What I call a beach read... the kind of book you listen to when you don't want a lot of extra fluff or deep thought. The "A" story line is the missing persons case of a college student who left her room one morning and vanished. Fast forward 6 months and the case is cold and the police have moved on. The uncle of the missing girl applies to the Mercy Street Foundation for help as he has exhausted all of his leads. In a matter of weeks, the investigator has discovered that the missing girl was searching for her birth father which leads into the interesting world of sperm donors, the children conceived (donor siblings) and the emotional consequences. The ending isn't a surprise for anyone paying a smidgen of attention to the plot line but the journey was worth the trip. I had an idea of the destination but no clue how we were going to get there.The "B" story line felt like an afterthought. The investigator is on the run from her adopted daughter's biological father who is a big-time drug dealer. This plot line was introduced in the first 2 chapters and then dropped until the last 2 chapters. The resolution was anti-climatic.The narrator was good and was able to keep the character's voices clearly defined. At the end of Mercy Street, the previous book, the extremely wealthy, Robert Magellan, his cousin Father Kevin and former cop, Mallory Russo decide to open up The Mercy Street Foundation. It's sole purpose is to fund investigations into missing person cases that the police have given up on. Cry Mercy is the story of the first case the foundation takes on. But first they need staff.Ann Nolan is a police officer with the Silver Hills, California police department. When she learns of a rumor on the streets, that the Mexican drug lord Anthony Navarro, is looking for his only child and is willing to pay handsomely for the information. His child is the same child that Ann legally adopted four years earlier. Fearing for her child, Ann fills out an online application to work for the Mercy Street Foundation as an investigator. With the help of her best friend and the chief of police, she assumes the identity of a fallen officer, Emme Caldwell. And heads east to the small town of Conroy, Pennsylvania. And hopefully a safe place for her and Chloe.Nick Perone's niece, Belinda has been missing for five months, the police have run out of leads and they have other cases that need their attention. So in desperate need for some sort of answers, Nick submits an application for help from the new foundation to search for missing persons.He and "Emme" work closely together and following up on a lead, they learn that Belinda has been in contact with other children like herself. Children whose mother's used the same sperm donor. Donor 1735. As they get closer to the answers of Belinda's whereabouts, Emme learns that she has traded one monster for another. And this one is determined to put an end to her meddling. This story deals with a cold case. There is a lot of footwork and digging for information. For me this book dragged. But once they get on the right tract, it picked up and was really good. Fast paced and intense. If you can get through the first several chapters it's a great story. We also learn more about Robert's missing wife and his infant son. Some questions are answered but those answers lead to more questions. Overall I liked the book, it wasn't the best in the series but it was a good read. I'm looking forward to the next one.
What do You think about Cry Mercy (2009)?
It was a good book, but there were times when things were too obvious or far fetched.
—kaprycorn
Read it over 2 days, quite a good read.... really enjoyed it!
—Mina
