33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Visit to Morro Bay, March 4, 2009
To start, I will make an unabashed admittance that I am a big fan of Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper mystery series. I'm such a fan that's it is hard to be objective about Fowler's books. However, after a long wait, I was disappointed that Fowler's new release was not going to be about Benni and company. I was a little reluctant to read this new book, afraid I would perhaps like the characters, as I did in Fowler's stand-alone, The Saddlemaker's Wife, but not come to love them. I was wrong.
Love Mercy, the titular character, is one of three main characters who live in Morro Bay, California. The story switches points of view between Love, her granddaughter Rett, and Mel, a close family friend. All three perspectives are interesting with each woman holding her own in their stories that weave together into the whole. This is not a murder mystery although there are some suspense and law enforcement elements to the novel. Overall, it's a story about women surviving, living happily, despite loss and suffering while surrounding themselves with a network of friends and family. It provides hope without being preachy or overly sentimental, a nice balance. This novel stands well on its own and should appeal to a broader audience, not just one that likes Fowler's mysteries. For example, I think my mother-in-law would enjoy this one while I'm not sure she would love the Benni series as much as I do.
Fowler tells a good story and writes relationships and emotions very well, without descending into the trite or melodramatic. She can write about death and grief, capturing all the emotions that accompany trying times, without being depressing. She writes about happier times as well, often pulling back and avoiding overly sentimental or sappy moments. Her deft hand in portraying Benni and Gabe's relationship has made me a fan, but this new novel shows that she can excel with other characters and plots just as well.
Another bonus for Fowler's fans is that Benni and company make appearances in this novel in smooth, understandable ways and without feeling like cameos written just to appease us. They are part of the supporting cast of characters, introduced in such a way that first time readers who don't know the characters may never know that they appear in an entire series of books. More interesting is that while the Benni Harper Ortiz series is set in the 1990s, Love Mercy is set in 2008, so we are learning about these characters' lives roughly fifteen years later. No spoilers, but Hud figures strongly in this novel for those who are particular fans of his.
So while I may miss Benni and Gabe's stories and hope for a new one in the near future, I am more than satisfied with this novel and hope we will see these characters again, even if it means more than a year's wait between Benni's stories.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Grand Slam, March 15, 2009
Love Mercy presents another stellar cast of characters with an intriguing plot. Three women in different seasons of life, ensnared in such different circumstances, join forces and face their problems head on. Thanks go out to the author for including our familiar family. It's an extra thread which Benni Harper fans will love. Love Mercy Johnson: we'll want to see more of her!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Start of a series? Hope so., March 11, 2009
Love Mercy is an intriguing new series by Earlene Fowler, one of my favorite writers (and favorite human beings). Years ago when I was lucky enough to read Earlene's very first chapter to Fool's Puzzle, I knew I had found a writer who would provide me with stories I could enjoy over and over again until I was an old lady dipping my Nilla Wafers in milky tea. If you haven't read her mystery series, I urge you to. The crimes are secondary to her wonderful characters, whose stories are the heart of the books. In Saddlemaker's Wife, Earlene gave us a story of the politics of family, and in Love Mercy, she manages to deliver the entire town. I wish I could have breakfast at The Buttercream Cafe and visit with everyone in this novel. Read it and share it with people you love.
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