Book Review: Mercy by David Baldacci

 Mercy

by

David Baldacci

 

The time has come to discover the truth....

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

 

Publication date: 1st November 2021

 

Series: Atlee Pine #4

 

Genre: Crime

 

Pages: 400

 

RRP: $32.99 AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

The fourth and final book in the special agent Atlee Pine series is another adrenaline filled thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

 

Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum are once again on the trail of finding out what happened to Atlee's twin sister Mercy, who was kidnapped almost three decades ago. When new information emerges Atlee's determination to find Mercy, dead or alive, is renewed.

I thought I had it all figured out in book #3 and reading this book would just be a matter of confirming my suspicions. Well, did I have that all wrong!

 

This final book is mainly about finding out what happened to Mercy. However, the introduction of a big time criminal, who has a vendetta against the FBI, makes for plenty of nail-biting moments and a shoot-out to rival the Alamo.

Atlee is as tough and unrelenting as ever as she is pitched in the ring for a fight to the death. Assistant Carol Blum really comes to the fore in this book where she not only uses her smarts but also has to endure some deadly situations.

Baldacci includes plenty of backstory which helps refresh the memory and also makes this final book read well as a standalone.

Mercy is not only a chilling, fast-paced thriller it also had me a little teary towards the end. I enjoyed this  final wrap-up of the Atlee Pine, Mercy, series it was well plotted and compulsive reading.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Credit: Goodreads

David Baldacci is one of the world's bestselling and favourite thriller writers. A former trial lawyer with a keen interest in world politics, he has specialist knowledge in the US political system and intelligence services, and his first book Absolute Power, became an instant international bestseller, with the movie starring Clint Eastwood a major box office hit. He has since written more than forty bestsellers featuring most recently Amos Decker, Aloysius Archer, Atlee Pine and John Puller. David is also co-founder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the US.

 

 

 

  

                    

Author Interview: Fiona Lowe

 

 

 Today I would like to welcome author Fiona Lowe to The Burgeoning Bookshelf

 

Hello Fiona, Thank you for joining us. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you like to do when you are not writing?

 
Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I’m a distracted wife, a mother of sons—the eldest is about to get married and I have no idea how he got old enough to do that! The youngest is in his final year of university and fingers crossed will soon to be off the family payroll. YAY! I’m also a slave to a cat. I like to knit, read, garden and I am hoping this year to return to travel.

How has the Covid pandemic impacted you as an author, in terms of your writing, motivation and publicity?

 
The first lockdown occurred at the end of my 2020 book tour and writing wise I was saying that I had worked from home for years so there wasn’t a big change. But fast-forward through two years, six lockdowns, a lack of theatre, travel, meeting friends and new people, it did absolutely impact on my creativity because I wasn’t out and about being challenged. It meant ideas were a bit thin on the ground. I think 2021 was tougher than 2020 in terms of motivation and book touring—I missed meeting readers IRL.

Your contemporary novels are primarily about relationships, family and the challenges women face. What inspired you to write about these topics?

 
I’m fascinated by what makes people tick and the choices they make. Modern life with its perceived need to be connected online all the time and the often unrealistic expectations society put on women to juggle a career, a relationship and a family throw up many challenges that threaten to sink us. It makes for great book fodder.

Your latest novel, A Family of Strangers, was released on 2nd March; How did you come up with the idea for A Family of Strangers?

All my books look at different social issues inside families and communities. In A Family of Strangers, I wanted to explore the theme of escape. I used three main characters to do this, all with different versions of the theme. With Steph, I looked at the impact of the mental load women carry for the family on top of their job as a mother, partner and their paid job outside the home. How do you keep all the balls in the air and should you? I also throw in a few other challenges into the relationship, but I don’t want to giveaway spoilers. Currently women in Australia are drinking alcohol at unprecedented rates and I wanted to look at how that can unravel a life. Addy is good at her job, but she’s hiding a lot of pain only she knows she carries. With Brenda, I wanted to mine a mother and daughter relationship that is not as rosy as the media and Mothers’ Day TV advertisements want us to believe. Can a mother be forgiven? Can a daughter?

What would you like readers to get out of A Family of Strangers and how do you think it will resonate with them?

Hopefully some readers might decide to join a choir! But seriously, I write characters who face issues familiar to all women. My characters are flawed and make mistakes, but they grow across the book and learn something about themselves and each other. I hope readers will connect to them and perhaps be more empathetic to the real women in their lives as we try to live our best lives with what we have.

What were the key challenges you faced when writing A Family of Strangers?

Bringing three very different women together who would not have normally spent much time together is always a challenge. I decided to use a community choir as a way to do this. When I started writing A Family of Strangers in 2020, there was a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon and we all thought we had the virus on the run. We didn’t, and choirs are still not yet singing so I couldn’t visit a community choir and see it in action. Fortunately, I was able to draw on my sons’ school choir experiences, memories of my own and I interviewed friends who had sung in choirs up until March 2020 and were happy to talk about them as they desperately missed singing.

What are you currently reading?

Still Life by Sarah Winman on audio book and I’m loving it!

What’s next for Fiona Lowe? Do you have a new WIP?

I’m currently writing the 2023 novel, which has the working title of The Money Club. It’s due in at the end of April and as usual I am barely at the two-thirds mark. Yikes! Let’s hope it comes together in a rush!

Just for fun....either or?

Tea or Coffee: Both. Coffee at breakfast and tea the rest of the day.
Summer or Winter: Winter! You can always get warm but you can’t always cool down.
Dog or Cat: I better say cat or Pekoe will get her nose out of joint.
City or Country: Country or rural city to live, but I love a big city visit now and then.
Morning Person or Night owl: Morning. I’m falling asleep in my soup by 9pm.
Paperback or eBook: I’ll read a good book in any format.
Ninjas or Pirates: This is a question I have never been asked before. Arrr! I think pirates.

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us on The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

Thanks so much for having me!

 A Family of Strangers is out now and should be in bookstores all over the country 

About the book

How can you know so little about those you love?

With a coveted promotion dangling within reach, the last thing Addy Topic needs to do is waste precious time singing in Rookery Cove's choir. But when she's reminded how much music meant to her late mother, she can't say no. The building pressure raises the ghosts that sent her running from Rookery Cove years earlier - memories she's spent decades hiding from, silencing them with work, alcohol and sex.

For Stephanie Gallagher, Rookery Cove was meant to be a new beginning in the slow lane. A place where she and her husband can embrace community, parenthood and evenly share the load. But the sea-change is changing everything. How much longer can they survive as a family?

Brenda Lambeck is finding her feet after the death of her husband when her best friend convinces her to join the choir. Beloved as a grandmother, Brenda is determined to mend the fraught relationship she has with her daughter, Courtney. But is that even possible when she continues to lie?

In the wake of a spectacular betrayal, three women are forced to face the uncompromising truths about the choices that have shaped their relationships with those they love most. The consequences will shatter their lives and all they hold dear. After such a disaster is rebuilding even possible?

 

 

 

Winners of a copy of The Midnight Library announced!!

 

Once again thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for copies of The Midnight Library. I had a total of 374 entries. The giveaway closed on the 28th February 2022 and the winners were randomly selected (using Random org). 

Congratulations to........   Helen E & Rosemarie P

The winners have been notified and have seven days to provide a mailing address.

 

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

 

Book Review: Charlotte Pass by Lee Christine

 Charlotte Pass

by

Lee Christine

A shocking discovery deep in the Snowy Mountains. A killer who will do anything to keep secrets buried.

 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 4th February 2020

 

Series: Alpine #1

 

Genre: Crime / Thriller

 

Pages: 320

 

RRP: $29.99 AUD

 

Format read: Uncorrected proof paperback

 

Source: courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

When human bones are discovered, by ski patroller Vanessa Bell, near an abandoned chair lift at Charlotte Pass a cold case is reopened and Pierce Ryder is taken off the case of finding murder suspect Gavin Hutton and appointed head of this investigation.

 

I have already read book 2 in this series and i loved reading the story of how Vanessa and Pierce met. There is a very subtle romance weaving through this crime thriller. Lee Christine has written each of the books so they stand alone well.

 

In Charlotte Pass we are introduced to DS Pierce Ryder and his partner DC Mitchell Flowers. I loved the way this partnership grew and solidified as the story progressed. Ryder meets up with an old friend, retired Detective Lewicki, who worked a missing persons case in the area in 1964. Both are convinced the bones are the missing women and they must determine if she was murdered or died from exposure.

 

The suspense builds in this atmospheric mystery as ski patroller Vanessa Bell finds her own life in grave danger. As the ski lodged is closed down and everyone is interviewed it becomes clear that many of the villagers have something to hide.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced read. I was hooked from the prologue and found it hard to put down. The characters are well written and realistic and I liked that the passages on Ryder's past didn't take away from the story but gave the reader a little insight into why he comes across as harsh.

 

The added details of the hazards encountered in the skiing industry and the harsh conditions was intriguing to this reader who has never visited the area.

 

Atmospheric, suspenseful and impossible to put down, Charlotte Pass is a must read for thriller fans.

 

My rating 5 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

In 2009, former corporate trainer Lee Chrsitine decided to turn her writing hobby into a serious day job. Charlotte Pass is her first crime novel. She lives in Newcastle, NSW, with her husband and her Irish Wheaten Terrier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on image to read my review

 

 

Mailbox Monday - February 28th

 Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week (or month). I post my new books on the last Monday of the month. Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday Blog

 

 Happy Monday!

The heat of last month has been replaced by rain, rain and more rain. One advantage is that the lawn is looking lush and green.

Below are some photos of what I've been up to over the last month.

The local shopping centre had a dragon dance exhibition. I have an irrational fear of people dressed up in costumes so this photo was taken far away from the actual dancers.

The lovely thing about rain is the rainbows after.

 

 

 Jay started school this year and has taken it all in his stride.

 

My son got married last weekend. Top photo: My son and his new wife. Bottom photo: My husband and I. I'm happy to take a break from weddings for a while now. 😀

 

 Books I purchased and received for review during February 

 

 

Review books

Summer at Kangaroo Ridge by Nicole Hurley-Moore

Lily Harford's Last Request - Joanna Buckley

Brunswick Street Blues - Sally Bothroyd

Snowy Mountains Cattleman - Alissa Callen

Mothers and Daughters - Erica James

With This Kiss - Carrie Hope Fletcher

So Many Beats of the Heart - Carrie Cox

My purchases

Again Rachel - Marian Keyes

Letters From the Past - Erica James

 

 Children's books for review

 

 Trains, Trains, Trains! - Donna David

The Magical Girls Guide to Life - Jacque Aye

Dinosaur Squeak! - Peter Curtis

Dinosaur Honk! - Peter Curtis

 

The Lolly Shop #2 (Dex the Bilby) - L,B & E Hackney 

What has arrived in your mailbox lately?

 

 

 

 

Spotlight: The Kindness of Birds by Merlinda Bobis

The Kindness of Birds

by

Merlinda Bobis

 

Publisher: Spinifex Press

 

Publication date: 4th May 2021

 

Genre: Literary Fiction

 

Pages: 256

 

Format: Paperback

 

RRP: AU $26.95 / NZ $33.95 / US $24.95

 

About the book

 

An oriole sings to a dying father. A bleeding-heart dove saves the day. A crow wakes a woman’s resolve. Owls help a boy endure isolation. Cockatoos attend the laying of the dead. Always there are birds in these linked stories that pay homage to kindness and the kinship among women and the planet. From Australia to the Philippines, across cultures and species, kindness inspires resilience amidst loss and grief. Being together ignites resistance against violence. We pull through in the company of others.

 

An anthology of 14 linked short stories that readers will find deeply moving and heartfelt.

 

Merlinda Bobis is an utterly distinctive voice in Australian letters. In our ironic and cynical times, here are stories of heartfelt feeling - fulsome, tender and unabashed - in which grief and hope are equally things with feathers - Gail Jones, award-winning novelist. 

 

About the author

 

Award-winning writer Merlinda Bobis has had four novels, six poetry books, and a collection of short stories published, and ten dramatic works performed. Her novel Locust Girl, A Lovesong received the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards and the Philippine National Book Award. Her poetry collection Accidents of Composition was Highly Commended for the ACT Book of the Year Award. For her, writing is homecoming: a return to roots, a retrieval through memory, and a reckoning with loss hopefully with care and grace. 

 

 

 
 

Book Review: Midnight in the Snow by Karen Swan

 Midnight in the Snow

by

Karen Swan

 

An unstoppable connection. A secret that will change everything.

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

 

Publication date: 14th October 2021

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 480

 

RRP: $32.99 AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

Every year I eagerly await Karen Swan's Christmas release. Whilst Australia is sweltering through summer heat I can escape to somewhere cold and, most often, snowy.

 

Midnight in the Snow is set in the Austrian Alps in the lead up to Christmas Day. Journalist Clover Phillips is riding high on the success of her documentary on ex-surfing great, Cory Albright - Cory had suffered a near drowning and subsequent brain injury, whilst competing. 

 

Karen Swan highlights how close a journalist gets with the family they are working with as Clover spent many months living with Cory, his wife and their three sons.

 

Wanting to follow with an equally explosive documentary Clover decides to go after Kit Foley, Cory's nemesis and the cause of his accident. Foley has left the surfing world and is now focused on snowboarding, where he is making his name known.

 

Our two main characters, Clover and Kit, had a real hate for each other and I love a good enemies to lovers trope. However I would have liked a lot more emotion and sexual friction between them. It was there, but it was very sparse.

 

I loved the portrayal of the two main characters; Clover was determined and relentless, she wanted her story, and Kit the po-surfer turned snowboarder was hostile, insular and aloof.

It's not until you dig deep that you get the real story and Clover is prepared to dig, but what she finds even shocks her.

 

The setting imagery was, as always, amazing and I enjoyed the little peek into the professional sports world. Some of the twists I'd guessed early on but there were also some that took me by surprise. 

 

And then there are  those little snatches of poetic prose that make Swan's writing so evocative.

 

my rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 About the author

 

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author of twenty-one books, and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year - one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous winter titles include Christmas at Tiffany's , The Christmas Party and Together by Christmas, and for summer, The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path.

Previously a fashion editor, she lives in Sussex with her husband, three children and two dogs.

 

 

 

Click on the covers to read my review