takes talent to present all these pieces and stories that somehow all connect so perfectly. Kendra has this down to a science. We have a treasure hunt, the disappearance of 2 children’s mother plus a few other side stories- no spoilers- that just put together perfect. I love Mercy and so happy to have a another story with her and Truman, Kaylie and Ollie. Love that Kendra’s love for pets convey to her storytelling too

This book is more than just another'outstanding mystery from author Kendra Elliot. It has so much to offer, including family ties, murder, and a treasure hunt. There is so much going on, but it all comes together to create a fantastic read.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/08/14/%f0%9f%8e%a7-in-the-pines-by-kendra-elliot/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

4.5 hearts

I discovered this author with the <em><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/178669-mercy-kilpatrick" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mercy Kilpatrick series</a> </strong></em> and decided to try this new <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/275978-columbia-river" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Columbia River</strong> </em></a>series.   This new series has each book with a different one of the author's series characters.  The previous books were with main characters I recognized but I haven't read all her series yet.  <strong>In the Pines</strong> features Mercy and Truman and I was thrilled to catch up with them again after their wedding.

Mercy and Truman have their found family with Kaylie and Ollie and couldn't be happier.  They both have plenty of law enforcement on their plates.  Truman has lots of disturbances relating to the treasure hunt in the area for the two millionaire dollars hidden by an eccentric man who died and left clues to its location.  There have been plenty of problems as treasure hunters follow each other and try to steal clues and now murders.  Truman has a teen come in because his mother and younger sister are missing.  That case goes to Mercy at the FBI, and the murder goes to Evan Bolton who is the brother to the missing mother and he also takes guardianship of the teens.

I enjoyed the well-crafted plot and character developments with the excitement of treasure, missing persons, murders, family relationships, set in an area with gorgeous scenery.  I was easily engaged on many fronts throughout the story.  There was so much happening and that allowed for many red herrings and much suspense about the missing mother and child.

Meanwhile the teens were raised in the area's prepper tradition with little exposure to technology or typical teen pastimes.  It was great to see them connect with their uncle and make friends with Truman and Mercy's children. All the personal connections and development really added to the overall story.

I won't spoil what happened but it was a terrific ending after much smart police strategy and investigation.  Mercy really tipped to key factors based on her knowledge of preppers and the area.  I am excited to see the next book, <strong>First Death</strong> next year will feature Evan Bolton, sheriff of the county.

One of the biggest compliments I can give an author is to not pay attention to the blurb and simply grab up their next release without a qualm. In the Pines was therefore a delightful surprise when I barely read the first page and realized this was a revisit to the Mercy Kilpatrick world. I fell in love with that series and was in book depression when it ended. A revisit was a special gift to fans and an opportunity for new readers to come to enjoy the series.

In the Pines is the third standalone of the Columbia River series which is apparently revisiting older series and giving side characters from those the limelight. This is a flexible book and can be picked up by long time series reader and newbies alike.

With a millionaire’s poem to a fortune leading many to believe the little town of Eagle’s Nest, Oregon is ground zero, Truman and his police officers are kept hopping with the frenzy this causes. Then some treasure hunters turn up dead and the stakes get higher. Meanwhile, Truman handed off a missing persons case to Mercy that leads her to a surprise. Sheriff’s Deputy, Detective Evan Bolton’s sister disappeared fourteen years ago and it turns out she’s been in the area all along living off grid under another name. Her son reports her missing when two weeks have gone by without a word that she found the brother she was looking for. The clock is ticking for Mercy and Evan to find his sister and her baby while he gets to know his older nephew and niece.

I suspected the missing persons case and the treasure hunter killings might end up being the same case and, after the details were laid out, the ‘who’ behind it caught my attention. I was excited to be tracking with Mercy, Truman, Ollie, Kaylie, and Evan again. This is more Evan Bolton’s book which fits with how the Columbia River series is done. Still, it felt like a fabulous reunion for this reader and I flew through this book.

Evan was a recurring character that I saw peripherally, but he turned out to be a good leading character I enjoyed getting to know as he opened up to his newly found family and helped get at the secrets that were hidden in the past and solve the current murders. I loved seeing a newly married Mercy and Truman working with him and each other like in the past. Loved seeing them happy and settling with their made family and enjoyed seeing Ollie and Kaylie working out their own troubling situation. These are smart romantic suspenses and I appreciate how the characters investigate and handle the dangers of the investigation.

All in all, I’m sad to have finished so quickly, but I perked right up after reading her promise of more in the acknowledgements. I can’t recommend Kendra Elliott and particularly the Mercy Kilpatrick series enough to romantic suspense fans.

I am a Kendra Elliot fan and always want her books automatically. This book In the Pines definitely is her best one yet. Not only are you happy to be back with the familiar characters, but this book is a constant page-turner. I’m so glad she wrote another Mercy book! Mercy, an FBI agent, and her husband Truman, the Chief of Police, have created a family of four with Mercy’s niece Kaylie and an orphan young man Ollie. These four are an amazing family and the love they share comes through the pages. A fast-paced story to find a missing woman and her baby, while watching over the two kids she left behind. Plus, solving murders, break-ins, and attempted murders that are keeping the police searching for answers before more people die. As they get closer they also are in grave danger. I highly recommend this story and if you haven't read other Mercy books you can still read this stand-alone but do yourself a favor and go get the others. Thank you, NetGalley, and publishers Montlake, Seattle. for this eARC, this is my honest opinion.

In the Pines is the seventh book in the Mercy Kilpatrick series. Right off the bat I have to say that I really look forward to all books by Kendra Elliot. She has a wonderful writing style that takes you in to the story and doesn't let you go until the last word. The Mercy Kilpatrick series is one of my favorite and I highly recommend you read each and every one. This book can easily be a stand alone, but again the series is so rich with detail and wonderful characters that reading just one is not enough for me.

This story starts with a nationwide treasure hunt with a $2 million prize which brings people from all over, showing up in Eagle’s Nest disturbing the peace. Greed brings out the worst in people and dumps it in Eagle's Nest along theft, fights, and murder escalate.

Meanwhile, a young boy comes to Truman’s office to report his mother and baby sister have been missing for several weeks. Mercy is then called in to help since it becomes a matter for the FBI.

This story weaves the prepper life, FBI, the local police with the mystery of of a treasure hunt and a missing husband and wife for an incredibly rewarding continuation in the series.

I remember several years ago that a Discovery TV show, "Expedition Unknown" with host Josh Gates did an episode on a multi-millionaire who buried a treasure then left clues on how to find it. No one ever has, I don't think. The show interviewed the man's friends and treasure hunters who hadn't given up. Now, Truman has a similar treasure hunt taking place in Eagle's Nest, Oregon. Big exception: someone has murdered one of the treasure hunters. I must admit, I am a big sucker for a treasure hunt plot. They are my catnip. This story isn't really about a hunt, but about what the greed can do to people. And, even though I figured it out, I just loved this book.

Police chief, Truman Daly has his hands full when the small town of Eagle's Nest, Oregon is overrun by treasure hunters seeking the $2 million dollar prize buried by an eccentric millionaire. Into this craziness a boy approaches Truman with the shocking news that his mom and baby sister have been missing for over two weeks. Truman contacts his wife, Mercy Kilpatrick, and the FBI, which handles missing children, and they start to unravel the pieces that tell the tale of a bizarre family. In finding out what has happened to this family, Mercy must confront their deadly family secrets.

With the treasure hunters causing havoc all around the town, Turman now must solve the murder of a treasure hunter and he doesn't know why the man was killed. He was in possession of a binder that other hunters were sure would lead to the treasure and someone had already tried to steal it. But was that why he was killed?

My thanks to Montlake, Publisher, and Kendra Elliot, author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Mercy and Truman, finally married have made a family with Ollie and Kaylie. Everything is going well and the kids are bonding. During the search for a billionaire’s treasure the town is fighting off trespassers and other various criminals.. Truman is doing his best when Theodore needs help finding his mom and sister. This boy’s family has secrets upon secrets. Mercy, Truman and their teams have their work cut out for them. I love this series, the characters, the stories and the relationships. Highly recommended to read in order but readers won’t struggle understanding the backstory.

I thought that Mercy Kilpatrick story was done and guess what she is back and better than ever! I love to see how the couple has moved forward in their lives raising two kids and lots of cats.

Treasure hunting make people do stupid things which includes murders and missing killer. I have to admit Kendra Elliot at times had me wondering if she knew who the killer was as she was writing the story because nothing pointed to whom it was until she wanted you to know.

Mercy is still Mercy but has grown and changed as the stories have moved forward. Reader will love the changes that have happened to Mercy and excited to see what adventures are next.

The author brought back Evan Bolton and readers are going to hope for more stories featuring Evan in the future.

Zero Sexual romance 100% Mystery that readers will love. FYI yes there is swearing.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for advance copy of In The Pine by Kendra Elliot.

This mysterious and suspenseful story once again demonstrates what a phenomenal and talented writer Kendra Elliot is. It checked off all my awesome book boxes. Law enforcement ✅. Suspense ✅. Fantastic storyline✅. Great, well developed characters✅. Action-packed✅.

In the Pines is the third book in Kendra Elliot’s Columbia River series and the seventh book in her Mercy Kilpatrick series. The story is written in first person from the point of view of the heroine, FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick, the hero, Police Chief Truman Daly, as well as several of the secondary characters. This helps build the mystery and draws the reader deeper into the story.

Treasure hunters invade Eagle’s Nest, Oregon in search of a two million dollar prize. Thief, arson and murder soon follow. While Truman’s on the hunt for a suspect, Mercy must investigate the disappearance of of a young mother and child. Secrets and lies surround them, but can they solve their mysteries before tragedy strikes again? Read it and find out!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced readers copy received from Netgalley.

I'm a big fan of the Mercy Kilpatrick series of books. This book felt like a visit with old friends. I love all the characters in this series. They are all unique individuals that are true to themselves. I enjoyed the focus on the deputy Evan Bolton in this book. The mystery of the treasure & the missing parents are plotted well. The pieces fall into place well and everything is resolved in a very satisfying ending. I'm hoping there will be more books with these characters in the future & look forward to the next book by Kendra Elliot. I received an advance copy from NetGalley & am voluntarily leaving a review.

Book 7 in the Mercy Kilpatrick series and Book 3 of the Columbia River series. A national treasure hunt with a $2M prize, hidden by a recently deceased millionaire ,and has attracted obsessed fortune hunters to the small town of Eagle's Nest, Oregon, and not in a good way. A murder in the small town has exposed the darker side of fortune hunting of greed, theft, fighting, trespassing and perhaps even murder. Police Chief Truman Daly wants peace back in his town but must follow a killer and the treasure hunters into the pines. A young boy walks into a local cafe and claims his mother and baby sister have been missing for several weeks, which has Truman's wife, FBI Mercy Kilpatrick investigating a case of deep family secrets and lies. Are the two cases connected somehow?
I was nice to revisit these characters and their family and town. Obviously one of the characters was the bad guy but the ending was certainly unfolded differently than expected. Very enjoyable read!
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!

This book, 7th in the Mercy Kilpatrick series, focuses on two separate mysteries: where is the famous treasure that has brought strangers into Eagles Nest, and what happened to Bridget and little Molly?

When a young boy approached Truman, police chief in Eagles Nest, and asks for help finding his Mom, Truman gets his wife Mercy, an FBI agent involved in the search. Truman has a lot on his plate dealing with treasure hunters in town, searching for the treasure and attacking each other in the process.

Theodore and Charlotte, his younger sister, have been alone for two weeks waiting for their Mom to come home. Through her investigation Mercy determines their uncle is someone she knows well, a detective from the county. He hasn’t seen his sister in 14 years, and immediately bonds with them.

This is a very well-crafted novel, the storylines are distinct until a connection forms. I don’t do spoilers, so I can’t say more. If you enjoy Ms. Eliot’s books pick this up, it will keep you stumped until almost the end.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This continuation of the Columbia River series is an entertaining murder mystery that is easy to get into. A $2 million treasure has been supposedly hidden by a recently deceased millionaire and the small town of Eagle’s Nest is invaded by people trying to follow the cryptic clues that he left. Problem occur with the hunters and Police Chief Truman Daly has his hands full when a treasure hunter turns up dead. He enlists his wife, FBI special agent Mercy Kilpatrick’s help when a teen from a prepper family claims his mother and baby sister have been missing for weeks. This story will keep you glued to the page; it is a quick, entertaining read that has more than one mystery going on and I particularly liked how Detective Evan Bolton was more in the forefront of this book. There are twists, suspense, red herrings, secrets unearthed, clues solved and plenty of great characters in this story. It can be read as a stand alone but you would enjoy it more if you knew all of the backstory in the other books. I received an early copy of this book from Montlake Romance via NetGalley with no obligation to review. This in no way influenced my review and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

Yesssss! I am home! Let me bask in the family that Truman and Mercy have made. I am wrapped in a big soft blanket called Eagles Nest. This is one of the series I am addicted to and this author should be an auto buy for everyone. As I rave about this author and series the treasure hunt was not *all that* for me. Theodore's tale was more my thing. Page after page of twists, connections, family. The treasure hunt woven through this book and provided surprising revelations. I knew one of the characters was evil, surprised at another, making it all a big win! Characters I love and got to revisit, a small town called Eagles Nest I want to find and move to and intrigue along the way. Welcome Back to me :) Thank you for the arc #NetGalley, #Montlake, I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #Inthepines #kendraelliot #mercykilpatrick

My Thoughts

Mercy Kilpatrick and company once again prevail.

Will start by saying that having read many books using murderers who are serial killers that their profile runs the gamut of being either cunning, diabolical ,intelligent, patient, relentless, ruthless or even totally insane.

There are none heretofore that managed to hit the entire list, until this particular individual was created by an author I have grown to really look forward to reading.

Mercy Kilpatrick also finds a few other things that make up the killers resume as well.

As the story unfolds there are emotional twists I expected and a few that were surprises also.

Especially when the identity was revealed and their particular motivation for such a signature left at each crime scene.

The details are many, romance is light in this one, criminal is unique and for me watching Mercy unveil each clue was well worth its lack as her investigation fascinates me every time.

I was a bit reluctant at the direction this author headed with Mercy and her murder investigations this time around, until things really got going and then was fully on board.

Final showdown is faster than I liked but proved once again that Mercy Kilpatrick and the rest are still able to keep me entertained.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

A national treasure hunt send treasure hunters from near and far to a small town in Oregon. A young boy comes to the sheriff to say his mother and baby sister have been missing for weeks. The FBI starts searching. Then a treasure hunter is murdered; then a second one. Clues lead to the treasure hunt and the missing people to be connected. Can the buried secrets that are found connect it all and solve it all.

A perfectly paced plot and intriguing storyline make for yet another great installment of Mercy Kilpatrick (and Truman). Kendra Elliot adds just enough background for new readers to jump right in. The storyline ducked and weaved through endless twists and turns with riveting characterization and stunning storytelling.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #InThePines which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

Police Chief Truman Daly has enough on his plate with the treasure hunters who have overrun town when a young boy turns up in his office claiming his mother and sister are missing. Luckily (for all of us), Truman''s new wife is FBI SA Mercy Kilpatrick and she's on the case. Turns out, to add to it that the missing woman is the sister of Detective Evan Bolton. This one has peppers, conspiracy, the hunt for treasure (less than I'd hoped on that one), and a search for answers. I've liked this series but haven't read all of them so it was almost a standalone and it was fine that way. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast paced entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC ofIn the Pines by Kendra Elliot that I read and reviewed.
This was the seventh book in the Mercy Kilpatrick fan and as a fan that has read all seven of these books I can honestly say I think this is one of my favorites. I loved the kids in this book. Charlotte just made my day with how cute she was. She reminded me so much of my niece it was not funny and her last line in the book “More dogs!” was priceless and just made the book for me. I don’t know what more I can say but Theadore and Charlotte and how they where like mini adults one minute and true kids the next was great and they tore at my heart and I loved them.
This was a book I did not wan to put down because I wanted to know what happened to the kids parents and I wanted Mercy and Truman to solve the case and give everyone a very happy ending more then I wanted in any other book in a long time and I believe most readers are going to feel the same way when they get attached to these characters. All I can say is Kendra Elliot wrote one heck of a book with some great characters you have no choice but to love and think about even when you read the last words of the book.
In the Pines gets five out of five stars!