I've been a huge fan of the Shana Merchant series from book one and I have a real appreciation for how Wegert can so deftly weave a compelling story while still surprising you in the end. As someone who reads a ton of mysteries and thrillers, Wegert's series always manages to feel fresh to me.

That being said, I was thrown at the start of this one. For starters, I honestly didn't expect any more Shana Merchant books after the third - it seemed like things were (mostly) wrapped up with Shana seeing Tim and her demons being put to rest. But I was very excited to get a fourth book in the series, and it was immediately just, different. In the beginning Shana seemed to be having trouble with Tim being too supportive and too nice, honestly, and to see her trying to back away from that felt so weird. I was really afraid it was going to be used as a plot device to interject unnecessary drama. I should not have doubted Wegert. Not only was their no unnecessary drama because of that move, but Shana grew! And she realized what she was doing! And they talked things out like adults! And it didn't even last for half the book!

Shana does have some issues with her family in this book, which if you read Dead Wind, then it's certainly understandable why. However, that gets settled nicely by the end, as does everything else, of course. One thing I will say is it feels very much like a final book, so I'm not certain we'll see any more of Shana Merchant but I am absolutely on board if Wegert decides to write more of her; for that matter, I'm sold on whatever Wegert decides to write next anyway.

One thing I found really interesting about this one was the way things seemed to come full circle. But also the villain just honestly surprised me so much - in a good way. I thought I had an idea of who the villain was and then their prime suspect is revealed and I was thinking "nah, couldn't be" so then I thought of someone else and I had to flip to the end to check (I know, I know, such a mystery reader no-no haha) and I was blown away by the reveal. That, in turn, made me go back to the point I was at and start speed reading to find out the whys and hows.

All in all, this was a phenomenal book in the Shana Merchant series, and I truly enjoyed it once I realized there wouldn't be drama for the sake of drama. Definitely a 5-star read that I'll be reading again!

This is my first Shana Merchant novel, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. I will probably go back and read the other 3 in the series even though it is a cohesive story as a standalone. Psychological thrillers are my favorite genre, and I was drawn in from the very beginning. The story kept my attention until the very end. Somewhat predictable, with a few surprises along the way. fun, escapism!

I love Tessa Wegert novels - honestly they are some of the best stories and she writes in such a way that I do not want to put the books down! I always look forward to when a new one comes out and I get a chance to read them. Excited for the next one!!

Tessa Wegert continues to up her game in each installment of the superlative Shana Merchant series. As atmospheric and gripping as a Tana French novel, THE KIND TO KILL is both a cleverly plotted mystery and a rich, empowering story of a woman fighting to escape the ghosts of her past. Prepare to be transfixed and transported.

I always like to try out new authors, to me at any rate, to see what they have to offer. Some I take to, others I don’t sadly this one falls into the latter category.
Perhaps I should have persevered.

I really enjoyed this series. Really hoping Shana Merchant has more life to give to this series.

Good relationships, good story line and suspense.
Definitely a must read series.

I have really loved the Shana Merchant series! At the beginning of this book, I was feeling a little frustrated with a few things Shana was doing, but it definitely turned around. The mystery was one I didn’t guess so that’s fun too!

Many thanks to Severn House, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Kind to Kill.

Former NYPD detective Shana Merchant is a skilled Senior Investigator. She wants to get past the fact that she's bound by blood to a serial killer and just do her job in keeping New York's beautiful Thousand Islands community safe as Alexandria Bay fills up with tourists in advance of the annual festival known as Pirate Days.

"...There are two families involved in every crime: the victim’s, and the killer’s." That is not only true but it's a big part of The Kind to Kill." Shana is such a great character, and she has so much heart. The writing is compelling and atmospheric. (I felt myself sweating as I read about the characters sweating in the heat!) And I absolutely love Tim!!

Ms. Wegert is a talented writer who keeps me coming back for more. I'm looking forward to #5!!

Character Driven Suspense…
The fourth in the Shana Merchant series of mysteries and the reader is transported back to the New York Thousands Islands community. Whilst Shana’s darkest secret is out, she still gets on with her life and now needs to focus on winning back her integrity but when a tourist goes missing her work is cut out. The general feeling that she is to blame is one that she just can’t shake. With a wonderfully well crafted cast of credible characters and a well described, atmospheric backdrop this is another worthy addition to this enjoyable character driven series.

Book #4 and just as good as ever! Senior Investigator, Shana Merchant is still dealing with the fact that she is related to a serial killer. She is also now being looked at as someone that attracts trouble even though she is trying to win the town's trust back. The town and characters are what I love so much about this series. The author does a wonderful job with descriptions and building the suspense with so many twists and turns.

The Kind to Kill stands on its own even though it is part of a series.

So I came in a bit late to this series, but I'll go back and catch up and will enjoy reading all further books in this series.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner in this series! Shana is such a great character, and seeing her go through such a journey keeps me turning the pages. I love the setting in upstate New York, and also that this is a police procedural. The ending was good and she could end the series right here and it would work, but I hope she doesn’t! I can’t wait to read the next one!

This series gets better with each book! I have loved this series from book 1 and still love it today. I was curious how the series would go forward after the events of the last book but this was a phenomenal way to move forward and open the door, in my opinion, to many more books in the series to come. I loved how the city was incorporated and the pirate festival.. I also loved the twists and turns of how you love Don, then you think Don is guilty, then I thought maybe it was Amos, then maybe Gracelyn somehow... it truly kept me guessing! LOVE SHANA AND TIM!

Thank you Severn House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before publication. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

SYNOPSIS

Shana Merchant is just tryna live her life when a visitor goes busy on the eve of Pirate Day – a huge tourist event for the A-Bay. But as she digs deeper and connections are surfaced, Merchant wonders if she'll ever be rid of her bad reputation.

MY OPINION

Did I read books 1-3? No lmao. Did this impact my ability to understand the overarching storylines? No. I'm a seasoned vet at jumping in mid/end of series.

Anyways, I'm having a hard time rating this because I don't think the book was bad at all, it just simply was not for me. The writing was great, the storyline juicy. But I felt like I was taking the 30-minute scenic route to get somewhere that would take me 5 mins if I cut through some back alleys. I think this literary "stroll" would be better suited for people with the patience to meander through the text to get to the action.

A lot of time is spent on backstories and sceneries. Usually I enjoy character building, but once again, this was like watching an arthritic 90-yr-old put together a dollhouse. You can't blame them for being slow, and the dollhouse is beautiful in the end, but I am a greasy toddler who wants to slam that shit together in about 5 mis. I know nothing I'm saying is making sense... BUT THIS IS MY TRUTH LOL.

Ultimately I wouldn't advise someone NOT to read this, but you've been warned: this is a SLOW burn.

PROS AND CONS:

Pros: interesting case, writing quality is great

Cons: very, very slow burn, a lot of scenic details, a lot of inner dialogue and lamenting

There are so many red herrings in this book of mystery and intrigue that I could not discern the end. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher. This is a cannot put down mystery. Although the story moves slowly at times, it comes to a resounding end. This author is talented and gifted at writing a murder mystery. The protagonist is intriguing and her story…amazing what she has gone through…the associates are there for backup with many surprises. I look forward to more books in this series. One of a kind…

Another fabulous novel by the author and I love these characters!

Now Senior Investigator, Shana Merchant is back. She survived the hands of the notorious serial killer, Blake Bram and her secret about him is out, which leads to divisions in peoples attitude towards her, including her family. She wants to forget the past and move on but as the story goes on, it is clear not everyone is going to let her. 
As Alexandria Bay fills up for the Pirate Days festival, a visitor goes missing and the case threatens to destroy the celebrations, along with her relationships. The cases aren't as straightforward as they initially appear as the mystery unfolds. 

The story in this series always pulls me in but it's the characters that keep me turning the pages. There were more twists and we see Shana's life in tatters after the revelation about Bram and while he is gone, he is certainly not forgotten in this one. I cannot wait for more in this series, highly recommend.

What I love about books is you can get transported to another place. This book takes you to Alexandria Bay in New York. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant is trying to move on with her life after she killed serial killer Blake Bram. Unfortunately, he was her cousin and the public is having a hard time moving past that point.

A woman goes missing from the Admiral Inn after a fight with her husband. Shana is called to try and find her. Her phone shows on tracker that it is in the St. Lawrence so they wonder if she jumped from the bridge. Her body is later found and now they believe there is a copy cat killer on the loose.

The town is about to be filled with tourists for Pirate Days. She must find this killer before they kill again. The hunt is on to find the killer.

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, great police work and a great who done it! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Investigator, Shana Marchant, has kept her pursuit of serial killer, Blake Bram on the down low, but now the truth, and Shana’s connection to him are out. Now, Pirate Days has arrived, an annual festival that brings scores of tourists to town. When one of them disappears, Shana has to pull out all the stops to find them, before folks confuse her familial connection to a killer as a sign on incompetence…or worse