ARC Review: A Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot

A Merciful Death
Author: Kendra Elliot
Series: Mercy Kilpatrick (Book 1)
Publication: Montlake Romance (January 17, 2017)

Description: FBI special agent Mercy Kilpatrick has been waiting her whole life for disaster to strike. A prepper since childhood, Mercy grew up living off the land—and off the grid—in rural Eagle’s Nest, Oregon. Until a shocking tragedy tore her family apart and forced her to leave home. Now a predator known as the cave man is targeting the survivalists in her hometown, murdering them in their homes, stealing huge numbers of weapons, and creating federal suspicion of a possible domestic terrorism event. But the crime scene details are eerily familiar to an unsolved mystery from Mercy’s past.

Sent by the FBI to assist local law enforcement, Mercy returns to Eagle’s Nest to face the family who shunned her while maintaining the facade of a law-abiding citizen. There, she meets police chief Truman Daly, whose uncle was the cave man’s latest victim. He sees the survivalist side of her that she desperately tries to hide, but if she lets him get close enough to learn her secret, she might not survive the fallout…

My Thoughts: FBI Agent Mercy Kilpatrick returns to the small town where she grew up after a fifteen year absence when she is assigned to a case that may have a link with domestic terrorism. Someone is killing elderly preppers and stealing their gun collections. The new police chief, an import from San Jose who used to spend summers there, is the nephew of one of the victims. He definitely wants the cases solved and is happy that the FBI, with their vast resources, has come to assist.

We gradually learn about Mercy's backstory as this story unfolds. She was raised to be a prepper -- someone who is stockpiling resources for the inevitable collapse of society. She left because of some unknown tragedy that led her parents to shun her. She has had no communication with her parents or her sisters or brothers since. In fact, when she stopped in to get some coffee at a new coffee shop she was surprised to see her that her brother and her niece owned it. Neither acknowledged each other during the awkward encounter.

We also learn about small town politics as we see the rivalry between Mercy's father and an influential local rancher who wants Mercy's family as a part of his community. After still another elderly prepper is murdered, Mercy notices a frightening connection to a couple of murders that happened shortly before she first left town. Every mirror in the victims' houses has been shattered. This brings up a connection to earlier crimes that comes very close to exposing the secret the led to her getting out of town.

She and Truman Daly, the police chief, get close as they investigate the new and old crimes. He first admires her intelligence and focus but that just leads him to want to know more about her. He is the first to consider a relationship with her. Between her investigation, her guilt over past events, and her current relationship, or lack of one, with her family, it takes Mercy much longer to appreciate Truman.

This was an excellent mystery. I really liked both Mercy and Truman. Since this story introduces new characters, I hope more adventures are planned for Mercy and Truman.

Favorite Quote:

"How do you know this?"

She shrugged. "Everyone knew. It's a small town. People started locking their doors at night."

"And the break-ins just stopped?"

"Yes." Sort of.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: A Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Mercy Kilpatrick wondered who she'd ticked off at the Portland FBI office.

Friday 56:

This house was a fire hazard of piles and emitted a bad, sour smell. As if damp things hadn't dried out in a few years.

This week I am reading A Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot. I got this eARC from NetGalley. I am a big fan of the author's work. Here is the description from Amazon:

FBI special agent Mercy Kilpatrick has been waiting her whole life for disaster to strike. A prepper since childhood, Mercy grew up living off the land—and off the grid—in rural Eagle’s Nest, Oregon. Until a shocking tragedy tore her family apart and forced her to leave home. Now a predator known as the cave man is targeting the survivalists in her hometown, murdering them in their homes, stealing huge numbers of weapons, and creating federal suspicion of a possible domestic terrorism event. But the crime scene details are eerily familiar to an unsolved mystery from Mercy’s past.

Sent by the FBI to assist local law enforcement, Mercy returns to Eagle’s Nest to face the family who shunned her while maintaining the facade of a law-abiding citizen. There, she meets police chief Truman Daly, whose uncle was the cave man’s latest victim. He sees the survivalist side of her that she desperately tries to hide, but if she lets him get close enough to learn her secret, she might not survive the fallout…

ARC Review: A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

A Perilous Undertaking
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Series: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Berkley (January 10, 2017)

Description: Veronica Speedwell returns in a brand new adventure from Deanna Raybourn, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries... 

London, 1887. Victorian adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell receives an invitation to visit the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women. There she meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task—saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Accused of the brutal murder of his artist mistress Artemisia, Ramsforth will face the hangman’s noose in a week’s time if Veronica cannot find the real killer.

But Lady Sundridge is not all that she seems, and unmasking her true identity is only the first of the many secrets Veronica must uncover. Together with her natural historian colleague Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer—a ruthless villain who not only took Artemisia’s life in cold blood but is happy to see Ramsforth hang for the crime. From a Bohemian artists’ colony to a royal palace to a subterranean grotto with a decadent history, the investigation proves to be a very perilous undertaking indeed....

My Thoughts: Veronica Speedwell is lured from her butterfly hunting when a Royal Princess asks her to look into the case of a friend who has been convicted of murder and is soon to hang. Reputations, even Royal ones, are on the line and the real murderer needs to be found soon.

It doesn't take long before Veronica and her friend Stoker are deep into their investigations. Their suspects come from the arty, Bohemian crowd and give us a glimpse into that group.

The setting and time period are well-described and the attitudes and morals of the day play nicely into the mystery. Veronica is a free spirit who doesn't subscribe to the morals of the day. She is a scientist which informs her thinking. She has taken lovers when abroad but won't consider it while she is in England. She has no interest in marriage. She is also the unacknowledged daughter of the Prince of Wales which is a secret that worries the Royal family more than it worries her. She wavers between wanting to meet her father and knowing that she can not. She would prefer not to interact with them but this case involves them.

Stoker is the black sheep of his family and, in this episode, we find out why. Stoker is also a scientist and adventurer. He's a doctor who served in the Royal Navy and looks like a pirate. He and Veronica have a strong friendship and I get the feeling that he would like more.

This was an entertaining mystery. I look forward to reading more of Veronica and Stoker's adventures.

Favorite Quote:

I turned to face him, not lowering the blade. “Might I remind you that I have, upon many and various occasions, been in mortal danger and I am still here.”

“Anyone can get lucky,” he said coldly. “And I suspect your continued survival owes itself to a combination of good fortune and sheer  bloody‑ mindedness. You are too stubborn to die.”

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from Penguin's First to Read program. You can buy your copy here.

WoW: Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for. I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist though. Be warned!

Her Every Fear

Peter Swanson

Jan. 10, 2017

The author of the wildly popular The Kind Worth Killing returns with an electrifying and downright Hitchcockian psychological thriller—as tantalizing as the cinema classics Rear Window and Wait Until Dark—involving a young woman caught in a vise of voyeurism, betrayal, manipulation, and murder.

The danger isn’t all in your head . . .

Growing up, Kate Priddy was always a bit neurotic, experiencing momentary bouts of anxiety that exploded into full blown panic attacks after an ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and nearly ended her life. When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin in Boston, suggests the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate, an art student in London, agrees, hoping that time away in a new place will help her overcome the recent wreckage of her life.

But soon after her arrival at Corbin’s grand apartment on Beacon Hill, Kate makes a shocking discovery: his next-door neighbor, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered. When the police question her about Corbin, a shaken Kate has few answers, and many questions of her own—curiosity that intensifies when she meets Alan Cherney, a handsome, quiet tenant who lives across the courtyard, in the apartment facing Audrey’s. Alan saw Corbin surreptitiously come and go from Audrey’s place, yet he’s denied knowing her. Then, Kate runs into a tearful man claiming to be the dead woman’s old boyfriend, who insists Corbin did the deed the night that he left for London.

When she reaches out to her cousin, he proclaims his innocence and calms her nerves . . . until she comes across disturbing objects hidden in the apartment—and accidently learns that Corbin is not where he says he is. Could Corbin be a killer? And what about Alan? Kate finds herself drawn to this appealing man who seems so sincere, yet she isn’t sure. Jetlagged and emotionally unstable, her imagination full of dark images caused by the terror of her past, Kate can barely trust herself . . . So how could she take the chance on a stranger she’s just met?

Yet the danger Kate imagines isn’t nearly as twisted and deadly as what’s about to happen. When her every fear becomes very real.

And much, much closer than she thinks.

Told from multiple points of view, Her Every Fear is a scintillating, edgy novel rich with Peter Swanson’s chilling insight into the darkest corners of the human psyche and virtuosic skill for plotting that has propelled him to the highest ranks of suspense, in the tradition of such greats as Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, Patricia Highsmith, and James M. Cain.

Teaser Tuesday: A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

“What do you mean?” His voice was even and calm, and that is how I knew he was truly angry. A thundering, barking, pillaging Stoker was a happy Stoker. But stillness was the thing that betrayed his deepest rage.

This week I am reading A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn. It is the second Veronica Speedwell mystery. I got this one for review from Penguin's First to Read program. Here is the description from Amazon:

Veronica Speedwell returns in a brand new adventure from Deanna Raybourn, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries... 

London, 1887. Victorian adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell receives an invitation to visit the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women. There she meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task—saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Accused of the brutal murder of his artist mistress Artemisia, Ramsforth will face the hangman’s noose in a week’s time if Veronica cannot find the real killer.

But Lady Sundridge is not all that she seems, and unmasking her true identity is only the first of the many secrets Veronica must uncover. Together with her natural historian colleague Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer—a ruthless villain who not only took Artemisia’s life in cold blood but is happy to see Ramsforth hang for the crime. From a Bohemian artists’ colony to a royal palace to a subterranean grotto with a decadent history, the investigation proves to be a very perilous undertaking indeed....

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan. 9, 2017)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Other Than Reading...

I had a nice relaxing Christmas break at home in Duluth with my brother. I had excellent driving conditions both ways considering that it was winter and we had a few storms during my break. I got a lot of reading done and even some planning and organizing in our new home.

We've signed the contract and turned the keys over to the man who will be doing our estate sale at our parents' house. He needs a month to go through everything and get it all set up. The sale should happen early in February.

Next will be meeting with the realtor to have her tell us what we need to do to get the house ready for sale. Hopefully it will go on the market by March. While that is going on, I also need to sort through the things in my home to decide what I'll be taking to Duluth and getting someone to do an estate sale here. I want to put the house where I'm currently living on the market in June. Hopefully, it will sell quickly and I'll be all settled in my new Duluth home by fall.

Not that I'm counting but, I marked off the calendar Friday to learn that I have 99 work days left before retirement.

I didn't mean to fall off the internet last week but I arrived back at my townhouse on Dec. 30 to find that I had no internet. A call to the service department determined that I had an outdated router which had failed. I was promised that I would received my new router on Dec. 31 but I was skeptical. The router actually arrived on Tuesday afternoon. Now I know just how frequently I turn to the internet on any given day. I didn't have access to my calendar to see what I planned to read, couldn't pay the bills that had arrived while I was gone, couldn't do any blogging, and couldn't play any of my computer games. I was suffering withdrawal Friday and Saturday but had adjusted to the new normal Sunday and Monday. Of course, once my new router was installed, I spent 8 hours straight on the internet Tuesday trying to catch up.

Read Last Two Weeks

These three review books ended 2016 for me.

• Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder is the sixth book in the Study series. I really enjoy this fantasy series. My review will be posted on January 25 for this January 31 release.
• Killing Jane by Stacy Green was an entertaining thriller and the first book I've read by this author. My review will be posted on January 26 for this January 31 release.
• The Black Wolves of Boston by Wen Spencer was an excellent urban fantasy. My review will be posted on January 28 for this February 7 release.

I finished the week reading three by favorite authors.

• A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong is from my review stack. This is the second in the Casey Duncan series and will be released on February 7. My review will be posted on Feb. 2
• Dragon Spawn by Eileen Wilks is the thirteenth book in her World of the Lupi series. It's cliffhanger ending means it isn't, I hope, the final book in the series. This is a favorite urban fantasy series because of the werewolves. My review will be posted on March 25.
• Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews is also a long-running urban fantasy series. I always enjoy Kate's adventures and Kate and Curran's romance. They are busy planning a wedding while saving the world in this one. My review will be posted on Feb. 11.

Currently

I am currently reading Beauty and the Wiener by Casey Griffin. This book from my review stack will be released on Feb. 7.

Next Week

• I See You by Clare Mackintosh is a thriller from my review stack that will be released on Feb. 21.
• The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is also from my review stack. It will be released on March 7. I didn't know when I chose it but it appears to be a YA book.

Reviews Posted

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

Midnight Obsession by Melinda Leigh

The Golden Gate by Robert Buettner

The Ripper's Shadow by Laura Joh Rowland

Dead and Breakfast by Kate Kingsbury

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Hex on the Beach by Gina Lamanna (Kindle)

Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (Kindle)

I added two anthologies for my Kindle that were both on sale.

• The Lyra novels by Patricia C. Wrede have long been on my keeper shelves. I read them years ago. I was glad to be able to get a Kindle copy of the books.
• The Annie Szabo mystery series by Meredith Blevins was recommended by one of my favorite authors and was also free when I downloaded it.

Death in the Abstract by Emily Barnes is an addition to my Review stack. It is a mystery that will be released on May 16.

To see what Young Adult books I have been reading and plan to read, check out Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

ARC Review: Dead and Breakfast by Kate Kingsbury

Dead and Breakfast
Author: Kate Kingsbury
Series: A Merry Ghost Inn Mystery
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (January 10, 2017)

Description: Melanie West is getting her life back on track after a messy divorce when her grandmother, Liza Harris, asks her to open a B&B with her. Together, Liza and Melanie purchase a purportedly haunted mansion on the Oregon coast and jump right into clearing out the cobwebs. But while attempting to remove wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom, the new B&B owners stumble upon a very real skeleton in their closet.

The police suspect the skeleton is that of the wife of the previous owner of the B&B, but no one in town seems to want to say much about her. As the inn owners try to juggle renovations with their own amateur investigations, their grand opening looms closer and closer--and a friendly ghost in their walls starts playing tricks. But it all comes crashing to a halt when a new body is found stabbed to death on the beach below the inn--the victim chillingly close in resemblance to Melanie herself.

It seems someone doesn't appreciate newcomers prying into the small town's past, and now it's up to Melanie and Liza to get to the bottom of these murders to save their business...and their lives.

My Thoughts: Melanie West and her grandmother Liza Harris have pooled their savings to open a B & B together. They don't expect to find a skeleton in a hidden room when they are stripping wallpaper, but they do. Now their plans are on hold until the police release the scene. Liza and Melanie have to solve the murder if they want to avoid financial ruin.

When they learn that the skeleton belonged to the wife of the former owner, they start investigating people from the town who knew her. They investigate between painting, stripping wallpaper, and going through the things that were left in the house. They also investigate the cause of the eerie laughter that they frequently hear in the house. Will a ghost be an asset or a detriment to their new business?

While following the clues, Melanie finds herself in a number of dangerous situations. And when a second murder occurs with the victim bearing a close resemblance to Melanie, the danger gets even closer to home.

This was a fun mystery with a unique pair of detectives.

Favorite Quote:

We never could figure out what he was laughing at.

Paul had said that with a perfectly straight face and a note of conviction. Did he really believe there was a ghost, or was he just perpetuating a myth? She'd have given anything to know for sure.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.