Love that the covers on these books will match up! They fit the vibe of the book so much better. Jess Lourey has done it again. An addictive and fast-paced thriller that is 'un-put-down-able'.

I love the writing of Jess Lourey. 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.

Wow -- what a ride! I read this book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down.

It's the second in the series and I definitely felt lost in regards to the two secret organizations and their history. And, not going to lie, I felt dumb a lot of the time (quantum computers, Fibonacci numbers etc) but it was a gripping read nonetheless.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you,Thomas & Mercer!

ps -- excellent book cover!

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, an outstanding read, 4,5 stars.
Blurb:
When agoraphobic genius Salem Wiley lands her dream job as an FBI cryptanalyst, she vows never to return to the underworld, where ancient secrets encrypted by hunted women have the power to rewrite history. Her resolve disappears when sweet Mercy Mayfair, the child she is pledged to protect, is kidnapped. As the clock ticks, Salem must face the truth that there is only one way to free Mercy: crack the unbreakable code of Stonehenge.

Having just read Lourey's book Salem's cipher I was excited to continue on reading about Salem and Bel. I would recommend reading Salem's cipher first in order to find out a lot of the background on the characters and what happened before this book. Salem' has now taken a job in London decoding and Bel is back in Minnesota with Salem's mom and the young girl Mercy they rescued in the first book.
There are two on going plots in this book: one of the attempted asassination on the first woman president, and the other plot about the kidnapping of Mercy but these two different events are tied together in ways you will discover. Salem is racing around the clock trying to solve a clues involving Stonehedge to save Mercy while Lucan of the FBI (introduced in the first book) is trying to save the presidents life.
Salem is unsure of who she can trust-LUcan, her new partner Charlie, her boss etc. This book was a bit longer than the first a had a lot of detail which can slow it down but I still found it interesting. Salem's character is growing too as she becomes stronger and more independent. There are a lot of twists and turns as we are aware of some of the dangerous characters from the first book but are unaware of the "Gremilkin" the master mind criminal . Lots of suspense and a satisfying ending to the book.

I wasn't very impressed with the first book of this series, but I decided to give the second book a shot. Unfortunately, it wasn't much better. The writing still didn't flow well and there were just too many characters for me to successfully keep track. I love Lourey's truth-based thrillers and look forward to all new books to come in the future.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

It was entertaining. Reminded me a bit of the DaVinci Code with the clues and treasure hunt. I didn’t realize when I started it that it was the second book in the series but I think the author puts enough background info in this book, without it feeling like an info dump, to make this a good stand alone. The big bad guy reveal wasn’t much of a surprise but this book was a good break between more intense reads.

The second book in the Salem's Cipher series turned out to be better than the first one for me. Not just because we are getting to know the characters in more depth, but also because most of the action in the second book is centred around the UK and Ireland - more familiar territory to me - and also involves cracking a code based on Stonehenge which, like millions of other people, I have actually visited.

After the first book, where Salem was able to retrieve treasure and locate her kidnapped mother, this second book Seas the abduction of 7-year-old Mercy by The Order, which is the European equivalent of The Hermitage Foundation. Since Salem is agoraphobic and suffers from PTSD, it is only her affection for Mercy that drives her into the kind directions she must take, after initially having thought that she could not settle down and focus on her FBI codebreaker/code-developer job.

Mercy's character is a welcome addition to this storyline, and Bel take something of a backseat. We get to know Salem much better, and although the cipher and code elements are not that appealing in terms of my own personal interests, they are nevertheless well-done.

I read this because I read Salem's Cipher, but this one was somehow deeper in the weeds. I really enjoy Jess Lourey just maybe not this series.