A Merciful Secret

A pair of ritual murders could expose Mercy Kilpatrick to something terrifying: her own past…

Raised off the grid by survivalists, Mercy Kilpatrick believed in no greater safeguard than the backwoods of Oregon. Unforgiven by her father for abandoning the fold for the FBI, Mercy still holds to her past convictions. They’re in her blood. They’re her secrets—as guarded as her private survival retreat hidden away in the foothills.

In a cabin near her hideaway, Mercy encounters a young girl whose grandmother is dying from multiple knife wounds. Hundreds of miles away, a body is discovered slashed to death in a similar way. The victims—a city judge and an old woman living in the woods—couldn’t be more different. With the help of police chief Truman Daly, Mercy must find the killer before the body count rises. Mercy knows that the past has an edge on her. So does her family. How can she keep her secrets now…when they’re the only things that can save her?

 4 Stars

Kendra Elliott is one of my “go-to” authors for romantic suspense books. When I see her name on a new release I know I am going to get a first-rate gripping thriller which is well-written and maintains my interest throughout the story. A Merciful Secret which is book #3 in Kendra Elliott’s Mercy Kilpatrick series is an excellent example of this author’s fantastic writing skill set. This book has characters who are realistic and relatable to the reader. They have some character flaws, so not perfect unbelievable characters. In this book FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick once again must use her excellent thinking skills and brave and caring attitude to solve a case. Mercy’s love interest, Eagle’s Nest Police Chief Truman Daly stays true to character as well. He must use all his skills to help support Mercy in her endeavers.

The author expertly describes her action scenes so that the reader feels involved personally in all the action. This is a fast-moving thriller which keeps the reader guessing until the end and doesn’t let up so you keep turning the pages eagerly in anticipation of finding out who-done-it!