Mercy Kilpatrick is no ordinary FBI agent. Raised by a family of doomsday preppers, her life's philosophy boils down to Be Prepared… for anything.
So when a terrified young girl stops her car on a deserted road through deep forests in the middle of the night, Mercy reacts a lot better than most in the situation would. At least, until the child leads her to an isolated cabin where an old woman is bleeding to death from multiple stab wounds.
Soon, Mercy is embroiled in a tangled web of murders, trying to figure out the connection between a retired Portland judge and an old backwoods woman all the locals say is a witch. And she needs to figure it out fast, before she joins the list of the killer's victims.
I loved this book. It's clearly not the first in the series but that wasn't an issue, as everyone appearing got just enough backstory for me to find them interesting rather than confusing, and the author never fell into the trap of infodumping. Mercy and her prepper philosophy was really fascinating, as was the mystery itself and the other characters introduced during the story. The final confrontation was absolutely gripping and my heart was in my mouth reading through it, not sure who would make it through in the end.
This is a terrific mystery/police procedural with a bit of romance thrown in. If you like genuinely strong women heroines, you’ll absolutely love this. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.