Beg for Mercy

by Jami Alden

"Megan Flynn thought she was falling in love. Cole Williams wasn't just handsome and passionate, he was one of the good guys. Or so she thought, until he arrested her brother--the only family she has left--for a murder she knows he couldn't have possibly committed. Now, with her heart broken and her brother's life hanging in the balance, Megan will risk everything to prove his innocence. Even if that means throwing herself into the path of a sadistic killer with a hauntingly familiar MO. Seattle Detective Cole Williams had given up on making Megan see reason where her brother is concerned. But when she insinuates herself in the most shockingly brutal case Cole has ever worked, he can't stand idly by. Plunged into a secret world where the city's elite indulge their darkest desires, Cole will do whatever it takes to bring down a madman who has made Megan his most coveted prey."--P. [4] of cover.

• ISBN10: 1609419138
• ISBN13: 9781609419134
• Publish Date: 1 June 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2012/08/21/review-beg-for-mercy-by-jami-alden/

Beg for Mercy just pulled me in. I started this in the evening and lost track of all time. At about halfway in, I went to find out more about the second book (and spoiled myself for this book, boo) because I was THAT IN LOVE with it. I don’t know that the characters were all that memorable, but I loved Megan’s determination to save her brother, and I loved Cole’s slow spiral into realizing how much he truly cared for Megan. I love when the men fall and fall hard. Oh hey, that’s a pun. I like it.

Oh, this book. I love when an author crafts a crazy madman (redundant? sure. whatever. it’s my review, leave me alone) who chills you with his insanity. Not insanity like “that person is clearly fucked up,” but the kind of insanity that masquerades as sanity. Insanity you can cover up and disguise as sanity is so much scarier. That said, I think I would have liked to have gone a little bit longer not knowing who the madman was (yes, I spoiled myself, but I was already heading in that direction), just because I want to experience the shock right along with the main characters. It’s THAT PERSON?! (Yes. Yes, it is.) It’s revealed before the main character finds out, so… not quite as fun.

I think the only complaint I had was that some of the plot slowed in the second half of the book and I was actually able to set the book down (and, you know, go to bed). But otherwise, Beg for Mercy was the perfect balance of romance and suspense (and yes, mystery) with just enough extra that we can see room for more books. And since this is the beginning of a trilogy, it all worked perfectly. I will definitely be searching out the next book in this series.

[Cocktails and Books]

A big "Thank You" to RT Book Reviews magazine for turning me onto this book. The cover story on the 3 best friends who write romance caught my attention and had me looking this book up on Barnes and Noble to find out more.

Megan Flynn's world is turn upside down, in the blink of an eye (or in this case the ring of a cell phone), when her brother is arrested for the brutal rape and murder of a passing acquaintance by none other than her boyfriend, Cole Williams. In that one moment, she loses two of the most important things in her life: her brother, who is her rock, and the man she loves.

Three years later, Megan is still fighting for her brother Sean, while at the same time hating Cole for his abandonment. While Sean has given up, deciding accepting his death sentence as a given, Megan grasps onto the minuet possibility that a new murder with similarities to her brother's case, will finally be the break she's been hoping for.

It's this new murder that also brings Cole face to face with Megan. Cole has always regretted how things ended with Megan, but he figured it was for the best...even if deep down it just about ripped him apart to do it. But when Megan comes to him, asking for his help, he does so. Not because he believes in Sean's innocence, but because he feels the need to be there for Megan and to help her deal with Sean's loss when his execution date draws near.

As more murders happen, both Megan and Cole are drawn into a case that is much larger than just Sean and the no longer "cut and dry" case that was against him. As they get closer to the answers they seek, they discover there are much larger players and the person at the heart of Sean's case is someone much closer than either of them suspected.

The main characters in this story are complex, conflicted and stubborn (especially when they feel they are right). The story leaves you on the edge, turning the page trying to determine just who is the Seattle Slasher. It's a perfect set up for the next book in the series, due out in November.