Published by Minotaur Books on January 15, 2019
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, eBook
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Police officer Ellery Hathaway and FBI profiler Reed Markham take on two difficult new cases in this stunning follow-up to The Vanishing Season. “A gripping and powerful read. It is what we call an edge-of-your-seat, rollercoaster of a thriller. You will not be able to put it down before you finish it.”—The Washington Book Review on The Vanishing Season
No Mercy is award-winning author Joanna Schaffhausen’s heart-pounding second novel.
Police officer Ellery Hathaway is on involuntary leave from her job because she shot a murderer in cold blood and refuses to apologize for it. Forced into group therapy for victims of violent crime, Ellery immediately finds higher priorities than “getting in touch with her feelings.”
For one, she suspects a fellow group member may have helped to convict the wrong man for a deadly arson incident years ago. For another, Ellery finds herself in the desperate clutches of a woman who survived a brutal rape. He is still out there, this man with the Spider-Man-like ability to climb through bedroom windows, and his victim beseeches Ellery for help in capturing her attacker.
Ellery seeks advice from her friend, FBI profiler Reed Markham, who liberated her from a killer’s closet when she was a child. Reed remains drawn to this unpredictable woman, the one he rescued but couldn’t quite save. The trouble is, Reed is up for a potential big promotion, and his boss has just one condition for the new job—stay away from Ellery. Ellery ignores all the warnings. Instead, she starts digging around in everyone’s past but her own—a move that, at best, could put her out of work permanently, and at worst, could put her in the city morgue.
As part of the NetGalley community, I often have an opportunity to read books before they are released to the public. Since I’m always open to authors I wouldn’t ordinarily be familiar with, I was excited to read a book back in October of 2017 titled The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen (see review HERE). It was a pretty good book to read, so when I saw the book that is the subject of today’s post, No Mercy, by the same author, Joanna Schaffhausen, I requested an opportunity to read and review it, and was approved.
“You kill one guy, one time, and suddenly everyone thinks you need therapy…”
Her name is Ellery Hathaway….well, that’s the name she goes by now, but when she was young, she had a different name. When she was young, she also became the 17th victim of serial killer Francis Coben. She was the only survivor, thanks to FBI Agent Reed Markham.
When she grew up, she changed her name and eventually became a cop in a small town where no one remembered her story. It quickly changed though, because she was working a case and had to kill a killer and her identity was revealed. While on a forced “hiatus” from her job, Ellery is in mandated therapy working toward returning to her career. In her group therapy, she meets other folks who have survived violent crimes just like her.
No Mercy is a very interesting, fast-paced, well-written suspenseful read. Both of the characters, Ellery and Reed, seem to be tormented in their own ways, but despite this, they are extremely likable and the story draws readers right in.
JOANNA SCHAFFHAUSEN is a scientific editor who spends her days immersed in research on potential new therapies for cancer, addiction, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, she worked as an editorial producer for ABC News, where she advised and wrote for programs such as World News Tonight, Good Morning America and 20/20.
She holds a doctorate in psychology, which reflects her long-standing interest in the brain—how it develops and the many ways it can go wrong. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter.
Connect with Joanna on social media ~~
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // GOODREADS
Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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