The Mercy Killers: A Novel [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Lisa Reardon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2005

From a fierce new voice in American literature, a psychological drama that combines gripping suspense and unforgettable characters in a story of murder, love, violent passion, and moral responsibility Seventy years old, ill, and bent by the ravages of time and loss of self-respect, Old Jerry wants to die. Charlie Simpkins, Old Jerry's grandson, is a petty crook with a taste for trouble, alcohol, and the wrong sort of women; his older brother, P.T., is sweetly naive and very troubled and could just possibly be convinced that such a death would be a kindness. But when Old Jerry fails to show up for his birthday party and later turns up dead, Charlie wants to deflect attention from P.T. He takes the rap, leaving P.T. and a group of close friends behind, and serves in Vietnam to avoid prison time. Several years later, Charlie returns, angry and dangerous with a new wife and lingering nightmares from the war. He finds that his brother is living happily in a half-way house, his ex-girlfriend is gone, and another friend is married. But family harmony eludes Charlie-he is torn between living straight with his new wife and returning to the familiar comfort and excitement of his criminal friends. When another murder occurs, the suspicion falls heavily on Charlie, though this is one crime he had nothing to do with. With a persistent homicide detective on his back, he tries to frame one of his friends for the murder when he learns that, yet again, all evidence points to P.T.A small and isolated world-a world where laws and taboos are broken on a daily basis, and family loyalty replaces moral accountability. Lisa Reardon's new novel is a deeply involving and satisfying story that illustrates just how far fear can drive us, and where love can sometime send us.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On the eve of a milestone birthday in the spring of 1967, "Old Jerry" Moody tells his bar buddies at McGurk's in Ypsilanti, Mich., that he wants someone to kill him. While one of his grandsons, Charlie, is burglarizing a house with his best friend, Gino, his other grandson, the brain-damaged P.T., calmly smothers Old Jerry with a pillow. Charlie and Gino cover for P.T., playing dumb when Old Jerry is a no-show at his birthday party, but when his body surfaces in Ford Lake, Charlie takes the rap and enlists in Vietnam in lieu of prison. Returning to Michigan, Charlie settles down with his war pen pal Diane, but discovers the downside of domesticity and falls back into old habits. Bar owner Gil McGurk and a former hooker known as the Mississippi Blonde have a child together and a fraught relationship, and she confides in P.T. her desire to die. When P.T. does the deed, Charlie again tries to cover for him. But secrets of all kinds will come out, including some about the suicide of P.T. and Charlie's mother. Gino, another tortured vet, may be the only person who can convince Charlie not to take the fall yet again. Reardon's haunting, liquor-soaked story reveals the war that is daily living, even as it shines a light into the secret hearts of McGurk's regulars.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A spellbinding crime novel, The Mercy Killers is also a brilliantly thoughtful saga..." -- Washington Post

"Reardon has a wicked ear for dialogue...she keeps the action churning away in this low-pitched wail of a novel." -- Chicago Tribune --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739115553
• ISBN-13: 978-0739115558
• ASIN: B000VYFNZ2
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,134,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Triumph, October 5, 2004

By 

Hunter Hicks (Ferndale Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mercy Killers: A Novel (Hardcover)

I find it amazing how Lisa Reardon can put a voice to a population we see every day but never see. With out falsely glorifying, Lisa takes the story of the people who live day by day, making the choice to survive regardless if it is the right choice. I'm too young to remember the Vietnam era but I do know many bars like the one portrayed, and she hits the culture right on. When one has no family, they find family where they can. Lisa has a real knack for dialog and makes each person an identity instead of a stereotype. As before, I loved this book and can't wait for the next.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mercy Killers, September 20, 2004

By 

Angela M. Hicks (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mercy Killers: A Novel (Hardcover)

Once again Lisa Reardon makes us feel passionately about characters that inhabit the dark, sad underbelly of society. It is a talented writer that makes you cry and laugh on the same page and root for people for whom we usually distain in real life. Her writing is sad and hopeful and so true it makes your heart ache. I couldn't put this one down until it was finished and it left me wanting these characters to make it. Bravo Lisa, this one's your best yet!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lisa Reardon is simply amazing!, December 5, 2007

By 

Z. Luke "sandiego_auctions" (san diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mercy Killers: A Novel (Paperback)

Blameless and Billy Dead were both so touching and honest that I wrote to Lisa via her website. Not only did she write me back, but she asked for my address and mailed me a free signed copy of The Mercy Killers! She is as kind as she is talented. Thank you Lisa for your amazing novels which have enriched my life!