. Within an hour Kyle and Lane lie crumpled at 5he bottom of the stairs. Lane is injured, but Kyle is dead! What happened? In search of answers Lane returns to the scene and turns over lots of rocks in search of the truth. What follows keeps us all guessing, and Lane doesn’t know who she can trust. An enthralling read.

Dark, haunting, smart thriller. A cut above the rest with clever writing. I enjoyed this excellent thriller.