THE MERCY SEAT (DONOVAN) [Import] [Paperback]

MARTYN WAITES (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: POCKET BOOKS (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141650222X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416502227
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,726,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost, Not Quite, Top Drawer Brit Thriller Noir!, June 9, 2006

By 

S. Henkels (Devon, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mercy Seat: A Joe Donovan Thriller (Hardcover)

As a non-stop hard hitting, realistic, and action packed thriller set in present day England, this is probably hard to beat. A really burnt out, even suicidal, ex-newsman becomes involved with about every crooked low life type that one may imagine, from bad cops to child molesters, and sadistic killers. Great descriptions of England's seamy urban side, and a really motley assortment of personages, mostly bad, make this a solid US debut! Thankfully, most of the gruesomeness and perversions are not described in detail, another feather in the cap of the author. Only four stars because, some of the characters and situations become almost cartoon-like, and an editor could have cut down on some repetitive phrases like "He Smiled", which are way over-done.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Compelling Start, May 21, 2006

By 

A Discerning Reader (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mercy Seat: A Joe Donovan Thriller (Hardcover)

Martyn Waites' The Mercy Seat is a thrillingly ugly portrayal of a big city's underbelly--full of crime, abandoned children, thugs, lawyers, etc. A 14-year-old rent boy steals a mini-disc player; and when he listens to the mini-disc that happened to be inside the player, he realizes he's stumbled onto something very important. Some people are dying over the contents of this disc, and some good guys are trying to figure out the who, what, and why of the crimes described on the disc.

Yes, some of the characters are a bit formulaic. Yes, there's a lot of sick violence. But it really lends verisimilitude to the bleak landscape Waites want us to believe is real. I was convinced!

The story is a little too long; but the author has put enough thought into the subplots and supporting characters so that they do not sink the story. They may weigh it down a bit, but you won't be sorry you picked up this scary and sometimes horrifying thriller. I will definitely read any other of Martyn Waites' novels I can get my hands on.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newcastle ain't that Bad, February 17, 2006

By 

KEN SCOTT author "Scotty" (Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mercy Seat: A Joe Donovan Thriller (Hardcover)

This was my first book by Martyn Waites. It's part of the popular Joe Donavan series and the book starts by coaxing Joe out of retirement. From the first few pages the book picks you up, throws you into the seat, and tells you to stay there. The book takes you on an intercity rollercoaster journey between Newcastle (incidently my home town)and London and introduces characters so believable that I'm convinced I've met a few of them. The story is first class and keeps you hanging on until you find out what happened to our hero's kidnapped son. (No I'm not gonna spoil it for you.)

But hey, Martyn! Newcastle aint that bad!