At the River is the 5th book in the Columbia River series and 8th in the Mercy Kilpatrick series. In this book, Police Chief Truman Daly is called when a body is found on the shore of the Columbia River in the Oregon Forest. The man who has been killed was left in the same manner at two bodies found in the same spot twenty years ago. Five teenagers went missing, 3 were never found and of the two found on the shore of the river, 1 survived. Devin Bonner survived but with brain damage. He has no memory of the events after highschool graduation and has developed face blindness. He is the only link to the cold cases, and with nothing else to go on, FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick and Detective Noelle Marshall contact him and his mother to see if they can help him remember. When the dead man's wife is shot at, and Devin's mother is attacked, the investigation picks up. Ollie and Devin become friends but when they are also attacked, all the local police departments are called in. Can they solve both the cold case and the recent murderer before someone else ends up dead?

In my opinion, At the River is the best book in this series so far. I like that these stories have well developed mysteries/crimes as well as getting to know the main characters and their personal lives. the relationship between Ollie and Truman has grown to the point where Truman wants to adopt the young man and already considers him his son. This means he will pull out all the stops when something happens to him. Mercy is an excellent character with her calm demeanor, intuition, and investigation skills. Truman is the same, and together they are a great team. I liked the addition of Noelle to the team in this book, and she and Mercy played off one another well. At the River is a well-developed and plotted story. It kept my attention from beginning to end and I was anxious to see how this played out. There were several twists in the last quarter of this book, some that had my jaw dropping. An excellent addition to this series.

I throughly enjoyed this book! I really enjoy any type of thriller. I loved this one because it dealed with cold cases and murders. It quickly pulls the reader in and I could not put this one down. It was well written and flowed really nicely. I highly recommend!

This is the fifth book in this six book series and the first I'd read, but I didn't feel lost. The author did a great job introducing the characters and giving just enough back story to acclimate new readers. I'm now a fan and plan on reading more in this series.

Truman and Mercy are two of the main characters - Truman is the police chief and Mercy works with the FBI. Another main character is Ollie, who lives by himself since his father disappeared. His parents were survivalists who didn't approve of much education, so Ollie is taking classes at home.

Twenty years before the events of this book, five teenagers disappeared. Some were found murdered. The only current survivor has little memory of what happened and also has a condition that prevents him from identifying people by sight. Now it appears that someone is re-enacting the murders.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher Montlake via Netgalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

This book is full of intense scenes.
The mystery part was pretty good.
I mostly loved how Truman and Mercy gave Ollie a family.
Loved the surprise ending which was a major revelations] for Ollie.
Everybody wants to know they belong somewhere.
I look forward to the next one in the chronicles of this couple.

Another twisty and fabulous installment from Kendra Elliot! This book was so fun to read, the twists kept me frantically turning the pages. The conclusion was action packed and full of surprises. I enjoyed this one very much!

I am a big fan of Kendra Elliot and I really enjoy all her series, but the Mercy Kilpatrick series is one of my favorites, so I am so happy that this series included those characters. They are so cleverly written and keep you guessing throughout the story, it is not easy to figure things out early. Elliot does a good job of the reader not knowing things before she wants us to know things.

I enjoy these books so much and cannot wait until the next one is released.

This is a good continuation to the series. The characters are what make this novel entertaining to read. Truman is a competent police chief of a small community and Mercy an FBI agent. These novels have continued the personal lives of Truman and Mercy with much about Ollie in this one. The mystery plot combined the investigation of a twenty year old murder and a current one very similar. I liked all the investigative procedure. I am not sure, however, that in the end the plot worked out well. It just seemed unreasonable to me.

I like mysteries that take place in the Pacific Northwest with this one being in the central Oregon area. Eliot's writing style is clear and the action moves along at a relatively good pace. I have become invested in the lives of the characters and will be watching for the next in the series.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

So nice to have another Mercy Kilpatrick book to read. I find her series to be unique, while this is not her series, it has the same feeling to it. This was a captivated from the beginning and could not finish it fast enough. I love that in a book. Looking forward to the next.

Elliot’s writing takes you into the lives of these characters so you’re right up in the action. She has you guessing from the very beginning. I truly enjoy Mercy as a FMC. I was so happy I received this ARC read as she has always been a favorite.

This is another stunning addition to the Mercy Kilpatrick series by author Kendra Elliot. With a pulse pounding pace, the action is non- stop until the very last page. Definitely a must read.

A dead body is found at the river and it's eerily similar to how two people were found twenty years ago. Five teenagers went camping and only two were found, both bound and with their throats slit like the body at the river. One of those teenagers miraculously survived but now it seems like someone may be targeting him for things he can't remember from twenty years ago, or can he?

This was another great story by Kendra Elliot. I love Mercy, Truman, and Ollie. This story kept me guessing until the end and I would recommend it for anyone that likes a good police procedural.

At the River is the 5th book in the Columbia River Series. It also has some characters from Kendra's Mercy Kilpatrick Series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but I'd recommend reading all of them, especially the Mercy Kilpatrick Series.

Another five star read from Kendra Elliot. I love this series, every book feels like meeting up with old friends. I definately didnt see the twist coming at the end of At the river. Twenty five years ago a terrible crime happened when a bunch of teenagers went missing. Two of the teenagers were found bound and left for dead, at the columbia rivers shore. Fortunately Devin survived although the trauma left him with memory issues. So he couldnt tell anyone what happened. When a true crime podcaster who was investigating the cold case turns up dead at the same spot. Bound and gagged Mercy and Truman are on the case, along with Noelle. When Devins mother is attacked the case hots up.
While at the hospital Mercy and Trueman see how well Devin gets on with Ollie. Its decided that Ollie will stay with Devin in a hotel room for safety. When another podcaster is found dead outside the hotel room. Mercy and Trueman have to work out who wants Devin dead and why.
Kendra Elliot takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride right till the end. With twists galore.

Absolutely love this books. The character’s was well developed. The story line was good. Although I was able to predict what would happen this good was still good. And the ending to this book was so sweet.

First Kendra Elliot book for me and looking forward to reading the rest of this series and more!

Keeping track of the characters was slightly tricky, but I enjoyed the multiple POV and timelines.
Plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged and a WOW ending.
Will be recommending this author and adding more of her work to my TBR immediately.

At The River is book 8 in the Mercy Kirkpatrick series by Kendra Elliot. I'm not sure how I've missed this series until now, but wow I'm glad I found it! The characters of FBI Special Agent Mercy Kirkpatrick and her husband, Police Chief Truman Daly are memorable and I want more! Truman and Mercy have a daughter, Kaylie and a "son", Ollie. Ollie is an orphan who saved Truman from sure death and the two became quite close. Ollie has lived with Mercy and Truman ever since. The family has never been happier.

Ollie is out snowmobiling when a woman comes running from the woods screaming. He stops to see what she's so upset about. The woman is upset because she says her husband is missing from their home and she found a lot of blood. Ollie puts a call in to Truman once he gets to a spot where he has a signal. Not long after Mercy is out on a call with local police investigating a shooting at a power plant. While there, the policeman gets a call about a body found by the river. Mercy offers to go with the man as he's not used to dead bodies in his small town.

The body found is a true crime podcaster and the woman's husband that waved down Ollie. He was investigating a case from 20 years ago where 5 teenagers who were camping disappeared. Two of them turned up in the exact location the podcaster's body was found. One was dead with his throat slashed and the other was left for dead with similar injuries that weren't as deep. Devin Bonner is the boy that survived. He now lives with his mother, rarely leaves the house, and can't remember anything from the night of the murder or his friends. He has no idea who killed his friend and no idea what happened to the other 3 teens.

When Mercy and Truman question Devin it's obvious he can't remember anything. After the visit to his home, Devin starts having nightmares with glimpses of memory coming through. When he wakes up in the morning he can't remember anything. He's so frustrated as he wants to help. Truman brings Ollie with him to see Devin when Devin's mother is attacked. Ollie and Devin hit it off even though the age difference is 20 years. They both love Star Trek, video games, and movies. Truman has never seen Devin so animated and happy as he is with Ollie. Ollie volunteers to stay with Devin while his mother recovers in the hospital.

Is Ollie safe with Devin? Is Devin telling the truth about not being able to remember anything? Why does Devin never seem to remember anyone from day to day? Is he that good an actor? When attacks continue it becomes clear that someone is trying to eliminate anyone that might know something from 20 years ago. The podcaster stirred up memories from years ago and contacted many people in town. Who did he contact that is now killing people? This book keeps you glued to the pages and you won't be able to put it down when you get closer to the truth. Will Mercy and Truman discover the truth before someone else dies? Will they be able to keep their family safe? I absolutely loved this book and can't wait for the next in the series! I rate At The River 5 stars with my very highest recommendation. I don't think you'll find a series with a family like this and they will suck you in wanting more! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Montlake/Amazon Publishing for an advanced copy of At The River in exchange for a fair review. #AtTheRiver

It is wonderful to continue the story of Mercy and Truman. This installment contains so much action and a crazy circumstance that keeps you guessing until the very end! Kendra Elliot has truly out done herself with this one!

Thank you so much Montlake Publishing and @netgalley for an advance copy of this book!

✨ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✨
I love the mystery books @kendraelliot writes, especially with Mercy Kilpatrick as the FMC! I was sad when the six book series about Mercy ended, because I love a strong FMC, especially one in law enforcement! I’m glad there is this side series featuring much loved characters from Elliot’s other books, so I can enjoy them even longer!!

One thing I love from Elliott is the cross over of characters in her books. That always makes it fun to revisit the people again. Mercy and her husband Truman are a dynamic duo with two adopted kids. They both somehow end up entangled in the latest mystery and crime around their Oregon neck of the woods. A current murder of a true crime podcaster draws attention to the twenty year old unsolved murders and disappearances of 5 high school kids. A survivor of the long ago murders seems to be at the center of it all too.

I finished this book so fast! It was another great Mercy Kilpatrick read. The ending had a shocking twist to things too. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! I’m also on the watch for the Elliot/Leigh book combining the characters of Mercy And Bree this year!

✨ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
⛺️ Police Procedurals
⛺️ Decades old Unsolved Mysteries
⛺️ Adopted Kids
⛺️ Sheriff/FBI Agent couple
⛺️ True Crime Podcasts

A copycat murder of a podcaster, with the body found at the same location as a previous murder raises suspicion for duo FBI Agent Mercy and Police Chief Truman. Absolutely loved following the mystery unravel in this tale. It was entertaining throughout and fast paced. I haven't read all the books in the series prior to this one but after reading this book, I think this could be a series I could really get into!

Kendra Elliot has an incredible knack of creating characters that you feel like you know and her writing places me right next to these characters so I feel like I am in the middle of the action…and action is always involved. I have read several others featuring Mercy and Truman and have so enjoyed getting to know them. This read I was so rooting for their soon to be adopted son, Ollie, and a new character named Devin who truly fascinated me. Hopefully he will appear in future books. She has a knack of including characters from previous books and merging them with a new plot, while adding new characters along the way. Although some readers may have read other stories with these characters, each of her books somehow manages to be able to be enjoyed by new readers who are sure to be new fans.
I so appreciate the mix of police procedural and mystery/thriller aspects of Elliot’s stories but the way she creates the story lines rises above most others in this genre.
The only drawback for me in this read were the substation tie ins that didn’t seem to work with the story except serve as an explanation of where the missing teens were. I loved the face blindness incorporated in this read.
Many many thanks to Kendra Elliot for immersing me so completely in this fascinating read, Montlake, and NetGalley for affording me the absolute pleasure of reading an arc of this just published book. Don’t miss this read!

4.25 stars

At the River by Kendra Elliot is the fifth entry in her Columbia River series, which takes place in the Bend, Oregon area. Its wild beauty and its idiosyncratic populace make a perfect setting for this intense crime series. Mercy Kilpatrick, FBI agent, was raised in the area by “preppers”, off the grid, and is familiar with the extremists and area survivalists who are attracted to living in the woods.
Mercy is investigating vandalism at electrical substations when she is tasked with assisting her husband Truman, Eagle’s Nest town police chief, as he tries to find the killer of a man found at the river, bound and with his throat cut. It is eerily reminiscent of a gruesome cold case from 20 years prior. Mercy and Truman are joined by a third investigator, County Sheriff Noelle Marshall, in a collaborative effort as they race against time as the body count rises and pressure ramps up to identify the killer
Kendra Elliot’s police procedurals are always interesting, complex enough to keep this crime reader engaged throughout, and well-written, with nicely interwoven plot threads, twists, and a well-paced story arc.
I also especially enjoy the family relationships and domestic vignettes that are included, as recurring characters Mercy, Truman, Ollie, and Kaylie, her niece, navigate the joys and challenges of creating a strong blended family unit. The humanity elevates the story above an ordinary police procedural.
While this is the fifth in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend that you seek out the previous titles and immerse yourself in the unique settings and characters of this Oregon-centric series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC. This is my honest review.