Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I really liked the first by this author so I was excited when I was accepted to read the continuing story of Ellery and Reed. I must admit that I liked the first book much better and had trouble getting into this in certain chapters and put it down at various times. I think I was just a bit disappointed in the fact that Ellery was such a nasty raging B&*(^ compared to the first book and at times that weren't necessary. Clearly she is beyond damaged and has trouble with people but she was intimate with her boss in the first book and could sustain relationships although they turned out to be not so great BUT it showed it was possible.. She was just so nasty to Reed when she shouldn't have been and the whole therapy group situation rubbed me the wrong way. I have some personal knowledge of some of these issues and wasn't impressed at all by her behavior in the group and her attitudes. I don't think that she deserves to be a police officer because she is still a danger to herself and to others but somewhere down the road it may be possible again. There will clearly be another in the series based on the very last WOW issues in the final pages which I would be interested in reading. I didn't care for the closure of either story in this book. They were just too quick to end and not satisfying at all and I wasn't happy with the parts about Wendy which I knew would happen as soon as it was set up. The author is a good writer and I will most likely continue the series.

No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen is Book 2 of a series but works well on its own due to the helpful hints given throughout. Ellery Hathaway is on leave from her Boston police job because she shot and killed a murderer and she must be aprroved for return to work by her psychologist. While attending her group of victims of violent crimes, she becomes embroiled in the troubles of two of its members: one woman may have been party to the wrongful conviction of a man accused of arson 25 years ago and another woman needs Ellery to help capture and convict her violent rapist. Ellery seeks help from her friend FBI profiler Reed Markham, thereby getting both of them in hot water with their employers. The two storylines work well together and set a fast pace in the development of the novel. The Vanishing Season is Book 1 in the series and I look forward to reading it and any upcoming books by Joanna Schaffhausen. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Good mystery with a great plot. NO MERCY is the sequel to THE VANISHING SEASON and surpasses it in writing and characterization. The only complaint I have about NO MERCY is that if you haven't read THE VANISHING SEASON, it would be difficult to discern Ellery's complete past history and her relationship with Reed. In NO MERCY, Ellery calls on Reed to help her find a serial-rapist but they become entrenched in a decades-old arson case. Schaffhausen also gives us more insight in to Reed's past.

Police officer and violent crime survivor Ellery Hathaway and FBI agent Reed Markham return in this fast-paced followup to the Vanishing Season. Ellery is on leave after she kills a serial killer and an unwilling participant in group therapy for survivors of violent crimes. Two other members of the group have cases that draw Ellery into investigative mode and she soon enlists the help of Markham. As the mystery unfolds and Ellery uncovers some shocking details, her life becomes once again in peril.

Joanna Schaffhausen has become a new favorite author and I can’t say enough about about the quality and intrigue of this series. The characters are well-developed and very real. The plot has many twists and turns that had me guessing right up to the last page. Schaffhausen recently came to speak at our library and I was very excited to hear that she has a contract for 5 books in this series with the third one coming out in early 2020. I recommend this series to all!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Joanna Schaffhausen for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
Here I go again.....adding another series to the bulging bookshelf and I am not even sorry. Although this was book 2, the author sheds enough light on Ellery and Reed's backstories that it makes a good stand alone. Both characters are pretty damaged and yet together they make a fantastic team as they try to look into an arson case and a rape case. Neither of these cases were connected except that two of the victims are in Ellery's support group. But even before that I was hooked from the lead sentence You kill one guy one time , and suddenly everyone thinks you need therapy.

Now I might not describe this story as fast paced, but it was still highly engaging and makes me think that I might want to continue exploring this author in the future.

This is the second book in the series that picks up right after the end of the last book.

Ellery Hathaway is on leave from the police force for shooting a murderer instead of detaining him. She is forced to go to therapy in order to get back to active duty. Ellery is not too pleased with discussing her past since it was everywhere already.
From her therapy group, she decides to help 2 women or at least find out more information. Wendy is a victim of rape and that experience is ruining her days and Myra is a victim of arson which took her sons life who is also dealing with the possible release of the arsonist.
Ellery asks for Reed’s help again and Reed cannot turn her down. He comes to town to help her find out what she can about both cases. Ellery disregards that digging into these cases could open up a much bigger mess. I like that about her and I think it is nice to have a strong female character that kind of just does what she wants to make things right. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I received this from netgalley to read and review.

This was a great follow up to The Vanishing Season. The more I get to know Ellery, the more I like her. I love the chemistry between Ellery and Reed and I'm anxious to see where their relationship goes. I'm also curious to see what happens with Ellery's career. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the next book!

Unfortunately, when requesting this book I did not know it was a series. I tried to read it, but felt I would enjoy it much more after reading the first book. I will be updating my review, because I could not get it to it, once I’ve had a chance to see if I can read and enjoy the first and then this.
I will use in a challenge, as well as let the members of Chapter Chatter Pub know it’s out and a series that has lots of positive feedback.

This sequel to The Vanishing Season (that I was lucky enough to pick up from NetGalley) sees our heroine, Ellery Hathaway, suspended from the police department and forced to attend group therapy until she is deemed mentally fit to return to duty.

Of course Ellery doesn’t want to join in with the counselling sessions so instead she spends her time investigating the crimes of two of her fellow group members. One, Myra, was badly injured and lost her son in a furniture store fire. The man imprisoned for this arson attack is due to be released, prompting Ellery to look into the case. The other, Wendy, was a victim of a shocking random rape attack of which the police have no possible suspects. But Wendy’s complete transformation from happy young woman to an angry and anxious shell of a woman leads Ellery to call on Reed for assistance.

Reed Markham is a FBI profiler who rescued Ellery from the clutches of a serial killer when she was a teenager and worked with her when another serial killer decided to take her on in The Vanishing Season. I did like the way Schaffhausen included information from both of these prior cases in No Mercy without using any horrid info dumps. The mentions of the cases seemed organically placed and any reader jumping into the series with this book should be able to understand some of the characters' backgrounds without being fully spoiled if they want to go back and read The Vanishing Season.

I appreciated that Schaffhausen never used another serial killer as her main offender this time. I think three serial killers in anyone’s life is starting to get ridiculous.

I also thought having two crimes for our leads to investigate was a clever move and meant that the reader never got bored with the mystery/crime plot. The pace of the book was fantastic, skipping along with some excellent chase/action scenes in amongst Reed and Ellery’s profiling/analytical type detective work.

Even though there is no serial killer this time, the book is no less hard core than the first. The details of the rapes in particular are difficult reading at times. This is no cosy mystery!

The personal relationship of Reed and Ellery moved along at a suitably virtuous pace. I loved the cliffhanger ending Schaffhausen left us with and look forward to learning more about Reed and his family in the third book.

Schaffhausen is a friend of a friend but I don’t have to give No Mercy any preferential treatment. It’s worthy of a solid 5 out of 5 on its own merits. Highly recommended.

Blog: The Life & Times of a Book Addict..
Review Post on: January 25, 2019.

REVIEW:

I enjoyed reading The Vanishing Season and was looking forward to reading No Mercy when I saw book two in this series was coming out. I was not disappointed. No Mercy leaves off months after the events from The Vanishing Season. Ellery finds herself in some hot water over killing a man…a man who was a dangerous killer, but still. No matter the reason, she is required to do group therapy if she wants to get her job back.

If talking about her past won’t change the outcome, is there even a reason for her to go? Maybe there is more to this mandated therapy then she first assumes. Especially when during one of Ellery’s meetings, she becomes intrigued by the stories of a couple of the attendees. It’s not long before she becomes entangled in not one, but two mysteries surrounding two of those people.

I liked the pace of the story. Nothing felt rushed or drawn out. Once again, I enjoyed getting to uncover additional layers of Ellery’s character. Though she frustrated me more than once when she continued to take matters into her own hands and act like she was unstoppable. I can understand the need to help someone especially when you feel like no one else is listening to the victim and justice needs to be served, but Ellery continually put her well-being at risk when she should have just let the cops handle it. Of course, if she had done that, there wouldn’t have been much of a story for Ellery to involve herself in. I also liked the possibility of a slow burning romance between Ellery and Reid that lingered just beneath the surface of this story. Like the previous book, the mystery was not an easily guessed one and I had fun attempting to figure out who the bad person was.

Rating 4 out of 5.

Loved this book complicated plot with loads of twists and turns am so looking forward to the next book in this series

As part of the NetGalley community, I often have an opportunity to read books before they are released to the public.  Since I'm always open to authors I wouldn't ordinarily be familiar with, I was excited to read a book back in October of 2017 titled The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen. It was a pretty good book to read, so when I saw the book that is the subject of today's post, No Mercy, by the same author, Joanna Schaffhausen, I requested an opportunity to read and review it, and was approved.

"You kill one guy, one time, and suddenly everyone thinks you need therapy…"

Her name is Ellery Hathaway....well, that's the name she goes by now, but when she was young, she had a different name. When she was young, she also became the 17th victim of serial killer Francis Coben. She was the only survivor, thanks to FBI Agent Reed Markham.

When she grew up, she changed her name and eventually became a cop in a small town where no one remembered her story. It quickly changed though, because she was working a case and had to kill a killer and her identity was revealed. While on a forced "hiatus" from her job, Ellery is in mandated therapy working toward returning to her career. In her group therapy, she meets other folks who have survived violent crimes just like her.

No Mercy  is a very interesting, fast-paced, well-written suspenseful read. Both of the characters, Ellery and Reed, seem to be tormented in their own ways, but despite this, they are extremely likable and the story draws readers right in.

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

While Ellery Hathaway is not currently on the police force (a questionable shooting has her sidelined, hopefully only temporarily), she still wants to know all the answers. So when a fellow crime victim in her group therapy session asks Ellery for help, she can’t help herself.

As a teenager, Ellery was kidnapped and held in a closet by a notorious and brutal serial killer. She was the only one of his victims who lived, saved by FBI profiler Reed Markham. Now, although it’s been many years since she was rescued, and her killer is on Death Row, she is still haunted by the psychopaths and creeps who get off on her pain. And she’s still haunted by her scars.

So when her new friend asks Ellery for help finding the man who raped her, Ellery can’t say no. But since she’s off the force, she needs an insider’s help, so she turns once again to her friend FBI agent Markham. This new investigation will test her skill as an investigator and she’ll once again risk her life for the truth, but she’ll also be forced to deal with the prison that crime victims find themselves in at the hands of others.

While it’s not easy to read a book where the main character is imprisoned by her memories and her fears, it’s encouraging to see author Joanna Shaffhausen tackle the difficult topic head-on, with honesty and grace. I can’t want to read the next installment, to see where Ellery goes next.

No Mercy is the follow-up to last year’s The Vanishing Season, a story of a young police woman who thought she saw a dangerous pattern of people disappearing, and her investigation almost ended her career and her life. Do you need to read The Vanishing Season to enjoy No Mercy? Absolutely not. It’s a great stand-alone and can be read as such. But will you want to spend more time with these amazing characters? Absolutely, so read them both anyway.

I highly recommend No Mercy. It’s a great mystery, a great thriller, and a fantastic story with smart, interesting characters you want to spend time with.

Galleys for No Mercy were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Joanna Schaffhausen does it again! The first book in this series, The Vanishing Season, was an easy 5 stars and I daresay...this installment is even better! While the first book was a thrilling mystery full of surprises, it was also an introduction to the two main characters: Ellery Hathaway and FBI profiler Reed Markham, as well as the horrors visited upon Ellery when she was a girl. In No Mercy, we learn more about the impacts of Ellery's trauma on her life long-term and watch as Reed and Ellery try to figure out what they mean to each other. All while another brilliantly written mystery (two actually) unfolds. There is truly nothing this book doesn't get right! It is "all the things"! 

This is one of the books I most anticipated for 2019 and it did not disappoint. While you could read this book without having read the first, I wouldn't suggest it. Had I gone into No Mercy without everything I learned in The Vanishing Season, I feel certain it would not have been the same reading experience. Still a skillfully written mystery, but going in with so much background information about Ellery and Reed, where their relationship started, how they ended up where they are now (in life and in relation to each other), and loving them before I turned the first page...I feel certain all of this made for the best reading experience possible. Read. The First. Book.

And then read this one!!!

I loved the Vanishing Season, therefore was a little skeptical when I started to read No Mercy, the second book in the Ellery Hathaway series by Joanna Schaffhausen. It’s always hit or miss with me when it comes to a second or third book featuring the same characters. No worries though! No Mercy is just as good if not better than the first book.
Ellery Hathaway is on voluntary leave from the police force. One of the requirements for her return is to attend a victims group. Ellery is famous, not because of the shooting that occurred that led to her leave, but because she was the only survivor of serial killer Francis Michael Coben.
While attending the meetings Ellery meets victims whose cases have never been solved. Being a police officer and a believer in justice, she inserts herself into several of them. Knowing she cannot solve them on her own, she once again turns to Reed Markham, FBI profiler. Reed saved Ellery when she was abducted as a child, helped her with her previous case, and is back on the scene per her request.
This book is fast paced and interesting. The weaving together of two stories adds to its complexity and enhances the mystery. The character building is phenomenal. I loved Ellery in both books. She is fighting for her life and career while fighting for others. There is so much more to Ellery that is still hidden and I look forward to meeting her again in the next book.
Markham is another fabulous character. The book ends leaving us with so many unanswered questions about him, again, leaving me waiting for more! The only thing I missed in this novel was Speed Bump. Don’t get me wrong, he does make an entrance or two in the book but not as much as the first. I realize he is a dog, but darn it, he is an adorable dog and a hero.
4.5/5 stars

Ellery Hathaway has a tendency to run head first into trouble. Once a victim of a sadistic serial killer who abducted her and held her hostage she is now a champion of victims. Only problem is she is currently on mandated leave from her job in law enforcement after shooting a murderer. Of course, that doesn't stop her from delving in and helping others in need.

As part of her suspension Ellery must attend therapy sessions. As part of her therapy she attends group sessions where she meets victims of violent crimes. Of course, instead of delving deep and looking inward Ellery gets drawn into not 1 but 2 cases.

Wendy was brutally raped and her assailant never caught. She is unable to move on, living in constant fear that he will return for her. Can this sexual predator be caught before there are more victims?

Mayra is the lone survivor of a fire that destroyed her family's business, claimed the life of her young son and left her wheelchair bound and both physically and emotionally scarred. The man who was arrested for the fire is up for parole and his lawyer claims he was innocent. Is he? What really happened that fateful night and who was responsible?

Without her police resources her at her disposal Ellery is limited in what she can do but she knows she has to help. What's a girl to do but call on her favorite FBI agent, Reed Markham for assistance.

I absolutely love the tangled relationship between these two. What are they? Friends? Hero and Victim/Survivor? Professional Acquaintances? Or is there more brimming beneath the sexually charged surface?

Both of the mysteries were compelling packed with tense moments for both Ellery and Reed. Ellery is a strong female lead (which I'm a HUGE fan of!) facing emotional demons from her tortured past. You can't help but root for her even when you want to shake her for being reckless! Reed is the calm to her storm. He just can't seem to stay away from this girl he once saved. The bond they share, the bubbling emotions simmering just beneath their interactions all add up to an amazing duo that I want to see lots more of - bring on Book 3!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

book 2 in a series that will become addictive....

ellery is suspended from her job until she is deemed fit and has to attend meeting to help with her recovery, reed is up for promotion in the fbi

these two join forces again in the hunt for a rapist and also to find out who set fire to a business that killed a young boy, evidence has pointed to another man caught at the scene but is he really the person...

plenty of red herrings along the way with the fast pace story that has you on the edge of your seat...especially when ellery is out hunting the would be rapist and gets beaten up...

will they find the true rapist to stop him picking out his next victim in time and will they also find out who the true identity of the fire starter or is it the man about to be released from jail

the conclusion will leave you in no doubt who is who...brilliantly written and a new series and author to keep an eye out for

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for granting my wish to read an electronic review copy of this recently published book and introducing me to author Joanne Schaffhausen. This was a quick dark read with several interesting subplots surrounding law enforcement officer Ellery Hathaway while she is attending a required group for victims of violent crime. My only regret is that I didn’t read the first book in the series, Vanishing Season, first before reading this one. I am now very invested in the characters and am looking forward to seeing what happens next. However, reading the second one first gave a little spoilers and left me racing to catch up with the characters. The events in the book were true to the characters and showed their struggles. I recommend this series.

No Mercy is the second novel in the Ellery Hathaway series featuring the feisty policewoman alongside FBI profiler Reed Markham and for all intents and purposes it's a fantastic follow-up to The Vanishing Season. The writing pulls you in very early on and the action moved at a speedy pace making it difficult to put the book down. The plot is well crafted with many surprising twists and turns which helped me to race through it. It's important to mention that this novel doesn't stand well on its own as you don't get to see the dynamic and ever-evolving relationship between Ellery and Reed and you're not privy to information about Ellery's background which goes some way to explaining.her impulsive nature.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It only took about 2 days for me to read it because the story line just pulled me in. I did not read the 1st book in this series, but Joanna Schaffhausen gave enough details about Ellery and Reed that I was able to piece together some of their past. There were a lot of plot twists in this novel that I wasn't expecting. I will be checking out the 1st book for sure. Definitely a good mystery book with a tiny hint at romance.