THE MERCY OF THE NIGHT
David Corbett
Thomas & Mercier
April 7, 2015
At the young age of eight, Jacquelina “Jacqi” Garza, was abducted by a child predator and tortured. She escaped and soon found herself under the media spotlight. Even before the abduction, Jacqi had had a troubled childhood and with her father is in prison , her mother and brother providing little support, Jacqi struggles to find her place in the world and finds herself, at the age of 17, living at a rehab center for prostitutes.
When she disappears from the center, Phelan Tierney, an ex-lawyer that now acts as a tutor for the center residents, is asked to find her. After being suspected of witnessing a murder, has not just Phelan looking for her, but thugs, the police and her mother’s boyfriend. She a a better life, but has little interest is accepting anyone’s charity and trusts no one but herself. Despite this, Phelan strives to break through and connect with Jacqi, generate some sort of a bond that might allow him to convince her to trust him. Can he do so before others reach her? And can Jacqi really trust him? Can she trust the police? Everyone seems to have an angle and Jacqi is certain that she can only really count on herself. But will that be enough this time around?
Though slow going at times, THE MERCY OF THE NIGHT is a richly told tale with a hell of a lot of heart. Phelan and Jacqi grab hold of you early on and never let go. The relationship between evolves slowly and feels natural, not forced. David has always had a knack for delivering believable, yet compelling, characters and this is no different. Billed as a thriller, I found MERCY to be as hard-boiled as anything I have read recently and should delight those looking for strong characters in a dark, cruel world.
Jeremy Lynch
