In the ever-growing selection of romantic suspense novels, this one is a real find

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	• Mercy Street: A Novel Mariah Stewart Ballantine Books, 2008 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

In the ever-growing selection of romantic suspense novels, this one is a real find

Internet mogul Robert Magellan's life has been torn apart by the disappearance of his wife, Beth, and their baby son, Ian. Beth took Ian with her to her cousin's baby shower, joined in the festivities and then left for home, only to seemingly vanish into thin air. Somehow, in spite of a lengthy and exhaustive search, the woman, the baby and a Jeep Cherokee are nowhere to be found.

Over a year later, Robert's cousin, Father Kevin Burch, shows up asking Robert to pay for an investigator to locate the missing teenage grandson of his parish secretary, Mary Corcoran. Mary's grandson, Ryan, met his three closest friends from Our Lady of Angels High at the Dexter Street playground, a place they had frequented since childhood, on a lovely April evening. However, this night would be different from those previous meetings, because two high school seniors, Adam and James, were shot to death, and two others, Ryan and Courtney, disappeared.

Robert is struggling with his own demons and disappointments, and is not particularly enthused about financing the search. His experience with private investigators left him convinced that there are none who are competent or trustworthy. But his close relationship with his cousin and the plight of Mary Corcoran convince him to cover the costs if a reputable investigator can be located.

Enter ex-cop Mallory Russo. Mallory was rising through the ranks quickly when rumors and scandal put an end to what was shaping up to be a promising career. Now she's off the force and working on a true-crime book. The last thing she wants is to return to active detective work. However, when an old friend and colleague recommends Father Burch contact her about the missing teens, Mallory is too intrigued to resist the challenge of helping these young people and their families.

Mallory is not working alone for long, though. Before her investigation has barely begun, she crosses paths with Charlie Wanamaker. Charlie is from the old neighborhood but recent years have seen him on the Philadelphia police force. Now he's back and joining the Conroy force in order to care for his wildly dysfunctional family.

Not only do Charlie and Mallory make a dynamic duo on the crime front, they develop a chemistry that reaches beyond professional simpatico. Before they know it, they're comparing notes, tracking down leads and hot on the trail of the teens and a killer. As if they don't have enough on their hands, there is also a sniper loose in Conroy, keeping the citizens scared and on edge.

It's a race to the finish as they try to solve the mystery of the killings and locate the missing kids, the only ones who hold the answers to the horrific crime that has shaken this small community.

MERCY STREET is a gem in the ever-growing selection of romantic suspense novels. Mariah Stewart has created real characters with flaws and problems. They are memorable and likable, stay with you, and make you wonder what they're doing long after you close the book. She also has tied together three mysteries into one fascinating story, and I for one can't wait for the next installment in the Mercy Street Foundation series.

--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

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Good book

Stewart is one of a few authors thsat I buy in hardcover. This book was very good. It kept your interest and kept you guessing who the villian was.

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Loved it. A great new series. I'm looking forward to the next book

Great series opener (I'm assuming by the open ended plots and character lines). Great character development and intriguing mix of backgrounds intertwined. Wonderful romance and love stories enfold and hopefully will continue to develop in the next books. Strongly recommend.

The Mariah of old.....

I have read this author for many years until her latest trilogies left me rather cold -- too surface, too simplistic, written too fast (or something). So for three years I stopped buying her books. The reviews of this latest book, however, were enough to pique my interest, so I bought it. When it arrived, I sat down to read just the inside flap and/or the back cover, and I surfaced the next day. I handed the book to my busy journalist daughter, and she couldn't put it down either. I thought the plot was good, the writing was well above average and the characters were ones I really liked and could relate to. So -- here's my recommendation: Read this book to rediscover Mariah Stewart. I sincerely hope this is the beginning of a series because I will not hesitate to buy the author's next one.

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romance thriller

I did not find this book as mesmerizing as her former books. I suspect she is laying the groundwork for future books with these characters. Miss Stewart did a fine job of delineating characters. The suspense just wasn't there.

reviews: page 1, 2

New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart crafts compelling stories of romantic suspense, full of richly imagined characters, dazzling plot twists, and breathless action that keeps the pages turning. Now Stewart begins a thrilling new series?with a novel that proves to be her biggest and boldest yet.

On a balmy spring evening, four high school seniors?three boys and a girl?enter a park in the small Pennsylvania city of Conroy. The next morning, two of the boys are found shot to death, and the girl and the third boy are gone. After three weeks with no leads and no sign of either of the two missing teenagers, the chief of police begins to wonder if they too were victims. But with no other suspects, the authorities conclude that one of these kids was the shooter.

The missing boy?s grandmother, a secretary at the local parish church, maintains his innocence. On her behalf, the parish priest, Father Kevin Burch, hires former detective Mallory Russo as a private investigator to figure out what happened in the park that night. Mallory had ended her nine-year stint with the Conroy police force some time ago after becoming a target of a smear campaign. Now a true-crime author, Mallory is surprised to receive the priest?s offer?and highly intrigued by the case. She can?t help but accept the challenge?especially when she learns that her investigation will be financed by Father Burch?s cousin the reclusive billionaire Robert Magellan, a man whose own wife and infant son disappeared without a trace a year ago, a man who understands the heartache of not knowing what happened to a loved one.

Detective Charlie Wanamaker is facing another sort of tragedy. He fled Conroy years ago with no plans to return to what he considered a dying factory town?until a family emergency brought him back. Finding the situation much worse than he?d thought, he trades his job as a big-city detective for one with the Conroy police department. Assigned to the park shooting case, Charlie quickly realizes that the initial investigation left a lot of questions unanswered. Unofficially, he teams up with Mallory to uncover the truth and find the two kids, dead or alive. What Charlie and Mallory discover will take them down a twisted path that leads to an old unsolved murder?and justice for a killer with a heart of stone.

Mercy Street is tautly paced, resonant with emotion, and relentlessly gripping. It showcases Mariah Stewart at her most brilliant, as she ratchets up the suspense to new levels of excitement.

Praise for Mariah Stewart

?Mariah Stewart is one to watch and savor for a long time.?
?The Philadelphia Inquirer

?Stewart can always be counted on to write an exciting romantic suspense thriller.?
?TheBestReviews.com

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