Dying for Mercy

Short chapters and multiple point of views make for an interesting compliment to this novel which seems to mix suspense fiction with aspects of both mystery and thriller genres. The story is fast-paced as the author quickly moves you from one head into another. Yet, the puzzle you are trying to get all of the pieces to is very complex. The pages of “Dying for Mercy” are layered with not only slightly obscure, yet auspicious clues, but also a wealth of suspicious characters.
One particular, anonymous point of view----always written in italics—who seems to have everything to lose, lends a deeply enigmatic element as well as a spooky touch. Also, Innes Wheelock, the man whose death the puzzle of this novel evolves around, is an show more elaborately baffling character. He is an enigma in the best sense of the word. The mix of a life of excess and prestige weaves with his religious ideals and goals of justice. With his death, he begins a puzzle for those connected to him in a mind of forcing repentance.
Mary Jane Clark has a way of making you question everyone. With her omniscient point of view, all that is purposefully left unsaid along with the little hints the reader does get, makes her excel in her craft. I was even questioning the good guys!
Her setting of Tuxedo Park is a wonderful, complimentary backdrop—extravagant—lending wealth, beauty, excess and the illusion of safety. It is rare an author comes up with a setting that so matches the characters, the setting becomes a character in its own right.
Thinking back over the story, for a murder mystery, her characters were well-crafted, circling their personalities around the character Innes and his suicide. The story was really about motivations right to the very end. You find yourself questioning not only what motivated the initial suicide and following murders, but, what keeps you reading, is the goal of finding out what is being covered up. show less

It was no surprise when I checked and found that yes, indeed, this is part of a series (in a manner of speaking; it is a stand-alone book containing characters from the author's previous novels.) This may explain why the character development wasn't as deep as I would have liked (though I've certainly read worse!) There were a couple of "aha!" moments, especially early on, that seemd a bit improbably to me. All in all, however, I enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to follow along and watch the mystery unravel. I would definitely classify this as more of a light-entertainment read than a suspense novel. If it was a television show it would be more "Murder, She Wrote" than "Law & Order." Both good shows but with quite different "feels" show more to them. show less

Eliza Blake, a TV morning show host, attends a party where Ennis, the host of the party, commits suicide by stigmata. After several days, Eliza realizes that Ennis left a puzzle especially for her to solve. Someone quickly steps in to murder anyone close to the story to prevent the secret from coming to light and with many possible players, it could be anyone.

I should begin by saying that I did not realize that this was the third in a series, and after I began, I realized that I was missing several important pieces forming the Eliza Blake character and her life. The suicide by stigmata was personally disgusting, and I had trouble with the premise of a man who lives his entire life protecting a lie, then commits suicide to reveal it. It show more is a highly suspenseful novel, with many twists and turns. The reader keeps guessing up until the end. show less

This book was a little slow in the beginning. I know that it takes a bit sometimes to set up the plot, but if I had not received this book from Early Reviewers, I probably would have put it down without finishing it. However, I am glad I continued because it did get a lot more interesting. Eliza Blake is the co-host on for the morning television show "Key to America". (I vaguely remember reading another book about employees at KEY so I need to go back to the Mary Jane Clark books I've already read.) She gets involved in a mystery left behind when a friend, Innis Wheelock, commits suicide and leaves clues as to his reasons. Her friends and news colleagues team with Eliza to find the truth of what happened behind the gates at the show more exclusive community of Tuxedo Park. The clues are leading them to knowledge, but they also put the team in danger. Definitely a good mystery read once I got past the not-so-exciting first chapters. show less

I found this mystery to be very engrossing. The way the mystery was revealed bit by bit kept my interest going. I love a good puzzle, and the way that the mystery was laid out as a large puzzle/treasure hunt was very appealing. From the start, it was unclear even what sort of mystery we were dealing with, which made it all the more intriguing. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and the Italy themes that were incorporated added a nice touch. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

Dying For Mercy is the story of Eliza Blake, co-host of a top rated tv news show, who is invited to a party at an exclusive New York community and ends up covering a huge news story involving several murders and a mystery puzzle involving a newly renovated mansion located within this historic estate. Clark's writing style involves very short chapters each one of which concerns a different book character. This style works very well in accommodating a varied list of characters and the part each of them plays in a rather complicated puzzle that includes St Francis of Assisi and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.


There is little character development in this book, but that is compensated for with a clever plot. As more and more of the story show more unfolds, it really isn't necessary to know much about each character's back story or each of their motivations. What's important is the building suspense and tension over who did what to whom both in the past and in the present.


This is a quick read, and there were times I did wish it had been better developed simply to make it seem less like it had been written in as big a hurry as possible without much thought to anything but reaching the end result. At the same time, though, I had the impression that had the author delved further into aspects of her characters or the story being told, it wouldn't have helped the overall impact of the plot.


Dying For Mercy would make a very good beach read, and fans of Mary Jane Clark will probably enjoy this latest edition to her body of work. show less

good mystery — stigmata — clues

A very suspicious death and a sprawling mansion with secrets and puzzles built into the very architecture are among the elements that make Dying for Mercy an unputdownable mystery. The third riveting thriller from New York Times bestselling Mary Jane Clark to feature Eliza Blake and her KEY News television colleagues