At the River by Kendra Elliot

The mystery of three missing teens and a traumatizing murder unearths decades of buried secrets in a shocking novel of suspense by a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author.

Twenty years ago, five teenage campers disappeared. Two eventually turned up, bound and left for dead on the Columbia River’s rocky shore. Only Devin Bonner miraculously survived, but with no memories of what happened in the Oregon forest.

After decades, the cold case generates heat for FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick and her husband, Police Chief Truman Daly. They’re investigating the murder of a true-crime podcaster found at the river’s edge in the same location, and with the exact same manner of death. With the discovery, Devin’s nightmares return. His only real friend is Ollie Smith, Truman’s orphaned ward, whose own search for the truth sucks Ollie into a mystery far greater and more dangerous than anyone imagined.

Following a trail of fresh blood and an escalating series of murders, Mercy and Truman must work fast to unlock whatever traumas are buried in Devin’s memories before the secrets of the past claim another victim.

Don’t miss our reviews of other books in the Columbia River series!
For book one, The Last Sister, click HERE.
For book two, The Silence, click HERE.
For book three, In the Pines, click HERE.

 

 

Book 5
Buy Links

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Audiobook (US) Narrated by Teri Schnaubelt & Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Hardcover (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~ Also Available with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Mystery

I really enjoy these Mercy Kilpatrick books. They are intriguing and engaging.

This one is a mystery of the past and present. The story does start a little slow, but I loved how Elliot was able to pull it all together.

Ollie is older now and helps with tracking due to his unique skills. Mercy is still doing her FBI thing and then there is Truman, the local sheriff and Mercy's husband.

Together, their small town is rocked to the core with murders and past murders that have become relevant again. Kids who were murdered and went missing, a blogger who wants to know the truth, and a community that might not be okay with what truths are out there. This is a twisted tale of betrayal, love, friendship, and family.

I loved this story. It did take me a little bit to get into it, but once you're sucked in, you're in to the end. You won't be disappointed in this story. It's gripping. I can't wait for more.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
Kendra Elliot has once again brought mystery to life in the eighth installment of the Mercy Kilpatrick series.

Mercy has been called out to help work a grisly scene where a podcaster has been discovered missing by his wife and the cabin they are renting is full of blood. Miles away, a body has been found in the exact location where two people were found almost 20 years ago. Both of the teens were left for dead, but one miraculously survived but with cognitive deficits.

Are the two crimes related?

Mercy finds out that the podcaster was once a high school classmate of the two teenagers and has come to town to investigate the disappearance of the five teenagers from that fateful camping trip almost 20 years ago. Was he getting too close and that's what lead to this death?

As more and more details come to light, it's clear that the disappearance of the five teens is more than just a urban myth of kids running off to the big city never to be heard from again.

Join Mercy and Truman as they navigate two interwoven crimes and in the strange and odd way it affects their family.

 

 

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, the Mercy Kilpatrick novels, and the Columbia River novels. She’s a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers Award 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 and raised in the rainy Pacific Northwest but now lives in flip-flops.

Connect with Kendra Elliot!

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of At the River (Columbia River #5; Mercy Kilpatrick #8) by Kendra Elliot to read and review.

In the Pines by Kendra Elliot

Clues to a hidden treasure. Clues to a family secret. Both lead to murder in a twisting novel of suspense by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kendra Elliot.

A national treasure hunt with a $2 million prize has driven obsessed fortune seekers to overrun the small town of Eagle’s Nest, Oregon. The hunt’s cryptic clues and the lure of wealth have exposed the desperate side of human greed: theft, fights, trespassing—and even the motive to kill. Police chief Truman Daly craves peace in his town but has a murder on his hands instead. Now the big prize isn’t the only thing hiding in the pines. So is a killer.

When a young boy walks into the local café and claims his mother and baby sister have been missing for weeks, FBI special agent Mercy Kilpatrick investigates and exposes a disturbing twist in his story. Deep family secrets and lies that started sixty years ago have burst into the present, bringing with them deadly consequences.

Mercy’s and Truman’s investigations lead down a path of murder, revenge, and buried secrets to uncover two intertwined mysteries as dark as an Oregon forest.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Columbia River series!
For book one, The Last Sister, click HERE.
For book two, The Silence, click HERE.

 

 

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US)  ~  Hardcover (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~ Also Available to Read & Listen with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Mystery
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

In the Pines is the seventh book in the series and Mercy, Truman, and Evan are at it again. This time, there is an elusive treasure hunt located in their ideal town. Tourists are hellbent on finding the treasure and with those tourists, a whole host of trouble follows.

With a fight breaking out over notes regarding the treasure, a couple of murders, and some kids who have been abandoned, it will take all three of them to figure out how to calm the tourists and find the murderers.

This story kept you reading and wanting to figure out what happened. Elliot wrote some good twists and turns. You won't be sorry that you went on this treasure hunt.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is another great book with Mercy Kilpatrick as the lead character, along with her now husband, Truman Daly.

Hitting close to home, the young boy and his sister remind Mercy of her prepper family roots, and she understands all too well how carefully they need to deal with the situation. It also makes her realise that she is no longer in that place, and her new family is far more important than her need to survive. She finds that insight both liberating and incredibly unexpected. I loved that we got to see her value her place in her family, and their importance to her.

The mystery is fast-paced, clever, and full of twists – you should expect nothing less from Kendra Elliot! I am already looking forward to the next book.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 stars

I really like the Mercy Kilpatrick series and her adventures. This story isn't the strongest of the series, but it did keep me interested.

In this installment, Mercy is tasked with finding a missing mother and an 18-month-old toddler who have vanished after leaving her teenagers home alone to go find their father. Digging deeper into this mystery, Mercy finds out that the missing mom is, in fact, the long missing sister of the sheriff's deputy Evan Bolton, whom she's worked with before.

Fourteen years ago, Bridget Kerr, aka Bethany Bolton, ran off with her boyfriend, Victor Kerr, and was never heard from again. Now, Evan has taken custody of his teenage niece and nephew and has learned that they have been living off the grid all these years. Growing up as a child of preppers, Mercy understands this lifestyle and why Bridget would feel comfortable leaving her teens home alone for a week.

Kendra Elliot brought the subject matter to life, and I loved that the author included Kaylie and Ollie as major characters in this book. I would like to see more of them in future books, as well as how Mercy teaches them to always be prepared in accordance with her prepper upbringing.

 

 

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, the Mercy Kilpatrick novels, and the Columbia River novels. She’s a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers Award 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 and raised in the rainy Pacific Northwest but now lives in flip-flops.

Connect with Kendra Elliot

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of In the Pines (Columbia River #3; Mercy Kilpatrick #7) by Kendra Elliot to read and review.

The Silence by Kendra Elliot

A dead conspiracy theorist. A mass murderer. Two cases collide for Callahan and McLane in a pulse-pounding thriller by Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author Kendra Elliot.

A man is savagely murdered outside Portland, and Detective Mason Callahan finds blood-spatter evidence that tells a troubling story. Files reveal the murder victim, Reuben Braswell, was a radical conspiracist. In his home, investigators find pages of diatribes against law enforcement as well as ties to Mason’s fiancée, FBI special agent Ava McLane. The victim was her informant—and had strong reasons to be paranoid.

To Ava, Braswell’s rants were those of a wearying and harmless man… until they collide with her investigation into the murders of police officers and finding the connection becomes urgent. Meanwhile, Braswell’s brother and Ava’s twin sister both disappear, and disturbing acts of sabotage target Ava’s personal life.

For Mason and Ava, the brutal crimes and escalating mysteries create a perfect storm for a terrorist conspiracy that becomes dangerously personal—one that has yet to claim its last victim.

Book 2
Buy Links

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~ Also Available with KindleUnlimited ~

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Thriller

Ava is an FBI agent who has been seeing a CI for a while now. She's not quite sure he's a true CI as he never really has ever given information that is worth anything. When her CI is found to have been killed, but left behind strange bomb references, Ava is called in to see if there could be any credibility to the threat.

Mason is Ava's fiancé, but he is also a police officer himself. When he realizes that Ava is semi-implicated in his case, he knows that she'll want to be a part of it. Mason is trying to figure out why there might be a bombing and trying to keep Ava out of harm's way.

While these two race against the ticking clock to find out where the bomb might be happening and why, the twists and turns this story take are very fun. You also get to glimpse into Ava's home life and family life. Both Ava and Mason are used to dealing with Ava's sister, but this time, it comes at the most inopportune time. I really enjoyed seeing other characters from Elliot's other stories too. This won't disappoint if you like a mystery with a little romance thrown in.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
We start with Mason at a pretty gruesome crime scene where an informant of Ava’s has been murdered. A manifesto found at the crime scene leads to a bomb threat which leads to an even more devastating crime. While Mason works on the homicide investigation, Ava is assigned to the task force looking into the fallout from the bomb scare. More crimes take place that may or may not be connected to the investigations Ava and Mason are working on and it was exciting watching it unfold and trying to figure out who did what and how various crimes were connected, if at all.

The Silence flowed really well and had a good pace. Not so slow that you get bogged down in details and not so fast that you can’t keep up with the story. During all the crime solving and action, Mason and Ava are preparing for their upcoming wedding and dealing with the disappearance of Ava’s misbehaving twin sister.

This is a really good, easy-to-read story for those of us that like good crime solving and a little bit of love story mixed together. The action is really good too and as I read, I couldn’t help thinking that this would make a great movie or TV series. The Silence gets a solid 4 stars from me.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is a huge, confusing jigsaw puzzle of a murder mystery. Kendra Elliott fans will remember Mason and Ava from previous books. Here, the state police detective and the FBI agent are thrown into overlapping cases weeks before their wedding. As Mason attempts to solve a homicide, Ava is appointed to the task force for a related mass shooting.

This story is complicated, moving quickly between Ava and Mason’s investigations. I really like the interplay between the couple and their partners. Many of the characters are familiar from the author’s earlier books and I enjoyed seeing them in a different context.

This story moves quickly, and I like the way all the plot threads eventually meet up. I don’t feel like Mason and Ava are quite as developed as some of my favourite Kendra Elliott characters, but the storylines involving Ava’s family add depth and complexity to her character. This isn’t necessarily a murder mystery that readers can solve alongside Ava and Mason. I enjoyed following the twists and turns of their investigations, but I usually like to be able to put the pieces together for myself. I enjoyed the fast pace of the investigations and I love that there are a couple of revelations that took me completely by surprise.

Fans of the author will enjoy this book but I think new readers might be thrown by the many characters we’re expected to know from previous books and series. I’m fairly sure the book could work as a standalone but I’ve read too many of the author’s books to know this with any certainty.


Shannan – ☆☆☆☆
The Silence is the second book in the Columbia River series. You should read book one to completely understand the storyline.

Ava and Mason are planning their wedding until a murderer forces them to put their plans on hold. Mason finds out his murder victim is tied to Ava. While they work together, they face many obstacles, both on the job and with family. As always, Kendra Elliot leads you on a suspenseful page-turning journey. The Silence does tie up some lose ends that were hanging from book one, bringing their story to a natural ending.

I was intrigued by this read. It had me invested throughout.

Also Available in the Columbia River Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our The Last Sister post.

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 and the Mercy Kilpatrick novels. 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 looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops.

Connect with Kendra

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Silence (Columbia River #2) by Kendra Elliot to read and review.

The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot

Three sisters’ secrets collide in a shocking novel of suspense by the Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Mercy Kilpatrick series.

Twenty years ago Emily Mills’s 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 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.

Book 1
Buy Links

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~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
I stayed up way too late finishing this book. It’s a fabulous story about two grisly murders in the same small town. It’s a story about a family torn apart by secrets and lies – and it’s also a story about the same family pulling together and rebuilding after a series of unthinkable tragedies. The FBI must untangle years of Bartonville history before they can put an end to the town’s terrible history.

I like the FBI agents, Zander and Ava, but I’m still a bit frustrated that even though this is advertised as the first book in the series, the agents are actually introduced in Vanished. I feel like we’re expected to know them before this book starts and we don’t get too much character development from them in this story. The story is saved only because the Mills sisters are actually more interesting than the agents and they are wonderfully complex and secretive women that keep readers guessing until the end.

This story is a puzzle but it’s one that readers can solve alongside Zander and Ava. I enjoyed piecing together the many fragments from various points in time and I like that while I didn’t guess the whodunnit straight away, it makes perfect sense and provides a satisfying ending. I love the suspense in this story. It’s a gory read, full of action, blood, and bodies and there is one especially terrifying scene at the end that suspense fans will love.

I’m really excited to start a new series from Kendra Elliott but I hope we get to see more character from Zander and Ava in the next installment.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Thriller
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Emily knows that something is terribly wrong when she finds her employee, Lindsay, dead in her home. What makes the situation worse is that Lindsay's husband is found hanging in the backyard, just like how Emily's father was killed. When she calls the local sheriff, she knows that they are going to need more help, so she calls the FBI too.

Zander Wells is an FBI agent who shows up to try and figure out why this new crime is so eerily similar to the death of Emily's father. He and his partner are as close as partners can be, but one look at Emily, and Zander is intrigued not only by the woman, but by her family.

Emily's family has kept secrets for her entire life. Her sister Madison, her aunts, and her long-lost sister, Tara. All of them have something they've kept hidden, but since nobody talks about it, it will take Zander digging around to uncover who is behind these crimes and why.

This is filled with a great mystery. I really like how it was woven around. I do think that the strange romance was a distraction. The story might have been slightly stronger without that. But I did like how it came together. It's not as good as the Mercy Kilpatrick stories, but it's along those lines.

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 and the Mercy Kilpatrick novels. 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 looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops.

Connect with Kendra

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Last Sister (Columbia River #1) by Kendra Elliot to read and review.

A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot Blog Tour

The Wall Street Journal bestselling series continues as Mercy Kilpatrick becomes embedded in the nightmare of a terrorist conspiracy.

The job: infiltrate a militia amassing illegal firearms in an isolated forest community. FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick is the ideal candidate. She knows Oregon. She’s near the compound. And having been raised among survivalists, Mercy understands the mind-set of fanatics. Lay low, follow rules, do nothing to sound an alarm, and relinquish all contact with the outside world. She’s ready to blend in.

As Mercy disappears into the winter hills, something just as foreboding emerges. Mercy’s fiancé, Eagle’s Nest police chief Truman Daly, is faced with a puzzling series of murders—three men dumped in random locations after execution-style shootings.

Now, for Mercy, trapped in a culture where suspicion is second nature, and betrayal is punishable to the extreme, there is no way out. No way to call for help. And as plans for a catastrophic terrorist event escalate, there may be no way to stop them. Even if Mercy dies trying.

Book 6
Buy Links

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~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

“What does Jeff want?” FBI special agent Eddie Peterson asked Mercy as they simultaneously tried to pass through the conference room doorway. Eddie stepped back, a laptop under one arm and two books under the other as he precariously gripped a cup of coffee by its lid.

Mercy darted through before he lost control of the coffee. “I don’t know, but he told me to clear my afternoon.”

Eddie frowned as he set the cup on the conference table. “He didn’t tell me that. I’ve got three meetings.”

Mercy shrugged. It was part of her job to change direction on a dime, and Jeff’s vague message had perked up what had promised to be a dull day of paperwork. Mercy had been a special agent with the FBI’s Bend, Oregon, field office for nearly a year after spending five years at the big Portland office. Including her and Eddie, Bend had five agents, in contrast to the hundred agents in Portland.

But Bend was close to her heart. She’d been raised thirty minutes away in the tiny town of Eagle’s Nest, and until she arrived in Bend on a case last September, she hadn’t visited in fifteen years. After that case she left behind Portland’s hustle and bustle for the stunning vistas of the Cascade mountain range to Bend’s west and the wide-open plains to its east.

Her boss, Jeff Garrison, entered the room with two official-looking strangers close behind him. Instinct told Mercy they weren’t FBI—but something about them felt very governmental, and she noticed instantly they were discreetly armed. The woman was tall, dark, and elegant—she could have been a model twenty years earlier, and her gaze zoomed in on Mercy, studying her from head to toe. After the moment of intense scrutiny, she gave Mercy a warm smile. Whatever evaluation she had performed, Mercy had passed.

The male looked as if he could be Eddie’s brother. Young, hair too long, a bit of scruff. He wore jeans and a light jacket.

Jeff made introductions. Carleen Aguirre was the resident agent in charge from the Portland ATF office, and the man was ATF special agent Neal Gorman. As they took their seats, Neal frowned at Mercy, studying her in the same fashion that Carleen had. Mercy returned his stare as Jeff shut the door.

“Nothing said in here leaves this office,” Jeff announced, looking directly at Eddie and Mercy.

Mercy hid a small spark of irritation; she and Eddie weren’t gossips. She lifted a brow and gave Jeff her best side-eye, wondering if she should be offended or immensely curious. She decided on immensely curious and gave the ATF agents the same deep scrutiny she’d received.

Carleen grinned and leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, her dark gaze holding Mercy’s. “One of our agents is undercover in a militia-slash-conspiracy-theorists-slash-illegal-arms-buying group outside of Ukiah.”

Mercy blinked. “That’s a mouthful.”

“Where’s Ukiah?” asked Eddie.

“About thirty miles south of Pendleton. It’s a tiny town. About two hundred people,” answered Neal.

Mercy followed a road map in her head. “That’s a good four hours northeast from here.”

Neal nodded. “Just west of the Umatilla National Forest. If you’re looking for a good place to escape society, this is it. No one will bug you here.”

“But clearly something about this extensively labeled group bugged you enough to embed an agent,” Eddie stated.

“They call their compound America’s Preserve. The group has approximately forty people living in an abandoned campground,” Carleen told him. “The camp is the type of place churches rent for retreats. It has several cabins with bunk beds and a large hall with a kitchen for meetings, but it hadn’t been used in twenty years until this group took up residence about a year ago. The property is owned by a Ukiah resident who gave them permission to move in.” Carleen grimaced. “The ATF doesn’t want to reveal our interest, so no one has talked to the owner, but the general word in Ukiah is that the group is repairing the buildings in exchange for living there.”

“And you embedded an agent because of the illegal-arms-buying aspect,” said Mercy.

Both agents nodded. And didn’t expand.

Mercy waited, but neither Carleen nor Neal jumped in to fill the silence.

But Eddie did. “What do you need from us?”

Carleen took a deep breath. “We need Mercy. Tomorrow a second agent was to join our undercover agent and pose as his girlfriend, but she came down with shingles.” She turned pleading eyes on Mercy.

Sweat started under her arms, and her pulse pounded in her ears.

They want me undercover in an illegal-arms-buying militia?

Last winter she’d gotten uncomfortably close to a budding militia outside of town and nearly paid for it with her life. It wasn’t something she cared to do again.

Jeff met her gaze. He knew how dangerous her last experience had been. His eyes were sympathetic, but he sat silent, allowing the agents to ask.

“Get someone else,” Mercy forced out. “It doesn’t have to be me.”

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
I still can’t believe this is the end! The last book in the Mercy Kilpatrick series is easily the most exciting. Mercy spends most of the story undercover in an isolated and secretive community. The book flips between Mercy’s increasingly terrifying experiences and Truman investigating a string of murders back home. It’s a frightening read and as Mercy’s situation became more dangerous, I found myself racing to the end in a single sitting.

I really enjoyed Mercy in this book, but I was a little bit sad to see less of her family and friends. The interplay between Mercy and Truman in their respective jobs is usually one of my favourite elements to these stories and I really love their partnership. For most of this book, Mercy has no ability to contact anyone outside of the compound, so we don’t get as much of the family and relationship time as we usually do. We do get to know the various cult members and we get to see more of the FBI agents who are usually on the periphery of the books.

From sick kids and pregnant women without medical treatment to the disturbingly charismatic leader and his heavily armed followers, the cult Mercy infiltrates is seriously creepy. And every time I started wondering if the whole scenario was a little exaggerated, the characters would reference similar groups and scenarios from real life. From the start of the series, I’ve found the preppers, survivalists, and other isolated groups equal parts disturbing and fascinating. This final story makes these groups a central focus and it makes for riveting reading.

I’ve really loved this series. The rural Oregon setting is not something I’ve encountered in other crime series and I feel like the books introduced me to a whole new part of America that I’d never before considered. I’ve loved the characters from the start. Mercy is fabulous and the slightly hotchpotch chosen family she and Truman have cobbled together is pretty special. I also like that Mercy never compromises herself for her relationship with Truman.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Thriller
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

I am sad that this is the end of the Mercy Kilpatrick series.

Mercy is tasked with an assignment that she has reservations about from the beginning. It is an ill-thought out plan that Mercy knows will bring back her past.

Mercy grew up in a prepper community. She knows that her assignment isn't for that, but rather a cult. While undercover, Mercy has to decide who can be trusted and what the group is hiding. Because she's thrown into this last minute, she's not even sure if she can trust her own partner.

Truman, having his own job and issues arise, also knows that Mercy is in danger. He can feel it. Trying to juggle his own job and feelings of dread. Truman knows that giving up is not an option. Finding Mercy is his goal, and nothing will stop him.

I enjoyed this a lot. I do wish that Mercy's dad had been more part of the story. We caught a glimpse of him, but I thought he would have been so much help in this story. Overall, it was a great series and I am sad to see it end.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
First, I can't believe that this is the end of the Mercy Kilpatrick series. Second, Kendra Elliot has written a story that I couldn't help but stay up most of the night reading.

Mercy walks into this op knowing exactly what she's up against. She's lived with preppers her entire life. She also knows the difference between a prepper community and a cult and she fears the person in charge of this little compound has more of a god complex than he does a prepper spirit.

Truman has a bad feeling about the whole operation, he knows that Mercy is not 100% yet but he also realizes that Mercy is strong-willed and will do everything in her power to stay safe.

When the raid goes down and Mercy is nowhere to be found, Truman refuses to give up hope that Mercy is safe. He defies the FBI and hires his own search and rescue team. If there is one thing in life he knows, it’s that Mercy can survive just about anything. He just doesn't know if he can survive without her.

Also Available in the Mercy Kilpatrick Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Death post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Truth post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Secret post.

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Silence post.

Book 5
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the A Merciful Fate Blog Tour.

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 and the Mercy Kilpatrick novels. 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 looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops.

Connect with Kendra

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Merciful Promise (Mercy Kilpatrick #6) by Kendra Elliot to read and review for this tour.

A Merciful Fate by Kendra Elliot Blog Tour

In the next book in the Wall Street Journal bestselling Mercy Kilpatrick series, there are no such things as little secrets…

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.

Book 5
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~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

“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.”

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F thriller

This is a fast-paced story where it is very helpful if you've read the previous books in the series.

In this book, Mercy and her crew are up against a 30 year old crime. When a bank heist goes south, it will take everyone in the town to figure out what happened.

I loved how involved this book makes the reader. You want to cheer for someone, but because you're unsure who to cheer for, you end up skeptical of everyone.

Elliot didn't disappoint with the twists and turns in this book and I highly recommend reading this. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let go until the very end. I hope there are more to come!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This series just gets better and better.

Ollie has found a skeleton and Mercy and others suspect it could be related to an old unsolved bank robbery. One of the gang is in prison, but the other four accomplices disappeared without a trace.

Not only is Truman trying to help Mercy figure who died in that remote cabin long ago, he's also trying to solve the new spate of vandalism that is happening over at Sandy's inn. Sandy isn't being very helpful as to who may behind it, until she realizes that unless she's honest, her whole life will come tumbling down around her.

Bree is also having problems. Someone tagged her car and barn with "Xs" and her son, Lucas, is furious. Truman at first thinks its related to Sandy's cases, but something doesn't quite fit.

Mercy is doing her best to keep the investigation moving regarding the old bank robbery, but it’s getting harder and harder to do. Her partner, Eddie, is shot while trying to interview a potential witness. Art, the former lead investigator on the case and now retired FBI agent, is being investigated as she shot the man who shot Eddie. And everyone else around her, has the flu.

When Mercy's niece is shot, Mercy is inconsolable. One of the things she prides herself on is being prepared but after Eddie's shooting, she didn't restock her med bag. Feeling foolish and helpless, she turns to the one person who has never let her down – Truman.

I truly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see where book six takes us next.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
After five books, this series is quickly becoming addictive. Mercy’s creepy backwoods community gets both stranger and more familiar with each story and this one kept me guessing right to the end.

This book starts slowly. A long dead skeleton. Graffiti. As always, Truman and Mercy’s cases overlap, and things start to escalate. I love the way this story only gets more complicated as Mercy and Truman uncover tiny pieces of information that link together to create bigger truths. And I love that it took me a long time to figure out Mercy’s case in this story. The ending of this story had me on the edge of my seat – I honestly couldn’t put it down.

When I think of Oregon, I think of Portland and hipsters. I think of a liberal corner of the US with values more similar to Canada or Europe than the American South. This series, with its preppers, independent citizens, and fugitives, is eye opening to say the least. I’m beginning to feel like I know the characters in Mercy and Truman’s community but there are so many secrets to keep track of. I love the contrast of small town charm and creepy backwoods nuttiness. And I love that it’s often impossible to tell them apart. I love how Mercy attempts to balance her professional role and her small town prepper upbringing.

I really love this series. On a basic level, the books are well plotted and well written crime thrillers. But there are lots of great crime thrillers. It’s the wonderfully complex characters and the overwhelming sense of place that makes the series special.

Also Available in the Mercy Kilpatrick Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Death post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Truth post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Secret post.

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our A Merciful Silence post.

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 and the Mercy Kilpatrick novels. 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 looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops.

Connect with Kendra

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Merciful Fate (Mercy Kilpatrick #5) by Kendra Elliot to read and review for this tour.