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Dying for Mercy
Dying for Mercy
Dying for Mercy
Audiobook8 hours

Dying for Mercy

Written by Mary Jane Clark

Narrated by Isabel Keating

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

“[Clark] deftly combines the clue-searching and puzzle-solving fun of mysteries with the action-packed, emotion-driven narrative thrust of thrillers.”

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

 

“One of Clark’s—and the genre’s—best.”

Associated Press

 

A very suspicious death and a sprawling mansion with secrets and puzzles built into the very architecture are among the elements that make Dying for Mercy an unputdownable mystery. The third riveting thriller from New York Times bestselling Mary Jane Clark to feature Eliza Blake and her KEY News television colleagues, Dying for Mercy combines the gripping suspense of Faye Kellerman with the kind of brilliant twists, turns, and surprises that would make Agatha Christie proud. Mary Jane Clark is a member of the same writing family as fellow suspense superstars Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, and this superior puzzler puts her at the very top of the family tree.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateJul 28, 2009
ISBN9780061902505
Author

Mary Jane Clark

Mary Jane Clark worked at CBS News for nearly three decades. Her twelve KEY News media thrillers were inspired by that experience. Envisioning the Piper Donovan/Wedding Cake mystery series, Mary Jane enrolled in cake-decorating classes and researched unique wedding locations. The daughter of an FBI agent and a mother who customized cakes for the neighborhood kids when she was growing up, Mary Jane has two grown children and splits her time between New Jersey and Florida.

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Reviews for Dying for Mercy

Rating: 3.8181818181818183 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A well plotted and fast paced mystery introducing the reader to a world of wealth and privilege. The exclusive residents of Tuxedo Park face a killer determined to expose the sins of their past and their position is no protection.Eliza Blake attends an exclusive party in Tuxedo Park where a suicide occurs which is just the beginning of a wave of murders. Eliza and her colleges from Key to America set out to solve the puzzles. Eliza comes face-to-face with a murderer who doesn't want all the puzzles solved.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Eliza Blake is the co-host on for the morning television show "Key to America". Other titles by this author have characters who work at KEY and I have enjoyed all of them. A friend, Innis Wheelock, commited suicide and left a series of puzzling clues as to why he committed suicide and clues that help solve an old unsolved case . Eliza and friends team up to find the truth of what happened years ago and to find out why Innis committed suicide. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to the next book set within the Key to American television show.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Short chapters and multiple point of views make for an interesting compliment to this novel which seems to mix suspense fiction with aspects of both mystery and thriller genres. The story is fast-paced as the author quickly moves you from one head into another. Yet, the puzzle you are trying to get all of the pieces to is very complex. The pages of “Dying for Mercy” are layered with not only slightly obscure, yet auspicious clues, but also a wealth of suspicious characters.One particular, anonymous point of view----always written in italics—who seems to have everything to lose, lends a deeply enigmatic element as well as a spooky touch. Also, Innes Wheelock, the man whose death the puzzle of this novel evolves around, is an elaborately baffling character. He is an enigma in the best sense of the word. The mix of a life of excess and prestige weaves with his religious ideals and goals of justice. With his death, he begins a puzzle for those connected to him in a mind of forcing repentance.Mary Jane Clark has a way of making you question everyone. With her omniscient point of view, all that is purposefully left unsaid along with the little hints the reader does get, makes her excel in her craft. I was even questioning the good guys!Her setting of Tuxedo Park is a wonderful, complimentary backdrop—extravagant—lending wealth, beauty, excess and the illusion of safety. It is rare an author comes up with a setting that so matches the characters, the setting becomes a character in its own right.Thinking back over the story, for a murder mystery, her characters were well-crafted, circling their personalities around the character Innes and his suicide. The story was really about motivations right to the very end. You find yourself questioning not only what motivated the initial suicide and following murders, but, what keeps you reading, is the goal of finding out what is being covered up.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Dying For Mercy is the story of Eliza Blake, co-host of a top rated tv news show, who is invited to a party at an exclusive New York community and ends up covering a huge news story involving several murders and a mystery puzzle involving a newly renovated mansion located within this historic estate. Clark's writing style involves very short chapters each one of which concerns a different book character. This style works very well in accommodating a varied list of characters and the part each of them plays in a rather complicated puzzle that includes St Francis of Assisi and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
    There is little character development in this book, but that is compensated for with a clever plot. As more and more of the story unfolds, it really isn't necessary to know much about each character's back story or each of their motivations. What's important is the building suspense and tension over who did what to whom both in the past and in the present.
    This is a quick read, and there were times I did wish it had been better developed simply to make it seem less like it had been written in as big a hurry as possible without much thought to anything but reaching the end result. At the same time, though, I had the impression that had the author delved further into aspects of her characters or the story being told, it wouldn't have helped the overall impact of the plot.
    Dying For Mercy would make a very good beach read, and fans of Mary Jane Clark will probably enjoy this latest edition to her body of work.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It was no surprise when I checked and found that yes, indeed, this is part of a series (in a manner of speaking; it is a stand-alone book containing characters from the author's previous novels.) This may explain why the character development wasn't as deep as I would have liked (though I've certainly read worse!) There were a couple of "aha!" moments, especially early on, that seemd a bit improbably to me. All in all, however, I enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to follow along and watch the mystery unravel. I would definitely classify this as more of a light-entertainment read than a suspense novel. If it was a television show it would be more "Murder, She Wrote" than "Law & Order." Both good shows but with quite different "feels" to them.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Eliza Blake, a TV morning show host, attends a party where Ennis, the host of the party, commits suicide by stigmata. After several days, Eliza realizes that Ennis left a puzzle especially for her to solve. Someone quickly steps in to murder anyone close to the story to prevent the secret from coming to light and with many possible players, it could be anyone.I should begin by saying that I did not realize that this was the third in a series, and after I began, I realized that I was missing several important pieces forming the Eliza Blake character and her life. The suicide by stigmata was personally disgusting, and I had trouble with the premise of a man who lives his entire life protecting a lie, then commits suicide to reveal it. It is a highly suspenseful novel, with many twists and turns. The reader keeps guessing up until the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this mystery to be very engrossing. The way the mystery was revealed bit by bit kept my interest going. I love a good puzzle, and the way that the mystery was laid out as a large puzzle/treasure hunt was very appealing. From the start, it was unclear even what sort of mystery we were dealing with, which made it all the more intriguing. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and the Italy themes that were incorporated added a nice touch. Overall I really enjoyed this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a fantastic read. Each chapter is fast paced and wonderfully written. The Story begins when a suicide serves as a catalyst for murder. The author does a good job at keeping her readers guessing as to who the murder is. I was taken by surprise when I found that not all was what it seemed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was a very fast read. The short chapters, each from a different viewpoint, kept the pace moving along. The story came together a bit like a puzzle with each of the characters adding pieces. A very enjoyable summer read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Following the kidnapping of her daughter, Janie, Eliza Blake decides to rent a house in prestigious Tuxedo Park, New York. She’s invited to a party and before the night ends, the host commits suicide by stigmata. As Eliza and her colleagues, AKA the Sunshine Suspense Society, begin to investigate, they realize he left clues behind that will piece together a cover-up that happened years ago. Can Eliza and her friends find the killer’s identity before they become the next victims?