Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy Series: ARES Security #1
Published by Zebra on December 29th 2015
Pages: 340
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From the hellhole of a Taliban prison to sweet freedom, five brave military heroes have made it home—and they’re ready to take on the civilian missions no one else can. Individually they’re intimidating. Together they’re invincible. They’re the men of ARES Security.
Rafe Vargas is only in Newton, Iowa, to clear out his late grandfather’s small house. As the covert ops specialist for ARES Security, he's eager to get back to his new life in Texas. But when he crosses paths with Annie White, a haunted beauty with skeletons in her closet, he can't just walk away—not when she’s clearly in danger…
There’s a mysterious serial killer on the loose with a link to Annie’s dark past. And the closer he gets, the deeper Rafe’s instinct to protect kicks in. But even with his considerable skill, Annie’s courage, and his ARES buddies behind him, the slaying won’t stop. Now it’s only a matter of time before Annie’s next—unless they can unravel a history of deadly lies that won’t be buried.
5 captives who became blood brothers now start a security business together and their first unofficial assignment is an unusual small-town serial killer crime case that seems to revolve around one woman.
I hadn’t quite known what to expect from the Ares security team – the cover itself made me wonder if this was syfy or some paranormal romance – but Alexandra Ivy lays it all out very clearly in the prologue and at no time was I ever confused about the plot or the characters. There is a touch of the paranormal but in most part, ‘Kill Without Mercy’ has less to do with national security and everything to do with the claustrophobic feel of a small town that harbours its own brand of secrets and gossip. I didn’t like nor dislike Rafe and Annie, but was kept sufficiently engrossed by the developing case and the camaraderie of the alpha males who would slowly but surely find themselves on their knees in front of suitable heroines one day. It’s a good start to a series nonetheless; I guess I was just hoping for a bigger, more conspiracy-laden plot that involved more explosions and action but this is clearly my own personal bias and preferences showing up.
