Acts of Mercy: A Mercy Street Novel (Mercy Street Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mariah Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mercy Street Novels | Publication Date: August 25, 2009

Former FBI agent Sam Delvecchio brings the keen skills of a profiler to his new position as a Mercy Street Foundation operative–and not a moment too soon. His first assignment, the cold-case murder of a local soup kitchen volunteer, has all the telltale signs of a serial killer’s work. That grim suspicion is confirmed when FBI agent Fiona Summers shares the details of two other killings with eerie similarities to Sam’s case: The bodies in all three cases have been carefully posed. And when a fourth victim is discovered, the two investigators realize they’re pursuing the same twisted quarry.

Local parish priest Kevin Burch, Mercy Street founder Robert Magellan’s cousin, recognizes the posings for what they are: The killer is staging the church’s seven Acts of Mercy (“Feed the hungry, clothe the naked . . .”) with the bodies of his victims. But as Sam and Fiona race to prevent the final three murders, taunting messages from their target lead to the most chilling realization of all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fantastic new series . . . The author’s finely drawn characters, and her rapid-pace, intelligent stories, keep the suspense flowing and the pages turning.”—Fresh Fiction

About the Author

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning author of the Last series: Last Look, Last Words, and Last Breath; the Truth series: Cold Truth, Hard Truth, Dark Truth, and Final Truth; and the Dead series: Dead Even, Dead Wrong, Dead Certain, and Dead End; as well as Forgotten, Until Dark, and The President's Daughter. She is the recipient of the Golden Leaf Award and the Award of Excellence presented by the Colorado Romance Writers, and has been a finalist for the Holt Medallion. Her books have been nominated for several awards from Romantic Times magazine, including Best Contemporary Romance and Best Contemporary Novel. Stewart is a native of Hightstown, New Jersey, and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their two daughters.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345506146
• ISBN-13: 978-0345506146
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mariah Stewart is the bestselling author of ten novels and three novellas. A RITA finalist for romantic suspense, she is the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO (Reviewers International) Award honoring excellence in women's fiction, a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine, and a two-time recipient of the Golden Leaf Award for contemporary romance. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives amidst the rolling hills of Chester County, PA, with her husband, one geriatric gold retriever and one rambunctious mixed breed rescue dog. She's currently neglecting her garden and working on her next book. In past lives, she's been a teacher and an insurance executive, but firmly believes she's found the perfect job: sitting in her sunny office in old sweats and J. Crew flip flops, making up stories and the characters who live in them, and getting paid for it. Could life be sweeter?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't forget to breathe., August 25, 2009

By 

Detra Fitch "Always hunting good books." (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acts of Mercy: A Mercy Street Novel (Mercy Street Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Samuel DelVecchio has spent the last sixteen years with the FBI, most recently as a profiler. He is now with the Mercy Street Foundation. Sam's first assignment is a cold-case murder of a soup kitchen volunteer. It is not long before Sam wonders if it is part of a serial killer's work. Turns out that there have been two other killings with the same MO. FBI agent Fiona Summers is already on the case and cooperates with Sam in hopes of figuring out who the killer is and why he is posing his victims in a certain way.

It is a local parish priest that recognizes what the poses represent. The killer is staging the Church's corporal acts of mercy ("Feed the hungry, shelter homeless ...") with the bodies. Sam and Fiona are in a race to stop the killer, but this killer is closer than they know.

***** FIVE STARS! Each Mercy Street novel investigates a single case. Yet there is also a continuous running sub-plot involving the owner of the foundation, Robert Magellan, Readers are treated with a fast paced and intense FBI thriller, but they also get to finally witness Robert find out what happened to his missing wife and infant son. (The readers who have been following this series already know the answers about Robert's wife. This title holds the answers to the son.)

As always, Mariah Stewart manages to show the good and the bad in our world. The author's writing style pulled me into the characters' lives, forced me to care for them, and swept me onto an emotional rollercoaster ride. All I can suggest to readers is for them to remember to breathe. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars super thriller, September 5, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acts of Mercy: A Mercy Street Novel (Mercy Street Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mallory Russo of the Mercy Street Foundation hires Former FBI profiler Sam Delvecchio. His first case is a cold case where he looks into the murder of Ross Walker; based on what he learns Sam ponders whether a serial killer did the deed. Sam compares notes with FBI agent Fiona Summers; they agree the same psychopath has killed at least three times including the Walker homicide; a fourth similarly posed corpse is found. However, time and place offers similarities to his life and that shakes Sam to his bone marrow core.

Mercy Street founder widower Robert Magellan seeks his missing two years old son, Ian whose body was not found at the site of the car crash that killed his wife Beth in Western Pennsylvania. Meanwhile Robert's cousin Father Kevin Burch realizes the serial killer's victims are being arranged to represent the Seven Acts of Mercy. Sam and Fiona struggle to prevent the final three murders while their predator taunts them.

The third Mercy Street thriller (see CRY MERCY and MERCY STREET) contains two strong subplots: Robert's effort to find his son and the serial killer's avenging ACTS OF MERCY. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action and suspense that will have the audience begging for more from Mariah Stewart.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Series, September 12, 2009

By 

A Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acts of Mercy: A Mercy Street Novel (Mercy Street Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

While I think this is a terrific series, I can't say I liked this one as much as the others because I thought it was too easy to figure things out. Rather than the usual winding roads and red herrings I'm used to from Mariah Stewart, I felt like every time something linking the killer to the killings was revealed, it was done so in such a blatant way that it was like waving a red cape in front of a bull. I also found the events surrounding Robert's own case to be very contrived and extremely unrealistic and unbelievable.

Also, I wonder why MS makes the characters in this series so unlikeable. Mallory's turned into a hardass, I couldn't stand Emme in the last book, and I didn't find either Sam or Fiona likeable at all. And in this book, I even found Robert annoying. It's a testament to the author that I could still love her books and give them such high marks when disliking most of the chracters!