I received a free copy of this book from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

Ellery Hathaway is the only survivor of a serial killer that used to kidnap, torture and kill girls - leaving their severed hands in places for people to find them. Now 14 years later, Hathaway has just dealt with a second serial killer in her life but is currently suspended from her job and forced to go to therapy. Through group sessions, Ellery meets a woman who has been raped and needs her help to find her attacker, and another woman who was involved in an arson case 25 years previously that may have put the wrong man behind bars. Ellery calls in her once-upon-a-time saviour Reed Markham, an FBI profiler, to help her with the cases but she may have run down one too many rabbit holes this time.

Just like The Vanishing Season, No Mercy grabbed my attention instantly and I honestly could not put it down. It was fantastic. I loved both of the cases in this, and had so many different guesses about who could have been the real culprit (though my strongest guess was right in the end). This book isn’t quite as gruesome as the first though some of the descriptions around the sexual assault case, and the suspects, were not pleasant to read either.

I can’t say that Ellery is a likeable main character. She’s extremely prickly and understandably has a lot of issues and is someone who could definitely do with some proper therapy sessions where she really opens up. I do root for her but I can’t bring myself to like her yet, especially compared to Reed who is just someone you know you could introduce to your granny.

Again, the strange sexual chemistry between Reed and Ellery left me confused and both wanting more and less at the same time. I don’t know if I like them together but at the same time I don’t want them to be apart. It is masterful writing.

The end of this book had me gasping out loud. I needed the next book yesterday. I cannot wait.