The girl’s eyes were open, her gaze softened with a milky hue. Her perfect skin and halo of blonde hair made her look angelic. It was a brutal contrast to the rope suspending her from the high-vaulted ceiling, and the bruises that had blossomed on her arms. Eleanor reached forward then caught herself. This woman was past saving.

When a beautiful young woman is found murdered in a derelict power station, Detective Inspector Eleanor Raven hurries to the scene. The girl’s body has been ritualistically posed, with cherry-red lipstick painted across her mouth. And when she catches sight of the engagement ring crusted with blood on her delicate finger, Eleanor pushes back on the grief it provokes. Lydia Greystein had so much to live for. The only way Eleanor can help now is to find the killer responsible, and she and her team immediately set to work.

As Eleanor and the team work together to unpick the killer’s motivations, another woman is found, bound and posed in the same ceremonial stance. Suddenly, Eleanor’s case becomes more twisted and urgent than ever. Just when they think they’ve hit a dead end, Eleanor finds a link between the victims and a cold case—an unsolved death with a connection to her own hidden life outside work. To follow the clues now risks bringing her secrets into the open.

But as Eleanor begins to understand the killer, he starts to understand her too.

Eleanor must solve this case before more women are taken. Could the secrets she keeps from those closest to her be the final clue to break open this case… or will they ultimately cost Eleanor her life?

My thanks to the publishers Bookouture for my review copy, recieved through Netgalley

Cry For Mercy was originally published under the title The Safe Word.  Although I had not read The Safe Word I have read the two books which followed so I had some knowledge of Eleanor Raven’s world before starting Cry For Mercy.  This previous reading wasn’t really a spoiler – more an advert for Cry For Mercy as I knew before I started reading that I was in for a treat. Karen Long delivers tension packed thrills with the dark edge that I love in my books.

Cry For Mercy opens in a way you just wouldn’t expect – Karen Long revealing more about Raven than readers may have expected but it lets you understand how she is driven, prepared, cautious and (on some things) secretive. It also prepares readers for one of the background threads of the story…fulfilment of desires.

Raven is one of the best detectives in her division but she has just lost her long-standing partner who has been sidelined by health issues.  We enter Raven’s world as a murder victim has been found in an abandoned building – strung up and wrapped in plastic sheeting. A grisly murder scene and one which does not seem to give the cops much to work on.

Raven gets to work the case but she is saddled with a new partner, one that is keen to learn but knows Raven will be a tough taskmaster. He also brings some baggage in the form of an unruly dog which has been dumped on him at short notice by his ex as she swans off on vacation with her new beau.  The dog (Monster) brings some of the lighter moments in the story – always welcome in the darker takes – and he is a joyous addition to the cast.

Poor Raven; saddled with a rookie partner, his bombshell dog and coping with the absence of her trusted friend and colleague. On top of this chaotic mix is a brilliantly plotted murder story with a killer who has a plan they want to play out.  His victims will be carefully selected and the reader can see him closing in on his prey.  Tensions mount further when he realises that Raven is aware of his “work” and steps must be taken to ensure his plans can reach their climax.  For Raven this will have more severe implications than she could have anticipated.

Cry For Mercy is a brilliant murder story but definitely not one for readers who favour a cozy crime read.  This is the fantastic first book in the Eleanor Raven series and you need to get reading it immediately.

Cry For Mercy is published by Bookouture and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08HZ7NP8H/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0