I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the world of thrillers where codes intertwine with human lives, "Mercy's Chase" by Jess Lourey stands out as a labyrinthine tale that is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally gripping. This second installment in the Salem's Cipher series takes readers on a whirlwind journey from the FBI's cryptanalysis labs to the rolling green fields of Ireland, where history's shadows loom as large as the stakes.

Salem Wiley, the agoraphobic genius codebreaker, returns with a personal mission that transcends her fears and tests her intellect. The discovery of a miniature Stonehenge replica on an Irish farm, complete with an extra stone marked 'mercy,' sets the stage for a high-stakes puzzle. The kidnapping of seven-year-old Mercy Mayfair, a child under Salem's family's care, reveals a chilling connection to Salem's past and a lineage that could unlock the mysteries of Stonehenge itself.

Lourey's narrative is a masterclass in tension and pace. The prose is crisp, the chapters are taut, and the plot twists are as unpredictable as they are satisfying. The author's background in teaching and writing about secrets is evident in the way she weaves historical intrigue with modern-day conspiracy, creating a tapestry that feels both timeless and urgent.

What sets "Mercy's Chase" apart is its heart. Salem is not just a protagonist; she's a person with depth, battling her inner demons while facing a very tangible threat. Her growth throughout the novel is a testament to Lourey's skill in character development, making readers root for Salem not just to solve the puzzle, but to find her own peace.

The book's exploration of ancient societies and their patriarchal leanings is thought-provoking, adding a layer of social commentary to the thrilling narrative. The feminist undertones are subtle yet powerful, challenging the reader to consider the historical suppression of women and their knowledge.

In conclusion, "Mercy's Chase" is a compelling sequel that delivers on all fronts. It's a book that will appeal to lovers of puzzles, history, and character-driven stories. Lourey has crafted a novel that is both a page-turner and a thinker, a rare combination that makes this book a must-read..

Jess Lourey never disappoints! Mercy's Chase picks up where Salem's Cipher leaves off. You feel like you're on the chase with the characters every step of the way! Bravo Miss Lourey, Bravo!

I just discovered this author recently, and I really like her. I'm going to add all of her books to my tbr.
This is the second book in a series and is best read in order.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Jess Lourey can’t put a foot - or a pen - wrong. She hops between genres, seemingly with the greatest of ease, and creates characters who wrong your heart. In Salem, she has created someone so real she appears before you as you read. I loved Lourey’s stand alone books about small town crimes and her “murder by the month” mysteries. It was a great treat to find her talent transferred so well to this clever code-breaking intrigue,

When I saw "new" Jess Lourey on Netgalley I got super excited and immediately downloaded. I didn't realize these are re-pubs of her prior work until later on. I was worried they'd fall flat being earlier works as I LOVE Reed and Steinbeck SO much! This didn't fall flat for me -- in fact I think Salem is up there with my favorite BA FMCs.

Be sure to check out the first in this series: Salem's Cipher.

This one felt like it started slower than the first. Also I literally had NO idea who to trust. This one gave me whiplash in which characters to trust in and which may be on the bad side. We get a lot less of Bel in this story which I didn't prefer, Salem's projecting her own self consciousness kept Bel at arm's length throughout the whole story until the conclusion. The ending was explosive and while it wasn't perfect I liked it.
I still loved the ciphers and codes and super old mysteries aspects of this novel and the WOMEN POWER aspect was AMAZING.

Would recommend this if you love:
-badass women
-codes/ ciphers prevalent to story line
-fast paced
-cross world travel
-sub plots relating to politics/ secret organizations

Mercy's Chase is the sequel to Salem's Cipher! Rich in history and action, we find Salem working out of England and put on a case that takes her to Stonehenge and beyond. Does she find the answers she seeks? Read and discover for yourself.

Personally, I found Mercy's Chase to be a fitting sequel to Salem's Cipher. We see what happens to our characters and expands their scope. A must read for fans of action, adventure and history!

Mercy's Chase in the second book in the Salem's Cipher Series. Jess Lourey has written a number of mysteries, using different locations and themes. Not all are puzzles, as is the Salem's Cipher Series, which relies on the creation and solving of puzzles. Admittedly, I do not think in terms of puzzles and found that in Mercy's Chase, I was sometimes confused about the puzzles and what they meant and how the clues were understood. I may possess advanced degrees, but puzzles are, in fact, puzzles for me. However what I did enjoy were the many different clues about who to trust and why. Abductions and chase sequent are common in mystery films, and as I read Mercy's Chase, I kept visualizing this novel as a film.

I was recently in Scotland as visited the Sternness Standing Stones on Orkney. That location is every bit as cold and windy as Lourey describes. The locations visited in London, Stonehenge, Ireland, and Scotland are authentic, even if the mystery is fiction. I did enjoy these visits to these locations. Rosalind Franklin was a real scientist, whose work was coopted by men. She was fascinating and tragic, and I was uncomfortable with how she was used in Mercy's Chase. The basic plot of this novel works well, with the continued development of the protagonist Salem, who specializes in ciphers and who is able to take apart these puzzled clues and understand them, as the lead in a chase to find and rescue a young girl. One important element of the plot focuses on identifying the villain and who can be trusted. There are many twists and red herrings along the way.

I thank publishers, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. This novel is a reissue, but I had not read the series when first published. Although some things were confusing--what is the issue with Salem's mother? Jealousy? I am recommending Mercy's Chase, especially for readers who enjoy puzzles and ciphers. In spite of somethings feeling out of my depth with puzzles, I did enjoy the basic plot.

Mercy’s Chase was even better than the first book! Mercy Mayfair, a child in Salem’s family’s care, is kidnapped. Her disappearance is linked to a mystery that spans thousands of years! This book had some of the elements that I loved from the first book! Every book that I read from Jess Lourey never fails to keep me engaged from beginning to end! I highly recommend picking up both books in this series!

Mercy's Chase by Jess Loureyvis such a great story!
I enjoyed reading this story. It's very well written. If you enjoy reading suspense stories, this one is for you.
This is a suspenseful read, one that had me unable to put the book down.

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Mercy's Chase is the second book in the Salem's Ciphers Mysteries. I love Jess Lourey books and this series really has been a pleasure to read. I do hope that we will see more of Salem and the other characters in the future.

This story much like Salem's Cipher is slightly political, very mysterious and perfect for those who love a thriller with some twists. I really can't talk too much about characters in this one as it will give spoilers. There's a lovely twist in it and I admit I was guessing who it would be, I was right. But that didn't take from the story at all. Set mostly in London and Ireland it was refreshing that Jess has used real places (Many I've visited) and described them well. I still have a few questions, namely about Salem's mother and her attitude towards Salem (Not a spoiler!!). I also can't wait to see (There has to be more books!) where the 'research' will take a certain someone next.

I enjoyed Mercy's Chase more than Salem's Cipher surprisingly and really hope we do hear more from Salem, Bel and Mercy. A solid 4 stars, these books do need to be read in order, so make sure to read Salem's Cipher first. Both books are currently available on Kindle Unlimited, if you subscribe to the service.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This is book two in the Salem’s Cipher series. This is being republished and while I don’t think the writing is quite as excellent as this authors more recent books it is a fun ride. The game for world dominance between The Order and The Underground continues and this time Salem is tasked to solve the riddles in the Stonehenge Cipher. The stakes seem even higher this time because The Order has Mercy and if Salem doesn’t solve the train and give the location to The Order they will kill her. Salem feels guilty because she knows if it wasn’t for her Mercy would be safe. I like the ties of history with the fast paced spy novel setting. I also love the way that female voices are highlighted especially historical ones. These books were interesting and I wouldn’t mind the series continuing now.

I truly wish there were more novels in this series, as I read through Salem's Cipher and Mercy's Chase in two days, about as fast as the pace of the novels is. In Mercy's Chase we follow Salem separately as she becomes an FBI code breaker and is assigned a special Presidential duty to rescue a kidnapped girl. Like in Salem's Cipher, the secret societies continue to wage war against one another, with the patriarchy attempting to hold strong to the male power in place. Salem must track clues and break codes from Ireland to London in Mercy's Chase, this time by trusting the strangers placed in her path and strong in the belief that Stonehenge's secret can be revealed.

Mercy's Chase was much quicker than Salem's Cipher, but no less interesting. I loved the mix of modern-day mystery with the historical background. Salem comes into her own in this novel, with her confidence boosted by the incredible people she meets who push her, both negatively and positively, to solve one of the world's longest unsolved mysteries.

#23. This was a great book. I loved that it told the different perspectives of the main characters. It's about a troubled girl who finds out after her father passed that she is not who she thought she was; that her parents weren't actually her parents. As she's learning to deal with her emotions, more biological family pop up, adding to her already confused state of mind. There is kidnapping and r@pe of young girls, lies, murder, fraud, comedy, and simplicity in these pages. I'm also hoping that, by how this ended, that there is a sequel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

In this thrilling novel, FBI code breaker Salem Wiley investigates a mysterious miniature Stonehenge in Ireland. When a child named Mercy is kidnapped, Salem must crack the unbreakable code of Stonehenge to save her. A suspenseful read with intriguing puzzles.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read Mercy's Chase in one day, I just couldn't stop reading it! The story is rich in historic details, it has beautiful descriptions of celebrated landmarks as Stonehenge, and is action packed with likeable characters. It also depicts the importance of women through times and their contribution in diverse areas as different as medicine or agriculture. Mercy's Chase is also full of conspiracies that does not enable Salem to trust anyone as nothing is as it seems. Her major power is her capacity to decipher codes, ciphers, and apply her analytical mind to analyse what goes on in the world, therefore, bringing power and knowledge to those with whom she works. I will now start to read the next book in the series.
I thank Ms. Lourey, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

4/5 stars: This is the second book in Salem’s series and it was better than the first! I fell in love with Salem & Mercy in the first book, so I was able to jump right into this captivating story.

Very House of Cards and National Treasure vibes with a child’s life on the line. Just when you think you have the twist at the end figured out, Jess throws another curveball! I would definitely recommend reading Salem’s Cipher before diving into Mercy’s Chase.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Jess Lourey for the e-ARC of this book. I would absolutely read another book with these characters in the future!

Mercy's Chase by J. Lourey, published by Thomas & Mercer is the second book in the Salem's Cipher Mystery Series.
A fantastic, unputdownable next adventure for Salem and was so beautifully written. The characters were absolute solid and the storyline was intriguing. The story was mysterious in and of self, And it was based on these characters trying to solve ancient mystery that were hidden. This was a bit different than her typical book - it was more of a mystery than a thriller. She still delivers a bit of the odd "something-isn't-right-here" feeling that occur in all her books, and I really did enjoy it.

3.5-3.75⭐️ which I’ve rounded up

It’s imperative that you read this series in order. These books are very different to the author’s better known psychological thrillers. They are based around code breaking.

This book sees Salem in London and Ireland which was nice to see.

I found I settled quicker into the second book. The characters are mostly the same as the first book so the reader knows the background of them. I found the information on Stonehenge interesting although still heavy going in places. You can tell that the author has done a lot of research.

I found this mystery/ action thriller much more enjoyable than the first book. However they aren’t in the same league for me as the authors psychological thrillers.

This is the second book os the Salem’s Cipher series. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first one, however, I requested these at the same time. The writing is more elementary compared to The Taken Ones, which I loved! I am sure this is just growth on the writers part. Which is fine.

Salem Wiley is a cryptanalysis for government. She works with the country’s national security programs. She broke a code and saved her mother’s life in the first book.

Mercy, a seven year old has been kidnapped by The Order, a secret society. She is being forced to figure out the secret codes of Stonehenge for Mercy’s life.

This was just an okay read for me. Some of it is confusing for sure. I felt this was somewhat slow as well. I do enjoy Jess Lourey’s later works and will definitely read more by her, I’m just not a huge fan of secret code books, example…. The Da Vinci Code. If you are fan of those types, this might be one to check out!

I’d like to thank Thomas& Mercer, NetGalley and Jess Lourey for the opportunity. All opinions are my own. Publication date for the kindle edition is March 26, 2024.
3 ⭐️