BEG FOR MERCY – Jami Alden
A Perfect 10
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-446-57280-4
June 2011
Romantic Suspense

Seattle – Present Day

Three years ago, Megan Flynn thought Cole Williams would be The One. But after he arrests Megan's brother for a brutal murder, and publicly states that their relationship is casual at best, and not worth the press, Megan doesn't even want to look at him.  She knows her brother Sean is innocent; he would never do something like this, but the evidence is far too damning, and her brother is sentenced to receive the death penalty.

Now Sean isn't allowing Megan to visit anymore, and he's given up fighting for his innocence, but Megan hasn't. And when a new case arises with some eerie similarities to Sean's murder case, Megan can't help but investigate in hopes of proving Sean isn't guilty. Cole is one of the officers on the new case, and no matter how much he warns Megan to stay away, he can't keep her out of the investigation…or out of his thoughts. But when Megan is attacked, Cole knows he can't let her get hurt, so in hopes of keeping her safe, he decides to help her prove Sean didn't murder that girl three years ago, even if Cole believes he's guilty. But as the danger level rises and the marks against Sean start falling apart, Megan and Cole find out they might be way out of their depth.

An excellent, gut wrenching story from start to finish, BEG FOR MERCY by Jami Alden is a perfect suspense novel for readers who need that extra thrill. The audience gets brief glimpses into the murderer's mind, and don't be surprised if your skin starts to crawl and you break out into a cold sweat. Megan is a truly well done character, strong and willing to do anything to prove that her brother is innocent. The heat between Megan and Cole is almost tangible, but their history is too hard for them to ignore.

The story and plot were fantastic. I couldn't put the book down because I, too, needed to prove that Sean was innocent, and that the real murderer would pay for his crimes. I needed Cole and Megan to get the happy ending that they deserved, and for Sean to be free and a part of their life. Jami Alden crafted a story so deep and meaningful that I became emotionally attached to this book and especially these characters. I was glued to it from the first page to the very end. For that, and many more reasons that you will discover when you start reading the book, BEG FOR MERCY deserves a Perfect 10 rating.

Be sure to check out Sean's story, HIDE FROM EVIL, coming in October 2011, and RUN FROM FEAR following that, currently with no release date.

Amanda Toth