DI Eleanor Raven has a secret, one she is at pains to keep from her colleagues, especially her new partner who she isn’t at all thrilled about working with. Her new case however, isn’t at all straightforward and is gradually leading her towards the very heart of her own shadowy desires and the understanding of a killer who could easily destroy her too.

Although this is a good read I struggled with it at times. I liked Raven's new partner far more than she did and found her to be unsympathetic at times. This is a reissue of a book previously entitled The Safe Word which was one of a trio of novels. I will be on the look out for their reincarnation as well as I would like to see how things evolve for both main protagonists.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions are my own.  This is an enjoyable read but is maybe not for the squeamish.

Book Review for Cry for Mercy by Karen Long
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

What an absolute cracker of a book this was! I stayed up well into the early hours of the morning to finish this. Someone pass me the matchsticks please.

I absolutely love the characters that were involved in this story.

Eleanor Raven is a badass that won't go down without a fight, which was proven all the way to the end of the last page!

Her new partner and friend, Laurence Whitefoot, is a heart on his sleeve kind of guy. For someone that stopped being a doctor and joined the police force he certainly found his calling.

This book, of gruesome crime and murders was just outstanding to me. The descriptions depicted by the author where second to none and made it feel very real. The process that the team followed were meticulous and they followed every lead with a fine tooth comb.

I can see myself falling in love with this team and I cant wait to see what is thrown at them next! Absolutely fantastic!

Shocking beginning of this book that I didn't expect, very gritty and intense. Later, you get some insight for this behavior of the main character, Eleanor (who is the detective leading this police procedural) Enjoyed the storyline, the other characters & of coarse Monster, the German Shepard. I would definitely read another book in this series. Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for a complimentary copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hmmm wasn't sure about this one.

Liked the storyline, bit too much BDSM for me though, and the characters were okay, but it didn't grip me as much as I thought it would.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

I am on the fence with this one. I enjoyed the story but wasn’t thrilled with the writing. I found the suspense part a worthy read. I wanted to know what was going on and wanted the conclusion.

However, the writing was lacking. I never liked any of the characters. I mean some of them I down right disliked. The chapters were a bit confusing with all the jumping around. And I would suggest a different proofreader.

But again I liked the suspense part of it. A few times I changed my mind about the “who-dun-it” and was surprised when I found out who the killer was. Which is always good that the author can catch me off guard.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Whenever I read a crime book I always compare the police officers involved to MW Craven's Poe & Tilly and these DI Raven & DS Whitefoot could not be any more different. The book is set in Toronto, Canada and it is of an 'adult nature' as BDSM is discussed in detail.

This would have been a 5 star rating but probably more like a 4.5 as there just seemed a few too many characters and I did not quite get all of the twists and turns. Monster the dog added a little bit of humour along the way which was definitely needed considering the subject matter.

It looks like this could turn out into a great police duo and I look forward to reading the next book.

The book is published on 16th November but was previously published under the name of Safe Word which came out in 2014.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Karen Long for providing me with an ARC Kindle copy of the book on agreement that I would write an unbiased review.

This is a really good start to a series. Eleanor Raven is an interesting character. She is different from any other fictional detective that I have read about. The story is full of suspense and there are some great twists. There is also some intriguing characters. The plot kept me reading and Interested the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I reviewed this book under the title of Cry for Mercy. ( it has also been published under The Safe Word. )

Cry For Mercy is a great start to a new series with Detective Eleanor Raven and her rookie partner Laurence Whitefoot. ( He even comes with the best dog Monster) .

Eleanor and her team are scrambling to find out who is killing and then posing all these victims and why.

I love the fact that it takes place in Toronto.

There were twists and turns and clues left , some I missed and the ending was excellent.

Pages flew by.

I look forward to seeing these characters develop in the next of the series. Can't wait.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the privilege for reading Cry for Mercy.

A short and neat police procedural with good characterisations and a tight plot. The story begins with the introduction of the DI participating in BDSM, which could have been avoided. I don't think it comes under acceptable behaviour. Since the author says through the character not to judge, I am not going any further on that aspect. The rest of the book is well written and moves fast.

Cry for Mercy introduces readers to Detective Inspector Eleanor Raven. A brilliant and clever detective, who, it's fair to say has secrets in her private life which come close to the surface, as she investigates the murder of two young women, whose deaths have links to the BDSM scene, a cold case and possibly Eleanor herself.

And as starts to series go, I quite enjoyed this one, and certainly Eleanor Raven is not your usual detective. But honestly, I couldn't make up my mind if I actually liked her or not.

Yet, there's no denying it was a good mystery, and there were plenty of procedural details, and the author certainly kept me guessing, and I was engaged throughout, but I wasn't hooked, and frankly, I have put this story down a few times over the past week. However, the lure of the killer has kept me coming back, and I'm genuinely glad I did.

Would recommend.

I really enjoyed this. It was a dark and gritty crime thriller with an interest8ng cast of characters. The story was compelling and kept me hooked.

I don’t know what happened, but this time around I didn’t really click with the book. The story is good, and the writing flows fairly good, but I only felt like I got into the story three quarters in. My main problem with the book is that it has too many characters. Especially for a shortish book like this, this many people makes it messy, and I couldn’t focus on the plot.

I guess it would have worked better for me if the book was longer, and there would be more time to introduce everyone. I would like to get to know the team better. I enjoyed the last quarter though, so this one has potential to become something good.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. This is my first time reading a book from this author. It was a thriller from the start I wasn’t expecting the BDSM so that was unexpected just a heads up for that. But I really liked the action from the beginning.with a serial killer trying to tease the police with the clever clues he left. Exciting to the end.

Very much enjoyed this book it was tense and thrilling right the way through. It was a dark story that kept my interested and gave me a few wow moments. If this is the first book I can’t wait for the next one in the series. Really good read, I loved it.

This is a retelling of the 2014 Safe Word. This follows Detective Eleanor Ravens through the streets of seemingly safe Canada. They are searching for a serial killer who fancies himself as an artist. Everything seems so random with only a chain linking the crimes together. This book is a one sitting read. You will think you have it figured out in chapter one but do you? The bdsm scene is represented here as well as the struggle with personal demons and secrets. You will be sucked in.

Another great start to a gritty, crime thriller series! I was hooked from page 1 and left wanting more when I read the last word. Loved the characters - complex with lots of underlying issues and layers. Can't wait to see how they evolve! I look forward to reading the next in this series.
*Warning does contain BDSM

Thank you again #netgalley and #bookouture for this eARC.

Cry for Mercy by Karen Long

DI Eleanor Long has been called to the scene of a murdered woman. A woman that was placed and posed in the position she was in for a reason complete with cherry red lipstick. Eleanor is taking mental notes about the scene when she sees that the murdered young woman is wearing an engagement ring. She realizes that although her life was cut short too soon she must find the killer. It is not long afterwards that another body is found. Posed in the same position as well as the red lipstick. What is the killer trying to tell her? This is certainly a very gritty and intense novel. I believe it is the first in a series and if so, it is a great start. I would love to see these characters again in future novels. This book does venture into sexual situations that many may not like or understand and if so, just know that there are not many situations like that in the book.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book does contain BDSM and I was not expecting that in this book. I did like all of the characters and the story line just not the BDSM The mystery was solves half way through the book and I prefer to try to guess who did it and love surprising endings. I but overall I did enjoy this book

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Cry for Mercy.

I love mysteries, and am always on the lookout for a series featuring a female protagonist so I was pleased when my request was approved.

DI Eleanor Raven is not a typical detective. She enjoys certain 'extracurricular' pursuits' and when bodies of young women are found in elaborate, artistic poses, investigation into these terrible murders may expose her own secrets.

There were a few things I enjoyed about Cry for Mercy:

I liked Raven; she's capable, determined and relentless. I wish I liked her better; exposition is sparse concerning Raven's personal life, which is understandable, but at times she felt brusque.

Raven counseling her new partner on how to be a good detective; what kind of questions to ask; withhold judgement. Usually, in books like these, the male detective is teaching his younger, female partner but not here.

Her partner, Whitefoot, is a good and decent man, along with his canine companion, Monster, who provided necessary comic relief during the narrative.

All of the supporting characters, the medical examiner, Raven's colleagues, especially her relationship with her former partner who is on medical leave, Mo, were all relatable and good people; loyal, competent and hard working.

The mystery isn't bad; an underground world of BDSM where consensual parties agree to participate in certain acts for sexual gratification takes a wrong turn when someone uses this method to hunt for victims. There's nothing illicit or graphic about the content; the author takes care with her words and descriptions.

What I didn't like:

I felt the narrative read a bit long toward the end. I felt my attention waning especially when the bad guy was revealed.

I didn't like the identity of the villain being revealed more than midway through the book. I read mysteries so I can solve it alongside the detectives and figure out whodunit. Revealing who the perp is takes all the 'mystery' out of a mystery.

I think the previous title for this book was more appropriate.

I enjoyed Cry for Mercy and look forward to the next book in the series.