I went about it the wrong way again. I have read books 2 and 3 and now I was about to find out how it all started by reading book 1.

This is where we meet Eleanor Raven and the rest of the team.

The first chapter was a bit shocking. Not because of what happened, but because I did not realise who this was about. Now, every adult can do what they like in their free time as long as it is not illegal of course, but we often say to children they should be careful because of the 'stranger, danger'. I can assure you this does not only apply to kids. Dangerous things can be very existing and tempting, but they can make you find yourself in life threatening situations.

Detective Raven is not shying away from danger and she can really motivate and push her team, but sometimes she has blinkers on and she hurts people's feelings. Will she be able to fix things?

One thing is for sure. The killer is a vicious one and he has to be stopped at all costs.

Great book that had me gasping out loud more than once. 5 stars

Thank you

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This is the start of a series and after reading this I am really looking forward to the rest. I was hooked from the opening to the end and thought there were plenty of plot twists that kept my attention throughput

The first book I’ve read by this author and the first book in the DI Elenor Raven series, and wow what a read! After the first chapter of the book I was unsure whether I would like the book but then the storyline became so gripping I couldn’t put it down ! Looking forward to the next book in the series and watching the main characters develop

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. It wasn’t my kind of read at all, a bit too graphic and seedy. Sorry.

FIRST PUBLISHED AS THE SECRET WORD (2014)
DS Eleanor Raven has a dark and dangerous secret that may destroy her very life.

This book takes us into the seedy and terrifying world of BDSM or “bondage/domination sadomasochism” . Someone is offering a 'pretend' kidnapping to young women who would like to experience the ultimate in mild or simulated pain or humiliation. Anyone involved in these kinds of games must have a safe word .. a word, that when spoken, means the end of the game.

Someone is taking it further .... young women are found tortured, and horribly displayed in public places by a killer with a vision. In his mind, there is no safe word.

Along with her new partner, Detective Laurence Whitefoot, Eleanor needs to stop this psychopath, this vicious killer. He knows Eleanor's secret and he has his eyes set on her.

Creepy reading ... got goosebumps a few times. Great bad guy! I haven't decided yet whether or not I like Eleanor. At times she comes across rude and obnoxious and very bossy. She doesn't think much of her new partner, but I think that will change in Book 2 of the series .....THE VAULT. I like Whitefoot ... he's very considerate of his partner's feelings and tries very hard to not only fit in, but become the kind of partner she can come to depend on.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this British crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entire my own.

This is the first book in the series featuring Detective Eleanor Raven. The book is set in Toronto and we are introduced to Eleanor in the first chapter and the dark secret that she keeps from her colleagues is shockingly revealed. She has a new partner, Laurence Whitefoot, who she’s not happy with as she was close to her previous partner who was also her mentor. They are investigating the case of a serial killer who is torturing young women, wrapping them in plastic sheets and leaving them hanging on hooks for the members of the public to discover, Eleanor has to find a link between them and a cold case connected to her own personal life. Could she be the next victim? Apparently this book was originally published in 2014 under a different title. I found it a tense and gripping thriller, totally addictive and I can’t wait for the next book in the series. A highly recommend read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I didn’t get on with this one as much as I was expecting to. I really struggled with the main characters. I found Eleanor bitchy, rude and she acted like she was better than everyone (minus her old partner) and her new partner Laurence is very judgemental and horrible to his dog. This was the main thing that let it down because the murder part was right up my street. They are particularly gory so if that’s not your thing then maybe skip this one. But the quest for the motive was intriguing and kept me guessing. The end was full of suspense and I had no idea how it was going to end. There was also the added suspense of Eleanor’s link to the BDSM world and if it was going to come up in the case and how her job would react. I just wish the main characters were maybe a bit more likable or even just had a bit more banter between them. The BDSM link also reminded me of the Helen Grace series by MJ Arlidge.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

DI Raven has secrets, secrets that could cause her much pain and possibly put her in a murderers sights. I know this was a crime investigation and creepy, however I found myself laughing at DI Raven's new partner Det. Laurence Whitefoot's interaction with is ex-girlfriend's dog "Monster". Monster eventually becomes a pivotal part of the story. I am looking forward to more adventures to see what happens next.

This is the first book in the DI Eleanor Raven series and what an introduction….. Eleanor is not the usual type of Detective we are used to reading, she has a secret private life in the world of BDSM that she would most definitely not like any of her colleagues to know about!

Eleanor has been teamed up with a new partner, Detective Laurence Whitefoot and they are on the hunt for a serial killer who is murdering young women, wrapping them in plastic and then displaying them in public places, they are at a loss as to the motive until Eleanor discovers a link to a cold case.

Highly recommend this to anyone looking to sink their teeth into a new series, this one grips you from the moment you turn the first page and doesn’t let up until the very last, it was a gripping police procedural read which leads you on an unpredictable rollercoaster of a ride with several twists and turns along the way.

From the opening scene until the dramatic, action-packed conclusion, this first book in a new series featuring DI Eleanor Raven is compelling and thrilling. The protagonist, although a detective, is unique to the women in many other current novels that are police procedurals and mysteries. In this book, Eleanor and her colleagues of Toronto, Canada, Police Department are on the hunt for a murderer who wants to display his victims as works of art. NO SPOILERS.

I really enjoyed this and am happy to find a new series to continue. I'll be starting the second, PERFECT LITTLE DOLLS, shortly and can't wait to find out more about Eleanor and the other detectives on her team. The narrative was well written and the details were quite interesting describing a world that I knew nothing about -- BDSM. Although the reader knows the identity of the killer early on, the story of how the police come to figure it all out created some great tension and suspense. The climax was a little long and drawn out, but other than that, I was quite satisfied at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Cry for Mercy by Karen Long is the first book in the new DI Eleanor Raven series and it was a great read. I was hooked within the first few pages, especially as its full of twists and turns throughout with great characters, that will completely have you gripped from the beginning until the final page.

I highly recommend this book by Karen and looking for the next book within this great series.

Cry for Mercy was previously published as The Safe Word in January, 2014

Big thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Karen Long for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own.

Cry for Mercy by Karen Long is the first in the Detective Eleanor Raven series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Information:
Detective Eleanor Raven works for the  Homicide Department of the Toronto Police Department.  Her boss, Chief Inspector Marty Samuelson has been her boss since she graduated over 10 years ago.  Her long-time partner Mo is on leave due to a heart attack. The rest of her team consists of Wadesky (7 months pregnant), and Timms, and her new partner Detective Laurence Whitefoot.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

The naked body of a woman is found, wrapped in plastic, red lipstick smeared across her mouth, her body posed.

She is not the first victim of this sadistic killer, nor will she be the last.

Working with a new partner is not easy for Eleanor, but she is going to have to rely on her whole team to find the connection between these two women and stop this killer before he gets his hands on someone else.

But she is unaware that the killer has targeted her for his next art show.


My Opinions:   

Okay, anybody else think it's strange that a British author, living in California, sets her series in Toronto Canada?  I'm not complaining, just finding it weird.  The use of the word "pan" for toilet is not Canadian, and neither is the word "sectioned" used with reference to a mental health commitments.

The above doesn't really matter....the book was good, especially for a debut novel.  I absolutely loved the characters.  I found that although the books will center around Eleanor, I found that the secondary characters were just as interesting.  However, the fact that Eleanor has a rather bizarre secret life made it fun.  Unlike other female detectives, I don't feel Eleanor is "flawed".  She may have a few issues, but she is a strong and capable leader.  I think she and her new partner Whitefoot will be a good pairing, as I liked him as well.

The plot was different, and the pace was good, with quite a bit of suspense.

Bottom line, as long as you are okay with a bit of BDSM and a bit of gore, I'd recommend this one.   I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Another new, exciting series!

Cry for Mercy is the first installment in the DI Eleanor Raven series by Karen Long. The story introduces us to the MC, Eleanor, a different kind of detective. Unlike the usual lead detectives in cop procedurals, Eleanor is not battling some monster from her past. However, her present life (especially when she is not on the clock) is interesting and kinda shocking.

Apart from the MC, we meet other fascinating characters including her current and former partners at work. We even have a dog unofficially joining the team. I enjoyed meeting this diverse cast and following them as they worked on the case. I even ‘enjoyed’ getting lost in the dark, twisted mind of the killer who really didn’t see anything wrong with what they were doing.

This was a dark, complex case filled with secrets, illicit desires and of course, a growing body count. The multiple narrators, including the killer, had me invested in the case and I couldn’t stop turning pages/scrolling up until the end.

Cry for Mercy is fast-paced, dark, enthralling and has every element that makes a cop procedural great. This promises to be a great series and I can’t wait to read the next book which luckily is already on my self.

This was a good police procedural which started off at a fast pace then slowing down before ramping back up
again to keep me engrossed. I enjoyed the storyline and the partnership between Eleanor Raven the main character and her partner Lawrence. it was well described and made you visualise the scene. . It had a few twists to keep you interested . A book i would recommend. I already have the 2nd book as i enjoyed this

An intriguing start to a whole new mystery-thriller police procedural.

DS Eleanor has a secret; a secret that would ultimately decide the tale of her latest case - a killer is taking things further with a pretend "kidnapping" experience in the world of BDSM-where women pay to experience the simulated pain as humiliation of an actual kidnapping.

But this killer, is taking the inherent trust required for these games-and violates the trust, by painfully killing women and displaying their bodies for public viewing.

It’s easy to get sucked into the twisted mind of the killer; and I had fun unravelling the threads of the mystery and getting into the mind of this killer so creepy and horrifying.

I am however, in two minds about the protagonist, DS Eleanor-she is a hard woman to like; she is rude, obnoxious, bossy and irritatingly superior. And getting into her good books isn't exactly easy - something her new partner DS white foot finds out immediately after meeting her. But DS Whitefoot I liked. He was charming, easy-going and I am hoping for good things for him in future books.
All in all, this was an intriguing start to what looks to be a long series with twisted plotlines.

The opening scene makes it obvious that the heroine, Eleanor Raven, walks a different path – the question is, why? It’s a heck of an introduction to the main character. The book starts strong and doesn’t really let up. The author does a good job of introducing the characters and relating them all to each other. Eleanor is tricky, she’s cool, but is she too cool? The subject matter of the investigation is not for the faint of heart. It’s gritty and there’s lots of swearing – but it all makes for a realistic portrayal of policework. The book was originally released under another title a few years ago, but I can’t speak to any potential changes. I liked this one and would recommend picking it up. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Great opening chapter! This created so much intrigue into the first two characters and opens up two running storylines which will likely run side by side. This is how I love a thriller novel to start!

This story starts with a new detective duo as DI Laurence Whitefoot and DS Eleanor Raven are thrown together as a team.
The dynamics between the two were great and you could feel the tension between them but also the teacher in Raven came through.

I loved the character of Eleanor Raven. She was full of drive and determination! Her partner too was great and will e joy seeing how they work as a team in the future!

The book didn’t let up throughout. It had everything I love about a thriller. An intriguing storyline, lots of lines of suspicion and characters I want to learn more about. The description was exemplary and the detail enabled me to really feel their pain through imagination. It had a slight resemblance to Chris Carter’s Crime novels with the darker side of a thriller coming through.

This being book one, I can see this being a great series and look forward to reading more from this author. I can’t wait to find out what happens after that ending!

Cry for Mercy by Karen Long is the first of a series featuring Detective Eleanor Raven that was originally published with the title In Safe Hands in 2014. Now it is being republished by Bloodhound with two other books in the series.
This book starts as it means to go on. We are shown a side to Eleanor that could actually, if ever discovered, end her career. That alone gives me the taste of whats to come. It also showcases the fact that this woman is not a machine, I enjoyed the fact that she has a side to her that,in effect gave her a vulnerablity while she worked to conceal it. It created a realness about her immediately which in turn got me hooked.
On the same night we are introduced to Eleanor, she is called out to a crime scene at a derelict power station. A young woman has been discovered, posed with cherry lipstick applied to her face. Eleanor and the team are determined to get this killer and are on the case. Before long another body is found posed in the same way with the same lipstick on her face. The investigation soon comes to the conclusion that both victims are linked to a cold case and it seems, also involved in Eleanors secret side to her life, BDSM. She is now in a situation that upon following the leads could expose her secrets as well as very possibly solving the case.
What a belter! As I said, I was hooked straight away, I am used to dark secrets but this placed the book on a whole new level to me. Eleanor is a character that, while not entirely likeable she is dogged in her determination to catch this killer. While she also knows that she is under pressure not to be exposed, this creates a woman that doesn't always show her 'nice' side. I hope there is room to explore her back story in another book, she is definitely a fasinating woman.
To add to Eleanors issues, she has a new partner, Laurence Whitefoot. Her previous partner was her mentor and Laurence is new, eleanor is not the type of woman who has time for a rookie. We see a partnership here that needs time to build and Eleanor hasn't got time to wait she isn't a patient woman to say the least! I felt for Laurence dealing with this case and Eleanor, I would like to see how this one pans out as the series develops too.
An interesting case to deal with then, a dark and claustrophobic story at times. The author definitely set the scenes and I was on the edge of my seat with this, not exactly always comfortable read. The killer always staying one step ahead of Eleanor and the team, with the skilfully set up scenes that the killer had created. This gave me a rush of adrenaline as I sped through the book, hurtling towards the end. Hoping that Eleanor would get in front of this dark plot and find the answers.
Yes! As weird as it sounds this story is sooo good! Even with the dark themes and the fact that Eleanor is on the edge of being discovered, it created a read I didn't want to leave alone. I am looking forward to another instalment soon.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the book so I could give you my thoughts today.

A gripping start to a new thriller series - I could not put this book down!

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.