A Merciful Death (Mercy Kilpatrick Book 1) Kindle Edition

I have always kinda looked down on prepping. After reading this book and thinking of how everything was touched by prepping I have different perspective. This book has murder, romance and lots more.

Once I got started good in this book I could not put it down. Great thriller I hope y’all enjoy as much as I did!!

A good read. Good characters. A good mystery. Enjoyed this book with lots of twist and turns. Had a good ending even with sadness.

I read the last series first. Pfft I didn't know. But it's okay, doesn't make that much of a difference. I'm still loving the stories, the people and being lost in fantasy land.

This book was intriguing from the very beginning. I truly enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries and nice endings.There wasn't anything I disliked about the book or storyline. I am on to the next book of the series.

I enjoyed this book - it wasn't perfect, but it put a different spin on the romantic suspense trope by setting the story in Oregon and saturating the story with survivalist/prepper culture which I found really interesting. Mercy is an FBI agent for the Portland office. When a series of murders of preppers are handed over to her to investigate as part of her domestic terrorism department, she's forced to return to Eagle's Nest, her hometown that she hasn't stepped foot in for over a decade. When elements of the murder strike a startling resemblance to crimes from her youth, the danger might be closer than Mercy expects. She teams up with the local police chief, Truman, whose uncle was also one of the victims, to try and get to the bottom of the murders.I found the book easy to read and entertaining. The story had a couple of problems for me. Mercy's estrangement from her family was a frustrating point, particularly since it was only referred to, with little explanation, for a good chunk of the book with little breadcrumbs dropped here and there to give the backstory. I felt that the author still didn't fully explain the falling out with Mercy and her family with an appropriate amount of detail so overall it just made me dislike her family. The murders themselves were well portrayed with just the right amount of 'ick' but the who dunnit was a bit of let down with some of the investigation more fallen into than given a proper explanation and process to really draw in the reader. The perpetrator was also a bit of a fizzer and while there was closure, it's not a sunshine and rainbows ending and Mercy reuniting with her family didn't end all rosey.I really like how the author revolved the story around survivalist culture (e.g. doomsdayers, militia and anti-government individuals and groups) and the sovereign citizen loons. It put a really fresh twist on the story and Mercy's background in the prepper life added to this. I really loved her character. I didn't find her a blubbering mess as a I saw mention of in a couple of other reviews - trust me, this would have been an immediate turn off for me as I hate a helpless victim for a lead. I thought the author did a great job of making her a strong FBI agent that had family issues going on and who tried to maintain a balance between how she was raised and who she had made herself become as she reconnected with her family. I also liked Truman, who becomes a love interest. He was a strong character that had his own past demons to deal with that led him to heading out to work in a small town. I would have liked a little more chemistry and build up with their relationship because all of a sudden they were interested in each other without there being much dialogue or background emotion to support this. Their character development just seemed a little isolated for them to be so attracted to each other. The story was told from both of their point of views with a few flashbacks thrown in for good measure.Overall, I really liked and will definitely read the next book. It reminded me of the Morgan Dane series by Melinda Leigh. It could have done with extra detail to flesh out the story to make elements of the novel more poignant and it was predictable in parts but it was still a solid 4 stars for me.

3.5 Stars!A Merciful Death started off a bit slow, but had an intriguing mystery with interesting characters and I really enjoyed it.Mercy Kilpatrick was raised in a prepper family since childhood in Eagle’s Nest, Oregon until a tragic event forced her to leave home. Now, a killer is targeting survivalists in Eagle’s Nest killing them in their homes and stealing large caches of weapons from their properties. Sent by the FBI to assist with the case, Mercy returns to her hometown for the first time in fifteen years forced to face the family that shunned her while she works with police chief Truman Daly to find the killer before he strikes again.After leaving Eagle’s Nest, Mercy went as far as she could in the opposite direction from her prepper childhood. Preppers are typically distrustful of the government, so for Mercy to become a federal agent it was a bit of a slap in the face at her old life. Despite leaving Eagle’s Nest, Mercy was never able to fully shed the prepper life and instead keeps that part of her life hidden from everyone she knows. She is hesitant to return to her hometown as she knows it means seeing people from her past and will likely involve speaking to her family. Mercy is a very stubborn and opinionated woman which is part of what contributed to her leaving home as in prepper families the men are in charge and women are expected to listen to them.Truman is a recent transplant to Eagle’s Nest having only moved to the area about six months prior to the start of the book. He visited the town during the summers in his youth to see his uncle and after a tragedy on his old job, he decided Eagle’s Nest would be a nice place to start over. Truman is very dedicated to his job and he cares about what happens to the town and its residents. However because he’s new to town he isn’t fully trusted by some of the residents and is seen as an outsider. Truman becomes heavily involved with the caveman killings as his uncle was one of the victims and he was the one who chose to bring in the FBI.A Merciful Death focuses heavily on the prepper lifestyle and how they prepare for the end of life as we know it. Parts of the book are very information heavy and I found myself skimming over some of the prepper information as the book went on. The author clearly did her research and knows her stuff, but it was just a bit too much for me. Mercy and Truman work well together on the caveman case and their partnership is even better after Mercy opens up about her past. The romance aspect of their relationship is very light as they’re more focused on the case. The caveman killings are the most interesting part of this book and I was completely engrossed in that aspect of the story. I liked how the author tied the current case to a case from Mercy’s past which was also tied into why Mercy left town.A Merciful Death was fairly light on the romance for being the first installment in a romantic suspense series, instead focusing more on the thriller/mystery aspect. While I enjoyed the book, I had hoped for a book more heavy on the romance which I’m hoping is how future books in the series will be. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Although I did read the entire book, I found myself looking forward to being finished. I thought it was rather predictable.

This is the first book in the series and Mercy, an FBI agent is investigating a series of murders in the town she grew up in but left 15 years ago after something happened and a rift between her and her family occurred. The investigation soon opens up old wounds of what happened to her and her family 15 years before. Are they connected or just a coincidence? With the local police chief, Truman, they investigate. The story had quite a bit about Mercy’s reactions to the past and current affairs, the relationship between her and Truman, as well as how she handles re-meeting people she hasn’t seen for 15 yrs including her family. I enjoyed the book and will download the next in the series. It definitely got me hooked and I didn’t want to put it down. 4.75 out of 5 from me.

A series of murders bring FBI agent Mercy back to her home town. A place she swore never to return to, for to do so she may have to revisit a past she would prefer to forget for ever. With murders to close to home, an estranged family and a seriously hot Chief of Police who she can't stop thinking about Mercy has her hands full. She really doesn't need a target on her back to. Can she trust anyone, even herself, that is the question she needs to answer. The wrong choice could cost her everything including her life. Another tense thriller from Kendra, one of my favourite romantic suspense authors.

First time reader of Kendra Elliot. Very interesting story. Throughly enjoyed it definitely a page turner can’t wait to read more books.

Really enjoyed this book. Have good insights into how some people live their lives . Lots of twists in it. Kept me reading as I wanted to see what happened next. On to book 2 in the series

4.5*Mercy Kilpatrick returns to her home town of Eagle’s Nest, a small rural town in Oregon, fifteen years after she fled the fallout from several disastrous events. She hasn’t seen or spoken to her family since then. Now a special agent with the FBI she has been sent to Eagle’s Nest with fellow agent, Eddie Peterson, to help the local police force in their investigation of a spate of murders. Someone has been targeting the community of preppers and stock piling stolen weapons in what could be the preparation for a domestic terrorism event.Eagle’s Nest Police Chief Truman Daly has a vested interest in the murders, his uncle was one of the victims. Truman didn’t grow up in Eagle’s Nest but spent several summers with his uncle, so he knows many of the townspeople. Nevertheless, it’s taking time for him to be completely accepted.Truman and Mercy join forces and in the course of the investigation it becomes apparent there are similarities and the recent murders have echoes from the past.I’ve enjoyed Kendra Elliot’s books previously and this was no exception. The protagonists’ intriguing backstories are woven into the twisty plot line, connecting the dots until a picture begins to emerge, with plausible trails leading the reader in various directions. Both Mercy and Truman are trying to come to terms with their pasts, the damage done and events that have shaped them, bringing them to where they are. Due to her upbringing and reason for leaving town, especially as it would have implications regarding her job, Mercy is wary of Truman and reluctant to let herself trust. Truman realises Mercy is a survivalist, despite her attempts to hide it, and almost against her will a bond begins to build between them. He, on the other hand, has no such reservations and is attracted to Mercy almost from the start. Having said that, the romance aspect is very much in the background and doesn’t overwhelm the main storyline.The story flow is smooth, with a well crafted plot and rounded, believable characters. Mercy and Truman are both likeable, although Truman is more relatable. His level-headed and easy going personality is a good foil for Mercy’s more edgy and complex one. Mercy’s story is drip fed as the story unfolds, which makes her more sympathetic. I enjoyed the prepper aspect, which adds an extra layer to the narrative. It was interesting to learn more about their way of thinking and community, which is still male dominated, and the lengths they go to in preparation for a major disaster. Kendra Elliot also paints a vivid picture of the area. Looking forward to the next instalment.