Review: Dead Mercy (DC Maggie Jamieson #5) by Noelle Holten

        

Print Length: 400 pages

Publisher: One More Chapter (November 19, 2021)

From Goodreads.com: A brutal murder…

When a burned body is found with its teeth missing, DC Maggie Jamieson discovers that the victim may be the husband of one of her probation colleagues.

A dark history…

As the body count rises, the team becomes increasingly baffled by how the victims could possibly be connected until a clue leads them to a historical case that was never prosecuted.

A terrible secret…

In order to catch the killer, Maggie must piece together what happened all those years ago before it’s too late.

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My Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I know I said that I was going to take a break from this author after the prior two novels didn't work for me, but when I saw the synopsis for this one, I just knew I had to take a chance. 

And I am so glad I did! For me, this novel seemed like it had everything the prior ones were missing. There was the perfect balance between "in the field" police procedural and actual action to keep the reader engaged and interested. Maggie seemed like a more toned-down version of herself, which to me suggested growth as a character and it was nice to see her not be so in your face all of the time. I think the entire team works well together, each bringing something useful to the table (and to the investigation). 

One of the more interesting aspects of this story (for me anyway) was the fact that during the dual POV (one being Maggie herself while the other is told from the perspective of the killer) the reader starts to be able to understand why the killer is targeting these people and even, to a certain extent, empathize with them. It made the story more interesting from a readers perspective, and I was curious to see how the author would choose to wrap it up. 

Filled with surprising twists and turns, a few red-herrings, and more than a couple of shady characters (I was starting to think that everyone involved in this investigation had secrets), this book was one that I struggled to put down. I needed to know what was going to happen next, and if Maggie and her team were ever going to be able to stop the killer before he finished his list. 

A final thing that I think is worth mentioning is that unlike the prior novels, this one did not end on a cliff-hanger that sets up the next book, but rather on a more personal one (at least for Maggie). This fact makes me feel curious about where the author plans to take these characters next instead of obligated to continue on the way I have in the past. I will read more from this author (especially if she plans to continue the DC Maggie Jamieson series). 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                                             Dead Mercy is available from Amazon.com