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Will Brannock from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation picks up his friend J.D. Cass's sister Julia and her bloodhound Jasper at the airport. Julia has joined the Chattanooga police department as a detective. She finds Will to be attractive but she doesn't want to be attracted to him as she had her partner and love die in her arms three years ago. Nonetheless, she and Will find they are soon working together, tracking down a serial killer who kills his victims, one by one, cuts out their tongues, then hangs them, and leaves part of the victim's tongue and a stack of thirty dimes on a scale just under their dangling feet. First to die is Federal Judge Lucien Lockhart who is as corrupt and double-dealing as they come. Then next on the killer's list is shock-jock radio commentator Roc VanVeter. Meanwhile, the killer is still seething but smiles to himself as he sits in a nearby cave. He tapes the tip of each victim's tongue under their picture in a scrapbook he has put together.
The late Beverly Barton was a master at writing first-rate thrillers that left readers on the edge of their seats as each page of her books was read and even reread. "Don't Say a Word" is no exception. The characters of Will Brannock, Julia Cass and her brother J.D. and all the many other persons in "Don't Say a Word" are totally believable and work well with each other. The character of the Tongue Slasher, the serial killer, makes complete sense as some never get over horrific losses and strike out as their revenge. The plots' twists and turns are totally believable and the story's ending ties up loose ends perfectly. Linda Ladd should be complimented for helping Beverly Barton's family complete this most excellent of thrillers.