Book Review: A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A MERCIFUL PROMISE (Mercy Kilpatrick Book #6) by Kendra Elliot is another edge-of-your-seat mystery/suspense/FBI thriller and I am sad to say the final book in the series. If you love an action-packed series with a uniquely strong female protagonist then this is the series for you.

FBI Agent Mercy Kilpatrick is asked to go undercover by the ATF when their agent becomes ill. She will be paired with another ATF agent already infiltrated into an anti-government group they believe have stolen firearms to sell for some unknown plot.

At the same time that Mercy has gone undercover, Truman is made aware of a puzzling series of murders. They are all men, shot once in the head and dumped in random locations. When the third victim turns out to be the agent Mercy was with on assignment, the ATF, FBI and Truman all come together to find Mercy and shut down the camp.

I have been putting off reading and reviewing this book because I have not wanted to leave Mercy and Truman’s world behind. Mercy has changed so much over these six books. She was so isolated starting in book one and now she has so many people she loves and that care about her. Truman is the perfect match for her. He has always understood what makes Mercy unique. All the characters, good and bad are realistic and seem as though they could walk right off the page. The plot pulls you in and the tension continues to build with unexpected twists while moving at a faster and faster pace to the ultimate climax. I was very happy when I read the last chapter that tied up Mercy and Truman’s lives together moving into the future even as I still want to visit.

I highly recommend this Mercy Kilpatrick book, the entire series and this author!

***

Author Bio

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kendraelliot.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot

#TheLastSister, #KendraElliot, #LastSisterBlogTour, @AuthorKendraElliot (Facebook), @KendraElliot (Twitter), @Kendraelliot (IG) @Kendra_Elliot (GoodReads), @AmazonPublishing (Facebook), @AmazonPub (Twitter), and @AmazonPubishing (IG).

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Hi, everyone!

I am very excited to be on the Blog Tour for the first book in Kendra Elliot’s new romantic suspense series – Columbia River. THE LAST SISTER (Columbia River Book #1) had me glued to the page from start to finish.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. This is a new romantic suspense series, but there are a few characters you may recognize from Ms. Elliot’s Callahan & McLane series. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Twenty years ago, Emily Mills’ father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.


Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night – until an eerily similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the mystery of Emily’s and her sisters’ past.


When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there’s a secret buried in this town that no one wants unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don’t know? Or aren’t telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can’t bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her.

***

THE LAST SISTER
By Kendra Elliot
Montlake; January 14, 2020
(Mystery | 336 pp. | Hardcover: $24.99, ISBN#: 978-1542006729; Kindle: $5.99,
ASIN#: B07SLZ9LMN; Paperback: $12.95, ISBN#: 978-1542006705)

“Elliot skillfully unravels layers of intersecting stories, each one integral to the overall story of the Mills family and their small-town secrets. Readers will want to see more from this author.” – Publisher’s Weekly


“Part budding romance, part compelling backstory, part prescient tale of racism: provocative on all fronts” – Kirkus Reviews

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE LAST SISTER (Columbia River Book #1) by Kendra Elliot is the first book in a new romantic suspense/FBI mystery series. This book is easily read as a standalone, but a few of the characters are carry overs from Ms. Elliot’s Callahan & McLane series.

Twenty years ago, a family was shattered when the father was found hanging from a tree and their home burned to the ground. The mother committed suicide a week later, the eldest daughter disappeared and that left two small girls with secrets that they would hide for years.

Present day. FBI Special Agents Zander Wells and Ava Callahan are sent to investigate a double murder in a small Oregon coastal town that is eerily similar to a twenty-year-old crime that was supposedly solved. The tip came from Emily Mills who found the slain couple and was one of the sisters who survived the old crime. Zander is determined to solve this double homicide, but he is also intrigued by the old case and Emily.

As Zander and Ava investigate, the killer threatens Emily and her relatives and then strikes again to hide his crimes past and present. Secrets long buried need to be revealed for the past and present cases to be solved before someone else is killed.

I was completely engrossed in all the plot threads in this suspense. Past and present, multigenerational secrets. I like that Ms. Elliot shows the insidious, not in-your-face racism that can infect and destroy multi-generations and towns. Zander and Emily each deserve to find happiness and I feel they were perfect for each other. There is no sex in this story and Zander and Emily are very attracted to each other, but Zander waits until the case is solved.

I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for more book in this series. There is intriguing investigation, secrets revealed, and the start of a romance that had me turning the pages continually from beginning to “The End”.

***

Author Biography

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kendraelliot.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

Book Review: A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A MERCIFUL FATE (Mercy Kilpatrick #5) by Kendra Elliot is the latest romantic suspense, mystery/suspense, FBI procedural, who cares what you call it, cannot put it down read featuring one of my favorite main characters! This is a series I recommend you read in order because each book builds on all of the characters’ relationships and secrets besides giving you new crimes and/or mysteries in each.

Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick is thrown into a notorious, decades old bank robbery when the skeleton of one of the robbers is found in a decaying cabin. The mastermind of the team was captured and put in prison, but the money and the rest of the gang seem to have disappeared into thin air. Just as Mercy starts reinvestigating the robbery, a young tabloid reporter shows up in Eagle’s Nest asking questions that are threatening long buried secrets.

Police Chief Truman Daly gets pulled into the investigation when the reporter is found dead in her car. Some of the people have secrets and are not who they appear in the Eagle’s Nest community. Whether they are related to the old robbery or not, they want them kept secret. Mercy and Truman need to reveal them all to find the threat to their community and family. Some long held friends and neighbors are not who or what they seem.

This series just keeps getting better and better. The old, unsolved robbery is an intriguing crime plot that builds the suspense and threat level at a rapid rate throughout the story. I was very surprised throughout the resolution. I love Mercy and Truman’s relationship and how Mercy is learning to navigate their relationship while balancing everything with her long held prepper lifestyle. All of the secondary characters are becoming fully fleshed out characters that I look for now in each book.

My only slight criticism of this series is that I believe Mercy’s father may have a point. Not his indifference or stubbornness, but the people around Mercy seem to be injured or killed quite frequently. In most series the main character is injured or almost killed so many times you wonder how they can keep recovering and working, but it is those around Mercy who suffer this author’s wrath.

That said, I highly recommend this series and Mercy! I always look forward to reading these books and catching up with all of the Eagle’s Nest community.

Feature Post and Book Reviews: Mercy Kilpatrick Books 1-4 by Kendra Elliot

Hi, everyone!

Hopefully by now you have all checked out my Feature Post for Kendra Elliot’s new book “A Merciful Fate” and entered the Rafflecopter giveaway.

This Feature Post and Book Reviews are to entice you to read the whole series! I LOVE Mercy and I highly recommend this series. Below you will find my reviews of Mercy Kilpatrick Books 1-4 by Kendra Elliot and the author’s social media info.

Happy Reading!

***

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

A MERCIFUL DEATH (Mercy Kilpatrick #1) by Kendra Elliot is the start of a new series that is a cross between romantic suspense and mystery/suspense. This type of series is always difficult to categorize for me, but it is similar to Melinda Leigh’s Morgan Dane series and/or Marie Force’s Fatal series which are must reads for me. The balance between romance and mystery/suspense varies depending on the plot in each book.

FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick grew up in rural Eagle’s Nest, Oregon in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains. Until the age of eighteen, Mercy was raised in a family of preppers. After a falling out with her father that had him disowning her, Mercy left town to build her own life. Her lifetime of being prepared for disaster has stayed with her though and is a necessary part of her life even though she hides it from her colleagues.

When there are a series of elderly male preppers murdered in Mercy’s hometown. What would normally be a local case catches the FBI’s attention when the preppers large caches of weapons are also stolen. This raises the possibility of domestic terrorism. Her FBI supervisor sends her and her partner to work with the nearby Bend office and local law enforcement.

Eagle Nest Police Chief Truman Daly is the nephew of one of the murdered men. Raised in the community only on summer breaks, he is just starting to be accepted in a community that has its own ideas about the government and police. As Truman works with Mercy on the murders, he learns of her family ties to the community and begins to suspect, she did not completely leave her prepper life behind.

Mercy discovers that these current murders are eerily familiar to two unsolved murders in the town’s past. With her sister now involved, Mercy and Truman must capture a killer who has been free in their community for much too long before her sister suffers the same fate.

Mercy is a wonderfully unique and flawed character. I find her so interesting and want to know much more about her and her family. Truman has his own interesting history and I hope this budding romance continues. He has his work cut out for him with such an independent heroine who does not like to share her secrets. The plot was interesting and tied in well with the older cases, but this is also why I gave this book four stars instead of five. I found Mercy’s brother’s actions not believable. (No spoilers, so you will have to read it and see if you agree.) Overall, a good start to this series and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

***

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A MERCIFUL TRUTH (Mercy Kilpatrick #2) by Kendra Elliot is the newest book in this continuing romantic suspense/mystery/suspense series. I have been looking forward to reading more about Mercy!

FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick and her partner, Eddie have transferred to the Bend FBI field office. Eddie likes the wilderness of central Oregon over Portland and Mercy wants to be closer to Truman and her family. Mercy is getting closer to her sisters and mother, but her father and brother blame her for the violence and change in her family from book #1.

Eagle’s Nest Police Chief Truman Daly is investigating a series of small fires that he believes are being started by teenagers. When a barn is set on fire, everything changes when two county sheriffs are shot and killed when they respond. Arson has become murder. At the next fire the murdered body of an unidentified man is found at the scene. No one is talking and Mercy and Truman have no idea why these fires are being set or who is setting them.

As they investigate the unidentified dead man, Mercy’s niece is learning that the teenagers her new boyfriend is hanging out with are trouble and that her boyfriend is having second thoughts about working at his job on a large secluded ranch outside of town. There are rumors of many outside men coming to town and living on the ranch. Mercy’s brother is also somehow tied to the ranch and reciting a lot of anti-government hate rhetoric.

The closer Mercy and Truman get to the truth, long buried secrets are exposed and their personal danger escalates.

I loved Mercy in the first book and I am now hooked for good. Her character is so interesting. The balance between her life as an FBI agent and her hidden life as a prepper makes for very interesting reading. I love that Truman “gets” Mercy and her unique life and does not try to change her. Mercy’s family and all of the secondary characters are becoming more fleshed out and interesting. The plot builds in intensity and wraps everything up at the end. This book can be read as a standalone, but like so many other similar series, the relationships grow and change in each book as in real life, so I recommend reading them in order. This has become a must read series for me!

***

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A MERCIFUL SECRET (Mercy Kilpatrick #3) by Kendra Elliot returns you to Mercy Kilpatrick’s world of rural central Oregon. This series gives you intriguing mystery/suspense plots and a view into the world of preppers, survivalists and anti-government sovereign citizens.

FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick is surprised at night on a rural road close to her hidden cabin by a young girl who flags her down from the side of the road. Mercy is led through the woods to a cabin where the girl’s grandmother is dying from multiple stab wounds. The Sabins, three generations of women; grandmother, mother and daughter have lived isolated in the woods and are rumored to be witches.

Mercy is later to learn a judge, hundreds of miles away is found slain in the exact same way brings her friend and fellow FBI agent from Portland to investigate both murders. Not one to be kept on the sidelines, Mercy along with Chief of Police Truman Daly insert themselves into the investigation. An old friend from Mercy’s high school days is implicated along with the daughter of the slain woman.

Rumors and secrets keep hindering the investigation until the explosive surprise climax.

This series just keeps getting better and better. The mystery plot in this third book is fast paced and the resolution was a surprise to me. This book also contains some flashback scenes from one of the suspects which add depth and understanding to her character and others. Mercy and Truman’s relationship takes a big leap after the climax of this story and I cannot wait to read more. I found it difficult to put this book down and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!

***

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A MERCIFUL SILENCE (Mercy Kilpatrick #4) by Kendra Elliot is a cross between romantic suspense and mystery/suspense genres. Each book has a standalone mystery/suspense plot, but it also has a building romance involving the main characters of the series which may or may not be prominent in each story. The current book leans more towards being a police procedural with emotionally charged murders in the past and present with extremely high stakes for Mercy and Truman.

FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpartrick is called to the scene of a washed out road which exposes human skeletal remains. As she works to discover the identity of the remains, she remembers two families that were murdered in the exact same manner 20 years ago. The killer has always maintained his innocence and is still in prison. Copycat or has the wrong man been in prison all these years?

When the sole survivor of one of the old murdered families returns to town, Mercy is not sure what to make of the woman. She asks for Mercy’s help because she believes she is being stalked. Mercy feels she knows more than she is telling about that long ago murder. Is she somehow a part of the current murders or is she a lose end that needs to be eliminated?

As Mercy works her case, Eagle’s Nest Chief of Police Truman Daly has a unique traffic stop with a young man who shows illegal ID and claims to be a sovereign citizen. While jailed, he sends Truman a letter claiming he owns him 3 million dollars for an illegitimate arrest. Truman does not know whether to take this seriously or as a joke. These sovereign citizens do not want anyone interfering in their business. Truman and his police vehicle disappear and there is blood on the driveway.

I could not put this book down!

Mercy and Truman both go through so much in this book. Even as they are apart, it is the fight to get home to the other that gives them their strength. Mercy realizes no amount of prep can prepare her for everything. She learns it is OK to sometimes rely on family and friends. Truman’s love for Mercy is his strength and reason to continue on even when he thinks he cannot. This was definitely an edge-of-your-seat read with both cases having such high stakes.

I believe you should read this series in order as the characters grow and change in each book as in real life. I highly recommend this series. Mercy is a memorable character.

***

Author Biography

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kendraelliot.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

Feature Post: A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

Hi, everyone!

Below is the Feature Post for Kendra Elliot’s current release A MERCIFUL FATE (Mercy Kilpatrick #5). Included is an excerpt from the book, a book summary with info and social media links for the author . You will also see a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book.

As you know, I would normally include my Book Review with the Feature Post, but I am on book #4 and I just cannot read these books out of order. The suspense/mystery in each book can standalone, but I just cannot skip ahead in Mercy and Truman’s lives. I LOVE these two characters and just cannot miss a minute of their relationship. My books review will be posted soon for this book.

As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway and you really have to get to know Mercy! Good reading!

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Excerpt: A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot

“Sit.”

Mercy sat on a stool that was too high for the makeshift table. She didn’t care. They could sit on the ground and she’d be happy with Truman. Currently the home had plywood subfloors and open framing, but part of Mercy loved the empty, bare look; it promised that something fabulous was coming.

Fabulous and practical.

Truman leaned over and poured red wine in the plastic cup by her paper plate. She sighed and buried her nose in her cup. The fragrance was deep and bold, with hints of plum and smoke.

“Italy,” she mumbled into the wine.

“What?” asked Truman.

“I want to visit Italy. How does a honeymoon in Italy sound?”

A grin filled his face, and the sensation of butterflies fluttered up her spine.

Or maybe it’s the wine.

She took a sip of her wine as she studied his face. So familiar and dear to her.

A smile to stop traffic. Eyes that crinkled in happiness. Several scars that testified to his love of law enforcement. Her attraction to him was more than skin deep. She was in love with the person he was. He was a natural leader and easily commanded respect. His people turned to him, followed him, admired him. His natural sense of honor was a magnet for her.

No. It’s not the wine.

He gets me.

He understood how her mind worked, and they fit together like a couple of complicated puzzle pieces. She’d been painfully aware of her missing puzzle piece when he’d been taken away, chained by men planning to kill him, and then rescued thanks to Ollie. The two weeks when no one knew his fate had been the worst of her life. When he’d been returned to her, she’d known she couldn’t waste any more time.

He’d been of the same mind-set and had proposed.

“I’ll try Italy.” He dished spaghetti carbonara onto their plates.

“And what’s on your agenda for tomorrow?” he asked over the rim of his plastic cup. She perked up. “The bank confirmed the money bags are from the Gamble-Helmet Heist. And I have the go-ahead to visit Shane Gamble at the Two Rivers prison tomorrow.”

“What are your thoughts on the remains?” Truman asked. “Did the medical examiner get to them yet?”

“Yes. They spent the afternoon removing the remains, and Dr. Lockhart was going to start an examination tonight. The woman never takes time off.”

“Same could be said for you.”

“Only when I’m deep in a case.”

“I guess this means your weekends are booked for a while?”

Mercy sighed. “I know. The two of us are supposed to be working on the interior of this place … We’ll get it done at some point. It’ll have to wait awhile.”

A grin filled his face.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re not the same person I met last fall. Back then, if the cabin had been in the half-completed state it is now, you’d be climbing the walls with anxiety because your safety net wasn’t perfect.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. “I had a similar thought earlier, but nearly all my supplies are still intact, so it’d be rough living but doable. I can temporarily live with that for now. Especially with this case to distract me.”

His lips twisted.

“Jealous?” she asked with a grin. “It’s an amazing case, isn’t it?”

“It is. Considering there have been no leads for decades, and the robbery is practically modern folklore. It’s like a buried treasure hunt, and Ollie found the first clue.”

“Is Ollie okay after his morning?” she asked with a small wince. She’d nearly forgotten the teen had made the grisly discovery.

“He’s okay. I spent some time with him and he was very quiet, but I could tell he was processing it. He’s dealt with death before.”

“He’s been through a lot,” sympathized Mercy.

They silently ate for a few moments until he glanced up and caught her staring at him. Longing shone in his eyes, an appetite and craving that had nothing to do with food, and she struggled to find her breath.

How does he do that to me?

“You know,” he said, his voice low and tempting, “this place hasn’t been christened yet.”

Mercy blinked. “People do that to homes?”

Patience filled his features. “That’s not what I meant.” His brown gaze held hers.

“Ohhh,” she breathed as heat flashed through her.

“Dessert.” His smile was sinful, and energy pulsed between them.

She melted. “Yes. Dessert.”

***

About the Book

Title: A Merciful Fate

Author: Kendra Elliot

Release Date: January 15, 2019

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

Raised by preppers, survivalist and FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick has a deep-rooted need for a safe place. Her getaway in the Cascade Foothills is her secret. But when skeletal remains are unearthed—those of a murdered man linked to a notorious heist—Mercy realizes she isn’t the only one with something to hide.

Thirty years ago, an armored-car robbery turned deadly. The mastermind was captured. Four conspirators vanished with a fortune. One of them, it appears, never made it out of the woods alive. For Mercy and her fiancé, Police Chief Truman Daly, their investigation opens old wounds in Eagle’s Nest that cut deeper than they imagined. Especially when a reckless tabloid reporter draws fresh blood. It’s clear to Mercy that somebody in this close-knit community is not who they seem to be.

Some are still shattered by the heist. Some still have reason to be afraid. But which one will kill again and again to hide three decades of secrets? To land this case, it’s up to Mercy to unmask a familiar stranger before someone else dies.

***

Author Biography

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kendraelliot.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

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Feature Post: A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliot

   

I am very pleased to share this feature post for A MERCIFUL SILENCE (Mercy Kilpatrick, #4) by Kendra Elliot. This post includes a message from Ms. Elliot, an excerpt, and a summary of this book. An author biography and web links are followed by a Rafflecopter giveaway. I hope you enjoy this post and good luck on the giveaway!

(My review is to follow.)

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Message from Kendra Elliot: Mercy’s road to the FBI

Mercy Kilpatrick, the heroine from my newest release A Merciful Silence, was raised by anti-government preppers in Central Oregon. She grew up learning to live off the land, avoid law enforcement, and never trust the government. When she was eighteen, she and her father had a falling out that forced Mercy from the home.

She entered the regular world but could never leave her prepping roots behind. She eventually joined the FBI—thereby becoming the two things that her father hated most. Estranged from her family, Mercy keeps one foot in the regular world and another in her hidden past. She can’t help but prepare for the end of the world. No one at the FBI knows she escapes to her mountain hideaway every weekend where she stocks firewood, food, fuel, and medical supplies.

An FBI domestic terrorism case pulls her to back to her hometown where she must face her family for the first time in fifteen years. The case takes place in a survivalist world with which she is all too familiar, and suspects some of her family may be involved.

***

Excerpt: A Merciful Silence

Her GPS took her on a wet, winding trip thirty miles out of Bend. Mercy revered privacy, and it appeared Britta Vale did the same. The terrain was flat, with clumps of huge trees and fields of scattered volcanic rock. She took the final turn off the two-lane road and was pleasantly surprised to find a well-maintained gravel driveway. A wood fence lined one side of the drive, and Mercy idly wondered if Britta kept cows or sheep in the field. A wide creek rapidly flowed through the pasture, full of the recent rains. A few minutes later she stopped in front of an old white farmhouse. Fields flanked the house on two sides, and a small ancient grove of fruit trees was to the east.

The paint flaked from the two-story building, and large pieces of railing were missing from the wraparound deck. Lace curtains appeared at most of the windows, and a newer Ford pickup was parked next to the home. As Mercy stepped out of her Tahoe, faint barking greeted her, and she spotted a black lab inside, watching through a tall window next to the front door, alerting the residents that company had arrived. Its wagging tail defied the belligerent barks.

Overall, Mercy liked the home. It felt shy but friendly. Sequestered but welcoming.

The door opened and a woman appeared. In one hand she gripped the lab’s collar. With the other she balanced a rifle against her shoulder.

Not threatening, but making her stance clear.

Mercy approved. And stopped moving forward. Mercy stood with her right shoulder and hip slightly farther back and casually held her hands out in front of her stomach, the palms up. A nonaggressive pose, but she was ready to move to the gun in her shoulder holster if needed. “Britta Vale?”

“Who wants to know?” The woman’s tone was polite but direct. Her long hair was black. The flat-black, obviously dyed tone. Blunt-cut bangs just above Britta’s eyebrows gave her a no-nonsense look.

“I’m Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick from the Bend FBI office. You’re welcome to call them to verify me.”

“Take three steps closer.”

Mercy took three measured steps, her hands still exposed. She felt the weight of her weapon at her side and watched Britta for any warning movements. The woman stood perfectly still, the dog’s wagging tail a contrast. At this distance Mercy could meet Britta’s gaze. The woman had light-blue eyes and skin that looked as if it’d never seen the sun. She also had a huge tattoo that wrapped around the front of her neck. Mercy couldn’t read it but wondered how painful the process had been. She swallowed, imagining tiny sharp needles jabbing at the tender skin on her throat.

The woman released the dog, who instantly sat, its dark eyes still locked on Mercy.

“Are you here about Grady Baldwin?”

“Yes,” Mercy answered.

“Is he out? I’m supposed to be notified if he gets out. No one has said anything to me.” Britta’s voice shot up an octave as the words spilled out of her mouth, terror and anger flashing in her eyes. Her fingers tightened on the butt of the rifle, and Mercy tensed.

“He’s not out and he’s not getting out.”

The woman lowered her chin a notch, and her shoulders moved as she exhaled. “I have nightmares about police vehicles abruptly showing up at my home, trying to get me to safety. They’re always too late.” She nodded at Mercy’s Tahoe. “You’re clearly armed, and you have government plates, so you understand my reaction.”

“I do. You are Britta, right?” The woman acted like a survivor, but Mercy wanted to be certain.

“I am. Why are you here?”

“Yesterday we uncovered five bodies. Possibly a family—we aren’t certain about that. But each one of them had been struck in the mouth. Their teeth and jaws shattered.”

The pale woman went a shade whiter as she slapped a hand across her mouth, and the dog whined, leaning hard against her thigh.

***

About the Book

Title: A MERCIFUL SILENCE

Author: Kendra Elliot

Release Date: June 19, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

 

Summary

 

For FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick, returning to rural Oregon has meant coming to terms with her roots. Raised as a prepper, Mercy is now relying on her survivalist instincts to defend her town from the people the law can’t reach. But this time, an investigation calling up a dark past for her and police chief Truman Daly may be hitting too close to home.

A rainstorm has uncovered the remains of five people—a reprise of the distinctive slaughter of two families twenty years ago. Except the convicted killer is in prison. Is this the case of a sick copycat, or is the wrong man behind bars? One person might have the answer. The lone survivor of the decades-old crimes has returned to town still claiming that she can’t remember a thing about the night she was left for dead. As the search for the truth becomes more dangerous, Mercy fears that the traumatized woman may not have buried her memories at all. She might be keeping them a secret. And there’s a price to be paid for revealing them.

***

Author Biography

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful DeathA Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Social Media Links

Website – http://www.kendraelliot.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKendraElliot

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KendraElliot

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150778.Kendra_Elliot

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