Her First Mistake

I've enjoyed Kendra Elliot's Mercy Kilpatrick series in the past, so I snagged a copy of this first book in her new-to-me Noelle Marshall series to read while on vacation a couple of weeks ago. Like the Mercy series, I expected to enjoy a strong female main character with a past, but I while Noelle has an interesting backstory, she was a frustrating character. 

The story started out strong but the story soon gets overpowered by a LOT of gaslighting, microaggressions and manipulation by a narcissist who gets way too much page time (disclaimer: gaslighting is a topic that I don't like to read about). I just didn't buy into Noelle falling for this total red flag of a man. Unlike her Mercy Kilpatrick character (who made a cameo in this book), Noelle doesn't take enough control of the situation for me to get behind her.

The story is also very slowly paced and predictable with a lot of jumping between timelines and ending with an info dump to explain it all away (meanwhile the culprit was obvious early on). 

Add in an unnecessary love interest and this was a disappointing and frustrating read that barely held my interest. This was a miss for me but I have hope that the next book in the series is stronger since it's sitting on my Kindle and I know Elliot can write stronger stuff.  

My Rating: 2 stars

Author: Kendra Elliot

Genre: Suspense

Series: Noelle Marshall 1

Type and Source: ebook, Prime book

Publisher: Montlake

First Published: June 10, 2025

Read: Sept 11-16, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: When a very personal cold case murder is reopened, a detective’s secrets come to light in a novel of shocking twists and suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Thirteen years ago, Assemblyman Derrick Bell was murdered in his home by an intruder. His wife, Noelle Marshall, was left for dead. The crime was unsolved, but it wasn’t forgotten.

Today the FBI is tackling a fresh perspective on the case and looking to Noelle, now a detective for the Deschutes County sheriff’s office, for new clues. It is reopening everything Noelle thought was behind her. Memories of her escape from a traumatic childhood. A marriage that wasn’t the perfect love story she’d been promised. And a husband whose charm and privilege hid a dark side. But Noelle has been hiding something too: a secret about the night Derrick died that she has never told anyone.

As past and present and leads and misleads collide, one thing is frighteningly clear. Derrick’s murder wasn’t just unsolved. It’s unfinished. And only the truth―no matter the risk―can save the next victim.