At the River by Kendra Elliot is the fifth novel in the Columbia River series. FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick and her husband, Police Chief Truman Daly, find a current murder tied to a missing persons case from twenty-years ago. Complex and suspenseful, I couldn’t set this down.
by Kendra Elliot
Series: Columbia River #5, Mercy Kilpatrick #8
Genres: Mystery
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
The mystery of three missing teens and a traumatizing murder unearths decades of buried secrets.
Twenty years ago, five teenage campers disappeared. Two eventually turned up, bound and left for dead on the Columbia River’s rocky shore. Only Devin Bonner miraculously survived, but with no memories of what happened in the Oregon forest.
After decades, the cold case generates heat for FBI Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick and her husband, Police Chief Truman Daly. They’re investigating the murder of a true-crime podcaster found at the river’s edge in the same location, and with the exact same manner of death. With the discovery, Devin’s nightmares return. His only real friend is Ollie Smith, Truman’s orphaned ward, whose own search for the truth sucks Ollie into a mystery far greater and more dangerous than anyone imagined.
Following a trail of fresh blood and an escalating series of murders, Mercy and Truman must work fast to unlock whatever traumas are buried in Devin’s memories before the secrets of the past claim another victim.
I should mention this is also the eighth book in the Mercy Kilpatrick series. Each book contains its own mystery/case and one can jump in as the author does an excellent job explaining relationships. However, if you are in it for the romantic and character relationships, I recommend starting at the beginning of either series.
Truman get’s a call that his orphaned ward Ollie came across a distressed woman covered in blood. She and her husband, a podcaster, were renting one of the vacation rentals when she woke up to discover her husband gone and blood.
Meanwhile, Mercy is helping locals investigate damage to a transformer when a call comes in about a dead body on the shore. While interviewing witnesses, Mercy discovers the body dump is eerily similar to a case from twenty-five years ago. Five teens were camping when two were found left for dead on the same shore. The others were never found. Are these cases linked? Mercy thinks so.
One of the two left for dead survived, only he remembers nothing from the tragic event. Suspense & twists kept me reading past my bedtime as Elliot weaved past and present into a chilling thriller.
Once again, Elliot pulled me in with an intense case that she surrounds with details about her life with Truman. We learn more about his ward Ollie. I am excited to be caught up on this series and dove right into The Next Grave, the newest novel in the Columbia River series that releases December 10th. Look for my review next week.
*kindleunlimited🎧
About Kendra Elliot
An Amazon #1 selling author, Kendra Elliot has sold over 4 million books. She grew up in the lush Pacific Northwest and still lives there with her husband, three daughters, two cats, and a Pomeranian. She's fascinated with forensics, refuses to eat anything green, and dreams of living every day in flip flops. The BONE SECRETS NOVELS: HIDDEN, CHILLED, BURIED, ALONE, KNOWN and VEILED (a novella) The CALLAHAN & McLANE novels are a spin-off of the Bone Secrets books. VANISHED, BRIDGED, SPIRALED, and TARGETED. The MERCY KILPATRICK series, a spin-off of the CALLAHAN & McLANE series, A MERCIFUL DEATH, A MERCIFUL TRUTH, and A MERCIFUL SECRET. She also writes the Rogue River novella series with author Melinda Leigh. A four-time Wall Street Journal best selling author, 2014 International Thriller Writers finalist, a three time Daphne Du Maurier winner, and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice finalist.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Katherine
This author has been on my radar for awhile but I haven’t picked up anything by her yet. I’m glad to see you enjoyed this one so much – especially since it’s the 8th book. I will have to pick up the first book soon.
Nadene
I hope to read this author’s work someday.
Sophia Rose
Loved being back with Mercy and Truman so much for this one. 🙂
Mary Kirkland
That sounds so good.
Anne - Books of My Heart
I loved this a lot. It seemed like a Mercy book more than the other series but it’s a crossover. There was a lot of depth and complexity here. I really felt this one.