Road to Mercy is my first book by this author and it had me hooked from the first paragraph. The second book in the Shannon Ames series, this story was easy to keep up with and I didn't feel like my experience was lacking in any way from skipping the first book. A mother and son on a road trip to drop the boy off at school ends in the abduction of both. As a former prosecutor, Lucy Donato's missing case gets kicked over to the FBI. Enter Special Agent Shannon Ames still feeling the weight of justified kill on her last case as the guilt is front and center. When Lucy's husband Bob takes the younger children and disappears, Shannon is in pursuit to see just what Bob knows. Suspense and action build steadily as the case winds down to an unexpected ending that will leave you wanting more of Shannon Ames's story. The story is smooth and gripping to satisfy the most stringent of mystery and suspense lovers. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Road To Mercy by T.J. Brearton is the second in the Special Agent Shannon Ames series and packs a punch! I was totally into this story as the questions and theories increased as the chase progressed! I enjoy this new series and Road to Mercy is non-stop in action and suspense.
As I read the beginning about Lucy Donato enjoying her trip back to school with Dylan and her plans to have a pancake breakfast with him, I so hoped she would survive! It is clear from the beginning of Special Agent Ames' investigation, this will not be an easy case with clear answers.
Former federal prosecutor Lucy Donato's husband Bob has taken the two young children and is fleeing in a cross-country route. The times he is reported to have come in contact with others usually leave an episode of violent behavior. Are the children safe in his care during this race to elude authorities?
A wonderfully written thriller!
Publication Date: September 19, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The story opens with a quiet scene. A mother and her college-age son are driving to his college. They’ve gone shopping–enthusiastically on the mom’s part, reluctantly on the son’s–and are stopping for pancakes. It’s the stuff of an ordinary day: a mom fussing over a son, a son rolling his eyes and sulking.

Then their road trip takes a violent u-turn. Masked men abduct them from the restaurant’s parking lot. And no one even notices . . .

That’s when I knew: This is gonna be one hell of a road trip.

From there, the tension increases gradually. Along with Shannon, I didn’t know who or what or why this abduction happened. There are many different possibilities.

Sometimes I thought I knew what was happening.

Then the story took a u-turn or swerved off the road or hit the accelerator and laid rubber on the asphalt until I stood beside Shannon, staring at a map and wondering how we got here.

Brearton masterfully ratchets up the tension. It’s feels a bit slower than the pace in the first book, though Road to Mercy isn’t slow by any means. But as I did with Into Darkness, I felt like I was part of Shannon’s investigative team, racing against time to stop the inevitable. But even then, even when the end felt inevitable, I still didn’t know what was waiting at the end of the road: life . . .or death?

From that parking lot abduction to the final act, Brearton kept me guessing. And while this mystery does get solved, there’s a delicious cliffhanger in the final chapter. I guess I’ll have to wait until book 3 comes out to know what happens!

The characters: really, they’re so . . . ordinary.

Lucy, a former federal prosecutor, acts like a typical middle-aged mom who henpecks her son and worries over extra weight on her hips. The son, Dylan, is just a rising college sophomore who had a tough freshman year. Their family–husband Bob and young Lily and Silas–are typical people, albeit in unusual situation. The police and federal agents are rather ordinary people, too. Brearton does a terrific job with characterization. And he has both women and men in positions of power within law enforcement. (Shocking, I know!)

I especially enjoyed the chapters narrated by eight-year-old Lily. Her father’s changed behavior bewilders and upsets her. She’s understandably frustrated when he doesn’t answer her questions. She misses her mommy. But she’s observant and she often knows more than she thinks she knows, though. It’s easy to feel sympathy for this child and to root for her. Her interactions with both her father and her little brother feel realistic. Brearton does a great job portraying the kids as kids.

Shannon continues to be a sympathetic character. She’s determined, compassionate, and deeply human. She gets cranky when she’s hungry or tired and argues with her work partner, the supposedly “uncomplicated” Charlie Bufort. (Note to Shannon: do NOT underestimate your fellow characters.) She wonders if she should date a particular person or not. (Note #2: a tentative yes, which I guess means maybe.) She has a troubled relationship with her mom. I feel like I know her (as evidenced by my notes to a fictional person!)

She’s a strong woman, and I don’t just mean physical strength. She has spiritual strength, too, a moral internal compass that helps her navigate the complexities of investigative work. I absolutely love her for this. Outside of the “Christian fiction” market, I haven’t encountered too many Christian characters portrayed in a positive light. (And this book is definitely not Christian fiction.)

For Shannon, the hunt for a killer is not only about the killer, the novelty of the death, or the unraveling of a mystery. It’s about justice for the victims and their loved ones.

It’s about having compassion for the grieving and putting other people’s safety first. (Especially children!)

It’s about retaining one’s sense of right, wrong, and humanity, even while searching for the most inhumane of killers.

And it’s about remembering that this killer is human, one of us, and who could be us under different circumstances.

But the previous case in Into Darkness has left Shannon reeling. She’s struggling with PTSD. The aftershocks complicate her mental state at inconvenient times. (Though are there ever convenient times for flashbacks?) It feels realistic: small things trigger memories and her mind takes a dive into dark places. Dealing with this is a long, hard road.

I like how Brearton handles the description of the crime scenes. Rather than describe in gory detail what a murder victim looks like now, he keeps the focus on the victim as a person. This is particularly true when he deals with violence against women.

This is something that the crime/mystery genre has struggled with over the years. Often the scenes show a (typically male) detective viewing the female victim’s (often naked or mutilated) body, describing it to the reader. Too often, the result feels like a sexualized voyeurism.

But Brearton avoids that. He focuses on the dead as they were in real life: spouses, parents, friends, people who lived and breathed and hugged their children and ate pancakes. Just like us. Just like the other characters, investigators and killers alike.

This book works as a standalone. I didn’t find any spoilers, other than a very brief mention of one particular character; but it’s not really a spoiler. So yes, you can read Road to Mercy without having read Into Darkness. But why on earth would you want to miss out on the pulse-pounding thrills of the first book?! Seriously. Go read them both . You won’t regret it.

So I’ll repeat my earlier question: Did this book live up to my expectations? A resounding yes!

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This review will be posted to my blog on September 3, 2020.

I really like this series...

Special Agent Shannon Ames is smart and badass in a very subtle yet awesome way. I love her analytical mind, the subtle way she leans on her faith. She packs a powerful punch but I’m going to say it again...in a subtle way.

This story had many twists and turns. And I did figure out a big part of it but it didn’t take away from the wallop that it packed. I was not sure how or where or why by I knew who. And it didn’t matter. The story was really good, twisty and I can’t wait for more.

Road To Mercy by T.J. Brearton Mercy me, second book featuring Shannon Ames is full on action, suspense and twists and turns throughout. Reliable characters and a convoluted mystery. Ready for more of Shannon's crime solving stories.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

This is a really good, well paced crime thriller. It is a proper story of cat and mouse as Special Agent Shannon Ames, alongside her colleagues and other police forces we meet along the way, chases Bob Donato across several states in the US as they try and find out why he has taken flight with his two young children whilst his wife and eldest son have been taken hostage. The story is really well plotted with a couple of very good twists and turns along the way.

The lead agent Special Agent Shannon Ames is a really good central character. She is smart with good instincts, but is troubled. Shannon is a really endearing character who it’ll be good get to know better as the series continues. This is actually the second book in the Shannon Ames series, and although it is a standalone book this book is good enough to make me wish that I had read the first one too.

Road to Mercy is the second book in the Shannon Ames series in the mystery-suspense genre. The main character is suffering from PTSD from a shooting in the first book, which causes her to have certain doubts and issues has she navigates her new case. I have not read the first one, and you do not need to read it to understand what is going on. This book is about the kidnapping of a mother and her teenage son. It is a well written, action-packed whodunit, but it was a slow starter for me, and I had trouble paying attention. About halfway through, it started picking up speed and I became intensely engaged with the story.

The plot was solid, and the character development was strong. I had some trouble keeping up with all the characters at first but eventually came to know who was who. It kept me guessing until almost the end when I made a correct guess regarding who the main culprit was. This book was a very solid read and I gave it three stars.

I look forward to reading the first book in the series and any future books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it.

Another excellent book by this author, with action all the way through, great characters and a very interesting plot. This is how a story should be told; easy to read and highly entertaining.

An intriguing mystery full of action and suspense. Had me hooked from the beginning and guessing right up to the end. Loved the main protagonist, Special Agent Shannon Ames, strong, gutsy, intelligent, with a take charge attitude.. Hope to see more of her in the future.
Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Road to Mercy by T.J. Brearton was so good. The book had a solid mystery and an intriguing storyline. The action was non-stop.

This book and how the author wrote the scenes had me questioning all the characters and who could be behind the mystery. I definitely want to read more about these characters and other books by this author.

One of the things I liked was the relationship between Shannon and Bufort. I felt all the characters were solid and believable.

#RoadToMercy #NetGalley

A book about abduction, money and murder, the Road to a Mercy was a gripping book that held my attention and wouldn't let go.

Shannon, an FBI agent, is trying to solve the case of Lucy and Dylan Donatos's abductions from a parking lot in broad daylight. At the same time, she is also trying to find Lucy's husband, Bob, who took his two young kids and was seen fleeing from their house on the same day. What follows next is a twisty tale of full of suspense that will keep you guessing until the end.

A few points in this book were not totally believable, which is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5. But overall, I read this book in just a few days and would recommend it to others.