Having read and reviewed A Merciful Silence back in January and thoroughly enjoyed it, I jumped at the chance to read this next book in the series. This time around, past and present collide for FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick when five skeletons are found with injuries identical to those seen in cases of murdered families two decades ago.

The crimes were so brutal nobody could ever forget, but the perpetrator was caught… wasn’t he? The only survivor remembers nothing of that night, but surely it can’t be a coincidence that the new murders happened right after she returned to town.

At the same time, her partner, police chief Truman Daly, becomes involved in an investigation of a group of so-called ‘Sovereign Citizens’ who believe the laws of the US don’t apply to them. When Truman disappears in mysterious circumstances, Mercy must somehow deal with her emotional turmoil and continue investigating her current case.

Mercy is such a well-fleshed out character, I almost feel as though I know her. I have the actress Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) in mind when I think of her… small, tough, dark and haunted. Having learned that the first book in the series has been optioned for TV, I really hope Krysten is in contention for the title role!

In this book, I feel we got to know Truman better too, and he’s another great character. Kendra Elliot really has a great grip on this series now and I look forward to more great books in the series, and hopefully a TV series one day very soon!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is a new series for me. I loved both the mystery and the suspense in this story. Starting with the discovery of multiple skeletons during a flash flood, the story quickly becomes a complicated tangle of current crimes, twenty year old crimes, and a series of seemingly unrelated events that blur Mercy’s investigation even further.

I didn’t realise that I was jumping into book four of a series when I requested the book but I am very pleased that the story easily reads as a standalone and I was easily able to fall in with the characters and the slightly creepy, rural Washington setting.

Mercy is a great lead detective. I enjoyed puzzling through her quirks, her scars, and her almost stable love life. The contrasting roles and perspectives from Truman as chief of police and Mercy’s FBI investigation are interesting and I really enjoyed the interplay between the two.

I love that it took me far too long to figure out the whodunnit and I loved all of the red herrings as some characters, suspects, and crimes overlap and others don’t. Everything fits at the end, but the author really challenges readers with the complexity of the story.

Parts of this book are seriously scary, so it was a tense single sitting read for me. I enjoyed this and I’m excited to go back and start the series from the beginning.

Kendra Elliot is a goddess among romantic suspense authors. There are really only a handful of romantic suspense authors I follow faithfully, but she’s definitely one of them. So, it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed A Merciful Silence.

I’ll start with a warning, though. This is one of those romantic suspense reads that I think fans of straight mysteries and police procedurals would enjoy. It’s heavy on the mystery and suspense elements, light on the romance. What romance there is in the book is well-written (as is to be expected from a Kendra Elliot read), but readers who are looking for romance might find this one to be a bit slow.

What really shines in this one is the heroine, Mercy. She’s smart and tough and good at her job (lots of competence porn). She’s also not perfect, which I enjoy. The fact that she was raised as a prepper and still harbors some anxiety as a result of her upbringing and ingrained beliefs made her more relatable as a character. (Who can relate to the too-good-to-be-true types, you know?) There really need to be more heroines like Mercy in romance land.

Truman’s a good romance hero, too. He’s also good at his job, and very alpha without being a jerk about it. He’s protective of Mercy, but never coddles her or holds her back/down in any way. He trusts her (even if he doesn’t always agree with her), and his love for her seems truly without bounds. (And at the end of the day, nothing’s hotter than that, amiright?)

So, why not 5-stars, you ask? Since I’m a devout romance reader, I had to take away one star because this one does read more like a mystery/suspense/police procedural novel than it does a romance. The romance is there, but it’s definitely not the main purpose of the story. It’s more like a secondary plot line. The story would have been fine and would’ve stood on its own nicely if all the romantic elements had been removed. Therefore, I think the book might be a little misclassified as romance.

But, long-story-short, this is a well-written, suspenseful story full of creepiness, competence porn, a strong heroine, a strong hero who doesn’t have any interest in dominating the strong heroine, and a smidge of romance thrown in for good measure. It’s a highly 1-clickable read.

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from NetGalley, free of charge.

A Merciful Silence is another great addition to the Mercy Kilpatrick series. I love watching the characters evolve with each new book.

A Merciful Silence by Kendra Elliot is the first book in the series featuring Mercy and Truman. This book was interesting and I felt that I was getting to know the major characters but was missing a lot of background. I felt like I had walked into the middle of a movie after missing the first half!. Mercy kept referring to her family and her background but never gave me enough information to feel like it was part of the ongoing plot. Now I have to find the books about Mercy and maybe Truman that were written before this one.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and Montlake Romance. I wasn’t able to read it right away due to the joys of moving, but when I did get the chance I was sucked in very quickly. (Side note: it did not take me 20+days to read. It took me a little over 2 days because I could only read after work.)

Book four, of the Mercy Kilpatrick series, immediately sucked me in with the finding of 5 skeletons with all their front teeth bashed in. These skeletons mirror a few murders that happened over 20 years ago and the supposed killer was in jail. Mercy is now on the hunt to find out who the remains are and is the killer really behind bars?

Meanwhile, Eagle’s Nest Police Chief, Truman Daly, pulls over a vehicle for speeding. It turns out the driver of the vehicle is a Sovereign Citizen. The Sovereign Citizens think they are above the law and taxes, they govern themselves. Truman along with Deschutes County Police arrest this man and this brings about trouble for Truman.

I feel that Mercy grew a lot this book. She is definitely not the same woman she was in book one. Mercy is no longer the awkward prepper that we were introduced to. I always find myself rooting for her and I look forward to reading more of her in future books.

Someone is murdering families in a gruesome manner and Mercy and Truman are working together to see if these murders are connected to murders that happened in the same way years ago. Then Truman is kidnapped and feared dead and Mercy has to push herself physically and mentally to find him. A gripping, fast-paced, and suspenseful read. I highly recommend this series!

Mercy Kilpatrick stories are consistently some of the best books on the market. There, I said it, and I mean it. These stories are riveting. With impeccable skill, Kendra Elliot can paint a portrait of Oregon, sovereign citizens, and murder. In book four of this series, Mercy is recovering from an injury sustained in the prior story and is at the site where skeletons have been discovered. The beginning words perfectly convey Mercy's weariness, pain, impatience with a reporter, and her emotions. The expert on site is able to give Mercy some details that unfortunately lead Mercy to a series of old murders where the perpetrator is already in prison.

At the same time as Mercy is investigating these deaths, her relationship with Truman is deepening. Truman -- oh Truman. He is an amazing character. This book takes an unexpected turn when Truman goes missing.  Mercy faces her feelings for him while he is missing.

Honestly, I don't want to tell any more of the plot because I don't want to ruin it for you. This is one of the best books I've read in 2018. I was happy to read that there will be more Mercy Kilpatrick stories in future instead of the originally planned four. This is a series I don't want to see end.

Book Four of the Mercy Kilpatrick series was a great installment and slightly better than the middle two. This time Elliot tackles the Sovereign Citizens movement, and doesn’t give them the same respect as she does the preppers, and rightfully so! Truman pulls over one these wingnuts only to learn that he’s kicked a hornet’s nest and is soon abducted by them. Mercy goes into rescue mode, while concurrently trying to solve a series of grisly murders. Are they connected, and can she get to Truman before it’s too late? I was a little sad while reading the book as this was supposed to be the end of the four-book series, but in the author’s note Elliot reveals that there is more to come. Yay! I just hope it doesn’t involve either Mercy or her beau being on the brink of death again… I think they’ve been through enough for a while.

***I received an ebook copy from the author at no cost***

I've never read any of the other books in this series, but I absolutely loved this one! (For those like me, it can be read as a standalone too.)

This story is filled with suspense. I was glued to my Kindle, on the edge of my seat as I read. I loved that Elliot kept tossing it up and twisting things. Nothing felt predictable and I was constantly chomping at the bit for more. I needed to know what was going to happen, to see if any of my own theories would pan out, and to see what happened between Mercy and Truman.

I loved the spark between the two main characters. Even though Mercy didn't see it at first, it was always there and I was always rooting for the two of them to end up together. (And how perfect, the FBI agent and the police chief fall for one another.)

I liked the plot in this one too. But, I also love crime thrillers and mysteries of any kind, so this was right up my alley. This book was fast paced and easy to read. The character development is great. This author does an amazing job of painting scenes with her words and was spot on with all the details.

Four stars to this novel!

I grabbed this book right away as I did like some of the other books I have read in this series. Something happened and I struggled with this book. Both on a character level and the story level. There was not that strong connection to the main characters. They were talking about I was not feeling what they were saying.

The story itself seemed to move slowly. Additionally, there was no intensity. Yeah, there were a pile of bones but it seemed that the reason and connection for the murders was slow to get to the truth. This combined with the fact that I could not find my place with the characters, may it hard for me to want to stick with this book. This is exactly what I did; I put the book down and did not complete it.

Full review to be published online in late June.

A MERCIFUL SILENCE is the fourth book in Kendra Elliot’s intriguing ‘Nercy Kilpatrick’ series ; and it is a great blend of mystery, suspense and romance. I really like Mercy and Truman, how their minds work, and the aspect of their law enforcement expertise. I don’t do spoilers but I will say at parts of this story my heart was breaking for Mercy.

I was literally engrossed in this story, it had so many twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down. This author literally grabs you and sucks you in. It’s well written and her voice

Even though this book falls outside the scope of what I typically prefer to read by focusing almost entirely on suspense with little to no romance, I couldn't put it down. Definitely an edge of your seat thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. Kendra Elliot is a fairly new to me author but I must say this story is one of the best I've read to date.

This story captured my attention from Page One and took me on a wild ride with lots of twists and turns. How much can one little town go through?!? I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next.

Kendra keeps getting better and better. A great addition to the series. Hopefully, it is not the last one.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

Number Four in the Mercy Kilpatrick series and I hope there will be many, many more. If you are contemplating this as your first book in the series, please reconsider and start at the beginning. Mercy grows with each book and it is wonderful when the author takes us with her on this journey. I feel sorry for the State of Oregon. It seems that a lot of their citizens are missing a few screws. I know some really great people who live in Oregon and that is just not true, but we meet yet another fringe group in this book.

Mercy Kilpatrick was raised in a prepper family and the need to be prepared for the breakdown of society is strong for her, even being an FBI Agent. She is morning the loss of her hidden cabin while recovering from a gunshot wound to her leg. Her relationship with Eagle's Nest Police Chief, Truman Daly, is growing and strengthening, something that scares loner Mercy to death.

Mercy is called in when torrential rainstorms lead to the discovery of the remains of five people. The manner of their death causes Mercy to recall to deaths of two other families from over twenty years ago. The similarities are frightening in their implications and when others are murdered in the same way the question is: was the wrong man convicted or is this a copycat? One woman might hold the answer to that question. The lone survivor of these attacks over twenty years ago is back in the area, but she is deeply scared and doesn't want to dredge up that part of her past.

Truman has his own cases that are causing problems. After a traffic stop with a "Sovereign Citizen" or SC, Truman goes missing and now Mercy has several dead bodies and a missing Truman. As Mercy searches for answers, she kicks over a hornets nest and may pay the price.
4 1/2-Stars

This series has become a personal favorite of mine. I love it all from the well done plot to characters you become emotionally invested in. Definitely pick this up and find out just how great this series is. Happy reading!

A Merciful Silence was an action-packed and thrilling addition to the Mercy Kilpatrick series with an interesting case for Mercy and some exciting developments for the characters.

Mercy Kilpatrick has come to accept there are people the law can’t get to and she aims to protect her town from those people. Raised as a prepper, a survivalist who prepares for the end of the world as we know it, and now an FBI agent, Mercy has the skills to protect those she cares about. When the remains of five people are uncovered during a rainstorm, Mercy cannot help but see the similarities to the killings of two families twenty years ago. But they caught the killer in those cases, so does Mercy have a copycat or is the wrong man in jail?

Mercy has always been the type to work through issues on her own, but in this book we see Mercy finally opening up and admitting when she needs the help of others. I liked that after the events of the previous book and the injury Mercy sustained, she wasn’t able to immediately bounce back. Mercy doesn’t deal well with limitations, so it was interesting watching her work through one in this book. Mercy and Truman continue to work well together even when they’re not assigned to the same case. I love how they bounce ideas off of each other and help each other on their cases. Their romantic relationship has some fantastic progression in this book and I’m excited to see what the future has in store for them.

The case Mercy works on in this book is brutal and definitely one that holds your attention. I was curious from the beginning how the author would tie together cases that were twenty years apart and I have to say I enjoyed how she did it. I was completely surprised by who the killer was and the lengths they would go to to achieve their goals. There is a secondary case included that Truman was working on which was just as interesting as Mercy’s case and I enjoyed how it tied into everything. My only issue was the pacing of the book was slightly off as we skip ahead in the timeline a few times which threw me out of the story.

A Merciful Silence includes some characters from the author’s Bone Secrets series which was a nice addition for fans of that series. I personally haven’t read those books but I am definitely interested to read them now and hope to pick them up soon.

The Mercy Kilpatrick series is a fantastic romantic suspense series and A Merciful Silence is no exception. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a thrilling series to read and I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

I always know I’m in for a treat with a new release from Kendra Elliott. When I received an invitation from the publisher, via Net-Galley, I eagerly agreed to read and review the fourth book in her Mercy Kilpatrick series. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

As with all of Ms. Elliot’s books, the characters are real and flawed, the plot is intriguing and there’s plenty of emotions running high. One of the things I enjoy most about her books is the suspenseful scenes. She has a way of keeping me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the last.

I love Mercy’s character and in each of these books, it only grows stronger. While she’s complicated and has a lot of pent-up issues, she never lets them hold her back. She’s fierce in her determination to be the best FBI agent possible and protects her niece like a mama bear.

Truman is a drool-worthy hero any woman will love, and I’m one of them. He’s an honorable, caring man, and he’s so patient with Mercy’s trust issues. He never lets anything rattle him, whether it’s a case or Mercy. In this book, Truman’s life is threatened drastically, and his experience is beyond what most men could endure.

While the romance is secondary in A Merciful Silence, it’s still strong and adds a lot to the story. In A Merciful Silence, Mercy and Truman’s relationship has progressed quite a lot, which pleased me immensely.

The suspense in this book builds as the tale of mystery and intrigue unfolds. The plot is heartbreaking, so many families killed. Ms. Elliott does a fantastic job of keeping the true villain under the radar until the climax. I never suspected anything and was totally surprised. Clearly, the villain is mentally deranged. While his actions are gruesome, what he witnessed as a child greatly affected his abilities to make sane decisions.

If you enjoy a novel with plenty of high suspense with a great “who-done-it plot,” then you will absolutely love A Merciful Silence. I do recommend reading the other three books in this series before reading this book, so you’ll fully appreciate Mercy and Truman. Happy reading!

The Mercy Kilpatrick series is one that I've struggled with quite a bit, but have not been willing to give up on, and this book has made me glad I haven't, because I really enjoyed this story! It still took me a bit to read it, but I wasn't as reluctant to read it as previous books in the series.

Mercy is still recovering from the events of the previous book, and it shows through in various ways. I have to say, I like seeing this side of Mercy, it made her seem more vulnerable and ultimately, more realistic. She takes center stage in this story, and I must admit, I liked what I saw of her strength as an agent. However, it wasn't really a partnership between her and Truman like it had been in the past. He felt more like a secondary character in this story, and it didn't sit right with me.

All things considered, this was one of the better stories in the series. I liked the support from some of the Bone Secrets characters, and would eventually like to see one big universe created out of all three series. I am very interested to see what happens next in this world!

Kendra Elliot knows how to write good suspense. She also seems to teach me something new. This time its sovereign citizens. I had vaguely heard about them, but didn't know much about them.
Now back to the main story. After a bad rainstorm some bones have been found. As the investigation progresses five skulls have been found. The teeth have been smashed. Its starting to look like a case that happened years ago. As Mercy works the case can she find the killer before they strike again?
This installment has many things happening. Mercy & Truman will be put through the ringer as this story reaches a conclusion. I am so pleased to hear that Mercy will be back. Recommended for fans of romantic suspense. ARC received from the publisher through Net galley.