‘Before the Dawn’ Will Make Readers Believe in Monsters [REVIEW]

Love is deadly when you fall for the wrong man. (Photo by Sarah, Flickr)

When a woman is found brutally murdered, an FBI agent must face ghosts from his past to determine whether the killer is a copycat or if an old nemesis is back from the dead in Cynthia Eden’s Before the Dawn. 

HQN Books

Seven years ago, ex-SEAL Tucker Frost faced off with the Iceman, a serial killer who tortured his victims with countless cuts before dumping them in a freezer while they were still alive. This case hit extraordinarily close to home for two reasons. First, the Iceman is no other than Tucker’s brother, Jason. Second, the Iceman’s final victim was Tucker’s lover, Dawn Alexander.  Thankfully, Tucker took the Iceman out before the killer could finish the job… or so everyone thought.

Today, Tucker is an FBI agent with Samantha Dark’s new experimental team of profilers. Every member of the team has an intensely personal connection with serial killers, and therefore a unique insight into the criminal mind which Dark intends to harness to the bureau’s advantage. And now that another victim has been found with the same MO as the Iceman, the team has their first case and Tucker is suddenly being sent to New Orleans to investigate.

As if this case weren’t already taxing enough, Tucker once again comes face-to-face with Dawn, whom he hasn’t seen since he shot his brother and watched him disappear into the Mississippi River. Yet despite the horrific memories they both share, and the fact that Tucker closely resembles his brother Jason, neither of them can deny that their mutual attraction is as strong as ever. But before they can turn their attention to the future, they must first answer the ominous question that hangs in the air between them: Is the Iceman back and will he succeed in killing the only victim that ever escaped?

Written with a dark ferocity reminiscent of authors like Tami Hoag and Gena Showalter, Cynthia Eden’s latest Killer Instinct novel is riveting and forboding. Her characters rise off the page, authentic and deeply flawed, and yet they manage to somehow be charismatic and likable despite it all. Eden is also skilled at increasing readers’ anxiety with chilling, malevolent villains and tautly plotted scenes that make our palms sweat.

Of course, not every scene is horrific and brutal. This is romantic suspense, after all. There is also a thread of hope and tenderness underlying the peril. Eden knows how to turn on the steam, and she will have readers undoubtedly hoping for a happy ever after for Tucker and Dawn, so these characters who have seen the worst side of humanity get a second chance at love. Before the Dawn is intense, powerful and vividly drawn. Don’t miss it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cynthia Eden

Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader bestseller lists.

She is also a three-time finalist for the prestigious RITA® Award. Since she began writing full time in 2005, she has written more than 80 novels and novellas, including After the Dark, The Gathering Dusk, Wrecked, and Taken. 

Cynthia is a “hybrid” author. She has published extensively with New York publishers, including Avon, Kensington, Grand Central, and Harlequin. She has also enjoyed success in her indie writing career.

Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies include hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Visit her home on the Web at CynthiaEden.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

BEFORE THE DAWN
By Cynthia Eden
384 pgs. HQN Books. $7.99

You may purchase Before the Dawn at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Books-A-Million, and Barnes & Noble.

Before the Dawn is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.