Say No More by Karen Rose
Say No More
Karen Rose
Seventeen years ago. That was the last time Mercy Callahan saw Ephraim Burton, the leader of the twisted Eden cult where she was raised. But even though she escaped the abuse and terror, they continue to haunt her.
When her brother Gideon discovers new evidence of the cult’s–and their victims’–whereabouts, Mercy goes to Sacramento to reconnect with him. There, she meets Gideon’s closest friend–homicide detective Rafe Sokolov. From Rafe, she receives an offer she never knew she needed: to track down Ephraim and make him pay for everything.
But Ephraim, who had thought Mercy long dead, discovers she is in fact alive and that she is digging around for the cult’s secrets. And now he’ll do anything to take her back to Eden–dead or alive.
review
Say No More is the second novel in the Sacramento series which continues the story of the Eden cult and the effect it had on those who managed to escape its clutches. The story focuses on Mercy Callahan, the sister of FBI agent Gideon Callahan who featured in Say You’re Sorry, and her return to Sacramento to help her brother find the cult. Still haunted by her experiences, Mercy chose to leave Sacramento rather than rebuild her relationship with her brother but she is tired of running away and wants to bring the cult leaders to justice.
While at the airport, Mercy is almost abducted by Ephraim Burton, one of the cult leaders, who has recently discovered she is still alive. At the age of twelve, Mercy was forced into a marriage with Ephraim who was cruel and abusive but she managed to escape his clutches and he is determined to bring her back to Eden. Ephraim’s obsession leaves a trail of bodies in his wake which only adds to Mercy’s guilt but she has the support of Gideon and Rafe Sokolov who makes no secret of his love for her.
Mercy is determined to help her brother track down the cult and her memories are proving invaluable. The memories are extremely painful but Mercy begins to realise sharing them is a cathartic process which is helping her heal and she feels safe with the Sokolov family. Rafe, who is still recovering from the injuries he suffered in the previous book, makes Mercy feel safe and she realises her feelings for him are stronger than she anticipated. Rafe knows a lot about the cult from Gideon’s experiences but Mercy suffered in the aftermath of Gideon’s escape and her stories are particularly harrowing considering how much he loves her.
Rafe doesn’t come with the tortured past as most of Rose’s male protagonists as he grew up as part of a loving family and they are all still close. At the start of the novel, Rafe is dealing with the possibility his injuries may prove to be career ending and the loss of Mercy also contributes to his feelings of depression. However, Mercy’s return raises hopes they can build a future together and the rest pales into insignificance. As far as heroes go, Rafe is one of Rose’s less memorable ones but he is strong and stalwart.
The plot is quite a condense one as there is a lot happening but it never gets confusing and its complex layers make it more interesting than the first book in the series. Mercy is an interesting character who has extraordinary inner strength in spite of all that she has endured so it is satisfying watching her get her happy ever after.
