Beg for Mercy    by Jami Alden Order:  USA  Can Forever, 2011 (2011) Paperback, e-Book      Reviewed by Martina Bexte Everything in Megan Flynn's life is close to perfect: she has a great job as a freelance writer and volunteers as a court advocate for troubled young teens. She's also about to take the next step in her relationship with detective Cole Williams - until he arrests her brother Sean for a murder that she's convinced he could never have committed. Five years pass, during which Megan has exhausted much of her time and money in trying to clear her brother. It's now less than a week before his execution. Megan demands that Sean continue the fight, file another appeal, and give her more time to dig up that one clue that could clear his name. But he refuses. He begs Megan to let him go and get on with her life. When Devany Sinclair (one of Megan's young advocates) is witness to a murder, Megan is right there by her side and notices that the MO is very similar to Sean's case. Her gut tells her that she's finally stumbled upon that one clue that could stop her brother's execution, but Cole Williams disagrees. He warns Megan to keep her nose out of police business, telling her that meddling in another murder case isn't going to help Sean. But when a second woman is murdered in the same brutal manner, Cole is forced to admit that Megan might be onto something. Risking Cole's career - and their hearts all over again - Cole and Megan gather more clues. They race against the clock to save Sean's life - and stop a brutal killer who's determined to silence them both so he can continue his chilling work. It's always a pleasure to be given the opportunity to read and review an impressive new talent - Jami Alden is one of those authors. Her debut romantic suspense is well written and plotted, filled with appealing and realistic characters (both major and secondary), and it offers up plenty of sexual tension - and attraction - between Megan and Cole. Megan sometimes treads a dangerous line with her solo investigations. But the unconditional love she shows for her brother Sean and her strong belief in his innocence - plus the clock that's ticking down to the day of his execution - balances out her increasingly risky behaviour. Also, while it's not too hard to figure out the killer's identity about halfway through, Alden throws readers for a loop by revealing a surprising twist just before the finale, one that I hope will be further explored in the sequel, Hide From Evil, due out November 2011. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews