The novel starts with a prologue. Eight-year-old Molly Ridge stayed home from school because of a sore throat. As the day wears on, she’s feeling better and in the midst of playing hide-and-seek with her mother, when the doorbell rings. Molly, hiding  under her mother’s bed, witnesses the tail end of her mother’s stabbing death. Her mom lives long enough to caution poor Molly to be quiet and not make a sound.

Chapter One starts with the main protagonist, Haley Lambert getting the news that her only sister has been murdered. Haley quits her job, let’s her apartment go and flies to her hometown to try and cope with the loss of her sibling. Not only that, she now has to take care of her niece and … her niece has gone selectively mute.

Before long, another attractive blonde, is stabbed to death. The police try to find a common tie between the two women but come up empty. Their only hope is to get information from Molly, but Molly’s not talking. I have to confess, I figured out who the killer was, but it wasn’t easy. In the end, all the desperate clues come together with a very satisfying conclusion. My one picky has to be the attraction Haley feels for police consultant, Dr. Gray Bane. She meets him in the police station the first day she hits town and is immediately attracted to the hunky man. I know, I know – it’s romantic suspense but….Her only sister has been murdered and she’s hot for a new man? Well, I guess anything is possible.

Cassidy is a good writer who kept me guessing almost until the end of the book. I will definitely look for other novel’s by this author because – she’s good!

The book starts when a body is found (always a good way to start a mystery) posed on the edge of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It’s winter, she only wearing a vintage dress and she’s covered with ice. How long has she been sitting there and why didn’t anyone notice her sooner? When the detectives arrive and start working the scene, they find something even more gruesome. The woman’s feet have been hacked off.

Another young woman is found dead, dressed in vintage clothing – but she’s still got her feet. The detectives are scratchng their heads trying to figure out a link between the murdered woman, when – yup another one shows up. During the course of the novel we hearthe voice of the killer and believe me, it’s chilling. Montanari writes in short, crisp chapters that keep the reader turning pages. It’s hard to put this one down.

The homicide cops, Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne are interesting and work well together slowly analyzing the clues until the very exciting climatic end. I really liked the one of the new cops in squad – an Amish man, Josh Botragner, who is constantly shaking hands with everyone and who likes to tell Amish jokes. Josh was a refreshing change to the usual homicide cop personas.

I do have two small nits to pick with this book. Jessica, a 30-something married woman with a five-year-old child is … a boxer! Oy, can’t we EVER just have a policewoman or homicide detective who’s just a woman! Why do they have to box, or do some other very rough masculine sport? I find this a LOT in books written by men and really, is it necessary? I think a woman can be feminine and still do the job. 

My other small nit is that we never really know WHY the serial killer is the way he is. I know, I know – most of them are born that way but…there were some very tantilizing hints along the way about the killer’s childhood that basically went no where.  Montanari has written other novels with the same homicide detectives and I’ll definitely try to find them. “Merciless” was one of those marvelous books one starts reading and simply cannot put down.

Okay, back to perusing my galleys. I have a romance novel coming out the beginning of August so have to get hustling. Watch for further notices here on “Call Sign: Love.” Yes, it’s a romance but…it features dupties, a pervert running through town, and huge fire in the East County, mystery and…a dog, of course!

Till nex time…