Review: New Series
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2014
Although I enjoyed this mystery, I did not think it ranks up with some of the best I have ever read.  In the story, Mercy Watts, a sassy nurse, takes over for her father, a retired police detective turned private investigator, who is initially away on a cruise and returns home mid-way through with a nasty virus that keeps him from working. Mercy learns the husband of a close family friend has died of a heart attack. Initially, mercy’s father is reluctant to believe the man died from a simple heart attack, and very soon things point to his murder rather than simple heart attack death.  Mercy becomes involved in a long investigation into the murder, and the result is a myriad of intriguing twists and turns as she proceeds through her investigation. The story is well written and held my attention and interest from the start.  However, the huge cast of characters at times left me a bit confused about who was who and how they fit into the story. The author has also included a couple of characters, namely Mercy’s Uncle and his friend (not sure if that is the best word to use to describe him) Aaron, who suddenly appear in the story and really did not, in my opinion, add much to the story. In fact, these two characters upset me, as they interfered with the investigation and treated mercy worse than anyone would treat an infant.  Yes, she could get into trouble easily, as she proved, but she was in her twenties and a qualified nurse, who had to be ready and able to handle any and all problems in her work that might come up. Nevertheless, her uncle and Aaron, both of whom came across as very unlikable persons, treated her like she was incapable of doing the simplest of tasks. The author tried to let us believe her father also felt this way, but it was inconsistent with someone who would trust her to run an investigation in his name, where any major errors or problems could easily haunt him and his business. In addition, mercy seems ambivalent about her looks.  At one point she is angry if someone recognizes her beauty and Marilyn Monroe resemblance, while at others she relishes and plays on this aspect. There was an on-going incident throughout the book, where someone had put some suggestive pictures of Mercy on the Internet, and she and her mother got upset by this. I saw this as totally irrelevant to the story and more of a distractor than a help.The story moves along nicely but could have been more streamlined without some of the distractors the author put into the book. In an attempt, I guess, to insert some humor.  Reviewers have compared this to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books, but, these are far and above these.  This book just doesn’t seem to have the humor, the pizazz, the verve that Janet Evanovich’s books do.  There is a good story here and the author shows promise, but it needs work. The cozy mystery reader will find this of interest. I enjoy those, but am unsure, right now, whether I will read any more in the series.I received this from Library Thing to read and review.