DI Raven has secrets, secrets that could cause her much pain and possibly put her in a murderers sights. I know this was a crime investigation and creepy, however I found myself laughing at DI Raven's new partner Det. Laurence Whitefoot's  interaction with is ex-girlfriend's dog "Monster". Monster eventually becomes a pivotal part of the story. I am looking forward to more adventures to see what happens next.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

This is the first book in the DI Eleanor Raven series and what an introduction….. Eleanor is not the usual type of Detective we are used to reading, she has a secret private life in the world of BDSM that she would most definitely not like any of her colleagues to know about!

Eleanor has been teamed up with a new partner, Detective Laurence Whitefoot and they are on the hunt for a serial killer who is murdering young women, wrapping them in plastic and then displaying them in public places, they are at a loss as to the motive until Eleanor discovers a link to a cold case. 

Highly recommend this to anyone looking to sink their teeth into a new series, this one grips you from the moment you turn the first page and doesn’t let up until the very last, it was a gripping police procedural read which leads you on an unpredictable rollercoaster of a ride with several twists and turns along the way.

From the opening scene until the dramatic, action-packed conclusion, this first book in a new series featuring DI Eleanor Raven is compelling and thrilling. The protagonist, although a detective, is unique to the women in many other current novels that are police procedurals and mysteries. In this book, Eleanor and her colleagues of Toronto, Canada, Police Department are on the hunt for a murderer who wants to display his victims as works of art. NO SPOILERS.

I really enjoyed this and am happy to find a new series to continue. I'll be starting the second, PERFECT LITTLE DOLLS, shortly and can't wait to find out more about Eleanor and the other detectives on her team. The narrative was well written and the details were quite interesting describing a world that I knew nothing about -- BDSM.  Although the reader knows the identity of the killer early on, the story of how the police come to figure it all out created some great tension and suspense. The climax was a little long and drawn out, but other than that, I was quite satisfied at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Cry for Mercy by Karen Long is the first book in the new DI Eleanor Raven series and it was a great read. I was hooked within the first few pages, especially as its full of twists and turns throughout with great characters, that will completely have you gripped from the beginning until the final page. 

I highly recommend this book by Karen and looking for the next book within this great series.
 
Cry for Mercy was previously published as The Safe Word in January, 2014

Big thank you to  Netgalley, Bookouture and Karen Long for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own.

Cry for Mercy by Karen Long is the first in the Detective Eleanor Raven series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Information:
Detective Eleanor Raven works for the  Homicide Department of the Toronto Police Department.  Her boss, Chief Inspector Marty Samuelson has been her boss since she graduated over 10 years ago.  Her long-time partner Mo is on leave due to a heart attack. The rest of her team consists of Wadesky (7 months pregnant), and Timms, and her new partner Detective Laurence Whitefoot.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

The naked body of a woman is found, wrapped in plastic, red lipstick smeared across her mouth, her body posed.

She is not the first victim of this sadistic killer, nor will she be the last.

Working with a new partner is not easy for Eleanor, but she is going to have to rely on her whole team to find the connection between these two women and stop this killer before he gets his hands on someone else.

But she is unaware that the killer has targeted her for his next art show.


My Opinions:   

Okay, anybody else think it's strange that a British author, living in California, sets her series in Toronto Canada?  I'm not complaining, just finding it weird.  The use of the word "pan" for toilet is not Canadian, and neither is the word "sectioned" used with reference to a mental health commitments.

The above doesn't really matter....the book was good, especially for a debut novel.  I absolutely loved the characters.  I found that although the books will center around Eleanor, I found that the secondary characters were just as interesting.  However, the fact that Eleanor has a rather bizarre secret life made it fun.  Unlike other female detectives, I don't feel Eleanor is "flawed".  She may have a few issues, but she is a strong and capable leader.  I think she and her new partner Whitefoot will be a good pairing, as I liked him as well.

The plot was different, and the pace was good, with quite a bit of suspense.

Bottom line, as long as you are okay with a bit of BDSM and a bit of gore, I'd recommend this one.   I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Another new, exciting series!

Cry for Mercy is the first installment in the DI Eleanor Raven series by Karen Long. The story introduces us to the MC, Eleanor, a different kind of detective. Unlike the usual lead detectives in cop procedurals, Eleanor is not battling some monster from her past. However, her present life (especially when she is not on the clock) is interesting and kinda shocking.

Apart from the MC, we meet other fascinating characters including her current and former partners at work. We even have a dog unofficially joining the team. I enjoyed meeting this diverse cast and following them as they worked on the case. I even ‘enjoyed’ getting lost in the dark, twisted mind of the killer who really didn’t see anything wrong with what they were doing.

This was a dark, complex case filled with secrets, illicit desires and of course, a growing body count. The multiple narrators, including the killer, had me invested in the case and I couldn’t stop turning pages/scrolling up until the end.

Cry for Mercy is fast-paced, dark, enthralling and has every element that makes a cop procedural great. This promises to be a great series and I can’t wait to read the next book which luckily is already on my self.

This story start with Eleanor's dark side that will ruin her career if people found out what she did because she is a freaking detective lol 

Eleanor is chasing a serial killer with her new partner, Laurence. Goshh I don't like the way she treat him just because he is a rookie. Btw the killer tortured the victims the way he wanted it, wrapped them in the plastic and display them to the public like wtf that is creepy af! 

This story is pretty dark but I enjoyed it and I can't wait to read another book from this author!! The pace was good and I like the way the author describe the scenes where the killer torture his victim. 

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for Cry For Mercy ARC!

This was a good police procedural which started off at  a fast  pace then slowing down before ramping back up
again to keep me engrossed. I enjoyed the storyline and the partnership between Eleanor Raven the main character and her partner Lawrence. it was well described and made you  visualise the scene. . It had a few twists to keep you interested . A book i would recommend. I already have the 2nd book as i enjoyed this

An intriguing start to a whole new mystery-thriller police procedural.

DS Eleanor has a secret; a secret that would ultimately decide the tale of her latest case - a killer is taking things further with a pretend "kidnapping" experience in the world of BDSM-where women pay to experience the simulated pain as humiliation of an actual kidnapping.

But this killer, is taking the inherent trust required for these games-and violates the  trust, by painfully killing women and displaying their bodies for public viewing.

It’s easy to get sucked into the twisted mind of the killer; and I had fun unravelling the threads of the mystery and getting into the mind of this killer so creepy and horrifying.

I am however, in two minds about the protagonist, DS Eleanor-she is a hard woman to like; she is rude, obnoxious, bossy and irritatingly superior. And getting into her good books isn't exactly easy - something her new partner DS white foot finds out immediately after meeting her. But DS Whitefoot I liked. He was charming, easy-going and I am hoping for good things for him in future books.
All in all, this was an intriguing start to what looks to be a long series with twisted plotlines.

The opening scene makes it obvious that the heroine, Eleanor Raven, walks a different path – the question is, why? It’s a heck of an introduction to the main character. The book starts strong and doesn’t really let up. The author does a good job of introducing the characters and relating them all to each other. Eleanor is tricky, she’s cool, but is she too cool? The subject matter of the investigation is not for the faint of heart. It’s gritty and there’s lots of swearing – but it all makes for a realistic portrayal of policework. The book was originally released under another title a few years ago, but I can’t speak to any potential changes. I liked this one and would recommend picking it up. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Great opening chapter! This created so much intrigue into the first two characters and opens up two running storylines which will likely run side by side. This is how I love a thriller novel to start!

This story starts with a new detective duo as DI Laurence Whitefoot and DS Eleanor Raven are thrown together as a team. 
The dynamics between the two were great and you could feel the tension  between them but also the teacher in Raven came through. 

I loved the character of Eleanor Raven. She was full of drive and determination! Her partner too was great and will e joy seeing how they work as a team in the future! 

The book didn’t let up throughout. It had everything I love about a thriller. An intriguing storyline, lots of lines of suspicion and characters I want to learn more about. The description was exemplary and the detail enabled me to really feel their pain through imagination. It had a slight resemblance to Chris Carter’s Crime novels with the darker side of a thriller coming through. 

This being book one, I can see this being a great series and look forward to reading more from this author. I can’t wait to find out what happens after that ending!

Cry for Mercy by Karen Long is the first of a series featuring Detective Eleanor Raven that was originally published with the title In Safe Hands in 2014. Now it is being republished by Bloodhound with two other books in the series.
This book starts as it means to go on. We are shown a side to Eleanor that could actually, if ever discovered, end her career. That alone gives me the taste of whats to come. It also showcases the fact that this woman is not a machine, I enjoyed the fact that she has a side to her that,in effect gave her a vulnerablity while she worked to conceal it. It created a realness about her immediately which in turn got me hooked.
On the same night we are introduced to Eleanor, she is called out to a crime scene at a derelict power station. A young woman has been discovered, posed with cherry lipstick applied to her face. Eleanor and the team are determined to get this killer and are on the case. Before long another body is found  posed in the same way with the same lipstick on her face. The investigation soon comes to the conclusion that both victims are linked to a cold case and it seems, also involved in Eleanors secret side to her life, BDSM. She is now in a situation that upon following the leads could expose her secrets as well as very possibly solving the case.
What a belter! As I said, I was hooked straight away, I am used to dark secrets but this placed the book on a whole new level to me. Eleanor is a character that, while not entirely likeable she is dogged in her determination to catch this killer. While she also knows that she is under pressure not to be exposed, this creates a woman that doesn't always show her 'nice' side. I hope there is room to explore her back story in another book, she is definitely a fasinating woman.
To add to Eleanors issues, she has a new partner, Laurence Whitefoot. Her previous partner was her mentor and Laurence is new, eleanor is not the type of woman who has time for a rookie. We see a partnership here that needs time to build and Eleanor hasn't got time to wait  she isn't a patient woman to say the least! I felt for Laurence  dealing with this case and Eleanor, I would like to see how this one pans out as the series develops too.
An interesting case to deal with then, a dark and claustrophobic story at times. The author definitely set the scenes and I was on the edge of my seat with this, not exactly always comfortable read. The killer always staying one step ahead of Eleanor and the team, with the skilfully set up scenes that the killer had created. This gave me a rush of adrenaline as I sped through the book, hurtling towards the end. Hoping that Eleanor would get in front of this dark plot and find the answers.
Yes! As weird as it sounds this story is sooo good! Even with the dark themes and the fact that Eleanor is on the edge of being discovered, it created a read I didn't want to leave alone. I am looking forward to another instalment soon.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the book so I could give you my thoughts today.

A gripping start to a new thriller series - I could not put this book down! 

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Complex and twisted thriller that will keep you guessing. Good characters who work well together. Dramatic conclusion.

Hmm, this was a very interesting book! Hard to believe it was a debut for this author considering how well it was written. 

Eleanor Raven is one tough cookie of a cop, who likes to play with BDSM in her private life, not that anyone she works with knows that. Until one particular case she is tasked to solve involves a practioner of this lifestyle who doesn't adhere to the rules, at all.

I have to say, I didn't like Eleanor Raven all that much, I didn't like the way she treated her new partner, who seemed like a good guy. He was inexperienced, true enough, but she really didn't have to treat him the way he did, particularly since he was trying so hard to learn and he was quite thoughtful of her. 

All in all, this was a very good police procedural which had me on the edge of my seat more than once.

I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Flawed DI Eleanor Raven, the main character in author Karen Long’s novel Cry for Mercy has a secret she keeps from her colleagues and it's one that could end her career and land her in grave danger. Along with her new partner, Detective Laurence Whitefoot, she’s also chasing a serial killer who is torturing young women after first wrapping them in plastic sheets and then leaving them horribly displayed in public places. Initially, the detectives are struggling to determine the killer’s motivations until Eleanor finds a link between the victims and a cold case, an unsolved death with a connection to her own personal life...

Cry for Mercy had me so engrossed from the first chapter until the final page. This speedily-paced, tense and completely gripping mystery thriller has a brilliant opening and really packed a helluva punch! Eleanor Raven was a wonderfully drawn character, dark and highly intelligent who didn't suffer fools gladly. She made Cry for Mercy a great read, faced as she was with an evil killer, and one she was in a unique position to capture. Karen Long’s fascinating and addictive storytelling really worked for me and I loved that this story had a seductive edge. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series - Perfect Little Dolls and I highly recommend Cry for Mercy.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

This is a gripping book which has left me craving more from this author. This is a book which has made me feel tense and on edge but at the same time completely excited to see where the book was going to go. 
I seriously haven't been able to put this one down and have found myself completely lost in the pages and events of this wonderful book. This book takes us into a terrifying and seedy world of BDSM. This is a completely unique concept to any thriller or crime book i've read previously. 
This book is so well written that I have felt as though I've been watching this one play out in front of me. I definitely need to read more by this author after this books. 
I have literally been captivated by this book. Nothing else caught my attention as much as this one. It is unique, well written and filled with tension and suspense. 
A definite five star read which I highly recommend.

I am a big fan of Karin Slaughter so this book really appealed to me. 
It was only after I had finished it that I realised this was the first in the Eleanor Raven series by Karen Long 
As you have probably guessed by now I loved this book!
I loved that our female lead has another life that is so far removed from her day job it will blow your mind. Like Karin Slaughter books this author is not afraid to shock the reader and she doesn’t hold back on descriptions of violence and how people are murdered so if that’s not your thing this book won’t be for you. 
The story twists and turns and kept me on the ends of my sofa. 
I can’t wait for the next book in the series - due in January 
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DI Eleanor Raven arrivea at a derelict power station briefed on the murder scene inside. A beautiful young woman has been found, her body posed nd cherry red lipstick painted across her mouth. Then another woman is found, bound in the same ritualistic stance and wearing the same lipstick.  Eleanor's case becomes more twisted. 

I liked Eleanor Raven, there was something different about her character that most female detectives have. This is much more than a whodunit. Ecerything about this book has been  well researched. The pace is fast and the plotline believable. I couldn't put this book down.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #KarenLong for my ARC in exchange for an honest review