Blue Mercy [Mass Market Paperback]

Illona Haus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2005

Illona Haus announces her arrival as a bold voice in suspense with a gritty, edge-of-your-seat thriller. One woman's quest to bring a vicious killer to justice is about to lead her through the dark corners of obsession -- and test her capacity for mercy.

It's more than revenge.

Ravaged by guilt, Detective Kay Delaney is reeling from an attack that resulted in her partner's death. Her only consolation is that serial killer Bernard Eales, who shot her partner, sits in Maryland's State Penitentiary awaiting what's expected to be a sure conviction. But when the prosecution's star witness turns up dead -- and the body bears the same gruesome marks found on Eales's victims -- Kay wonders whether the right man is about to stand trial.

It's the fight of her life.

Partnered with her former lover, Danny Finnerty, Kay must confront the man who haunts her dreams -- even if it means proving him innocent of three shocking crimes. As the body count rises, Kay embarks on a dark journey that will test her shattered courage, pit her against an unseen evil, and challenge her to unlock a killer's chilling obsession...before it's too late.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Haus's chilling first novel, a psychological thriller, Baltimore police detective Kay Delaney has almost put her life back together after her partner's death a year earlier—thanks to serial killer Bernard Eales being locked behind bars and awaiting trial. But then a fresh murder opens old wounds, setting in motion a grisly series of events that reunites Delaney with fellow detective and former lover Danny Finnerty, casts doubt on Eales's guilt and tests Delaney's courage and will to live. The latest murder copies Eales's signature method of operation, and as more bodies are found, frustration and fear grip Delaney and Finnerty—even after they identify the killer. The elaborate plot gets off to a slow start, but the pace picks up as initially unlikable characters gain depth. Despite a certain predictability in her storytelling (past events routinely get recounted in the midst of current scenes), the author's impressive ability to get inside the heads of multiple characters (particularly the killer's) without betraying plot twists, and her refusal to shy away from morbid detail, will keep readers enthralled. Agent, Meg Ruley at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)
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Review

"A wickedly well-done page turner from a compelling new talent...Here's to seeing more Kay Delaney tales in the future!"

-- Jeffery Deaver

"A taut, tense thriller. Illona Haus is an impressive new voice in crime fiction. A riveting debut!"

-- Ed McBain

"Illona Haus shows no mercy in this taut tale of one cop's quest for justice."

-- New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (April 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743458087
• ISBN-13: 978-0743458085
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,766,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait for the next one in the series!, May 24, 2005

By 

Vivian R. Walker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Mercy (Mass Market Paperback)

Blue Mercy is a great combination of good writing, good crime research, and imaginative storytelling. Unlike some of my favourite crime authors, whose latest books have become bogged down in esoteric investigative procedureres (or worse yet, the ones who make mistakes in their research that distract you from the story), Haus strikes a readable balance in Blue Mercy.

Kay, the main character, is slowly revealed as a female cop who goes beyond the usual stereotypes. She likes to dress up in girlie clothes, and loses herself in classical music, but can kick (...) when she needs to. The secondary characters are multi-dimensional. No single character comes off as all bad or all good and that's what keeps the reader guessing right up until the final chapter. The plot twists are made more believable because of the great characterization.

The only negative? Reading the teaser for the next book in the series and finding out it hasn't yet been released! I want to read more about Hollywood, Kay's hot new partner.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baltimore's finest, June 30, 2005

By 

Julia Morrow (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Mercy (Mass Market Paperback)

Once in a while a book comes along that is a sure-fire keeper, a book that you don't dare loan out because you know you'll want it back for future reads, a book that you wish you could experience again for the very first time. Ms. Haus's Blue Mercy is just one of those books. And Kay Delaney is definitely a character to embrace, to remember, and to look forward to in future instalments of the series.

It won't be long before Haus is compared to some of the finest: Sandford, Connolly, Deaver, Crais, and Kellerman. This is top-notch police procedural / psychological-thriller writing. Haus is clearly at the cutting edge of research into her genre, forensics, procedures, as well as the psychpathology of a killer's mind. Graphic and gorey only where it needs to be, Haus draws you into the dark underbelly of Baltimore and the obsession of a psychopath and won't let you go until the heart-stopping conclusion.

Dark, gritty, riveting, nail-biting...with characters you can care about, damaged and real, sensitive yet tough as nails. An absolute keeper!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book. You won't be sorry., May 17, 2005

By 

C. Masterman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Mercy (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book! Blue Mercy grabs you from the first page and holds you on the edge of your chair until the very end. I gasped out loud while reading it and was literally shaking when I finished. Haus is a master of her craft. Her pacing is impeccable. Her characters ring true -- three-dimensional, flawed human beings like all of us. Kay Delaney is spunky, intelligent and brave. I can't wait to meet her again!