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Book Reviews of Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1)

Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1)
Mercy Street - Mercy Street, Bk 1
Author: Mariah Stewart
ISBN-13: 9780345492272
ISBN-10: 0345492277
Publication Date: 2/24/2009
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 158

4.1 stars, based on 158 ratings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

19 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

punkinema avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 305 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is the first book of a new series. I really enjoyed the fleshing out of each character and their humanity. No super heroes here. Mallory Russo is an ex cop and gets a request to investigate the disappearance of two teenagers. She meets the new detective, Charlie Wanamaker, and is impressed with his thoroughness and he with hers. Three weeks have passed since the kids disappeared and it becomes increasingly clear their lives are in danger and time is not on their side. Good read.
bothrootes avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 207 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This was my first Maria Stewart book and I really liked it. I will be reading more of her novels. Mallory is an X detective, basically due to the good old boy system among her fellow officers. Although she was an outstanding detective, due to her honesty and the fellow male detectives jealousy, she had no one to watch her back so she leaves the department to write a book. Meanwhile due to her excellent reputation, a millionair in the area hires her to look for two lost teens due to a request for him to do so my his cousin, the priest. As she investigates a park area where they were last seen, she meets Charlie who is to be her replacement in the department, who is also looking into the case while waiting to be officially on the force. Since they are neither officially on the case yet, they join forces to track down what might have happened to the teens. The story keeps you on your toes and moves along well with great character development. I can't wait to get my turn a a copy of Cry Mercy, the next in the series to see how Mallory and Charlie's relationship develops. They do have the chemestry!
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I think she gets better ever time she writes. This book was so fast paced and so easy to dive into I was finished before I knew it. I love the new characters this book brings. They are all so likeable and easy to get to know, you are constantly wanting to get more in depth details of their lives. I can't wait or the next in this series.
bettybee avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Loved this book! Starts with the mystery of the missing son not found in an auto accident of a very rich man. In comes Mallory Russo an ex police officer and is hired as a PI to find two missing children.

Eventually the Mercy Street Foundation is formed to find missing people that can't afford to pay.

My suggestion is to read this book first, then Cry For Mercy and then the third book Acts of Mercy.
SUMARI avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 99 more book reviews
Not up to her usual. Good but could have been better. Fast read.
barbsis avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 1076 more book reviews
Ex-cop Mallory Russo starts searching for two missing teens with new cop, Charlie Wanamaker. As they get close to finding the teens, the action heats up. An insane killer, a sniper, a homeless guy, an absentee father, a few crooked cops and even a priest are all somehow involved in the mystery surrounding the teens disappearance.

The plot of Robert Magellan and his missing wife and infant son set up the background mystery to tie the series books together. I'm intrigued enough as to...more Ex-cop Mallory Russo starts searching for two missing teens with new cop, Charlie Wanamaker. As they get close to finding the teens, the action heats up. An insane killer, a sniper, a homeless guy, an absentee father, a few crooked cops and even a priest are all somehow involved in the mystery surrounding the teens disappearance.

The plot of Robert Magellan and his missing wife and infant son set up the background mystery to tie the series books together. I'm intrigued enough as to what happened to Beth and Ian to continue the series. I really enjoyed the setup for this mystery and the investigation techniques. Mallory and Charlie are a great team. They think differently so come at the problem from slightly different direction which gives both of them another intelligent viewpoint. The chemistry between them is heating up as well. It will be interesting to see how the relationship develops throughout the series.
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on
I really enjoyed this book. I cant wait to read the rest of the series.
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 3152 more book reviews
Great start to a new series, characters very likable leaving you wanting more!
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 146 more book reviews
This book has a story within a story. I really enjoyed reading it. The characters are great, the romance is believable and the bad guys are really bad. When I can find some time I wil defiently read the rest in this series.
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on
This is a great series. Highly recommend reading it if you love Mariah Stewart. Fast moving and grabs you right away. I finished this book in one day.
emeraldfire avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on
On a balmy spring evening, four high school seniors - three boys and one girl - enter a park in the small city of Conroy, Pennsylvania. The next morning, two of the boys are found shot to death, and the girl and the third boy are gone. After three weeks with no leads and no sign of either of the missing teenagers, the chief of police begins to wonder if they too were victims. But with no other suspects, the authorities conclude that one of these kids was the shooter.

The missing boy's grandmother, a secretary at the local parish, maintains her grandson's innocence. On her behalf, the parish priest, Father Kevin Burch, hires former detective Mallory Russo as a private investigator to find out what happened in the park that night. Mallory had ended her nine-year stint with the Conroy police force some time ago after becoming the target of a smear campaign. Now a true-crime author, Mallory is surprised to receive the priest's offer - and highly intrigued by the case. She can't help but accept Father Kevin's request - especially when she learns that her investigation will be financed by Father Burch's cousin the reclusive billionaire Robert Magellan, a man whose own wife and infant son disappeared without a trace a year ago, a man who clearly understands the heartache of not knowing what happened to a loved one.

Detective Charlie Wanamaker is facing another sort of tragedy. He fled Conroy years ago with no intention of returning to what he considered a dying factory town - until a family emergency brought him back. Finding the situation much worse than he'd originally thought, Charlie trades his job as a big-city detective for one with the Conroy police department. Assigned to the park shooting case, Charlie quickly realizes that the initial investigation left many questions unanswered. Unofficially, he teams up with Mallory to uncover the truth and find the two teenagers, dead or alive. What Charlie and Mallory discover will take them down a twisted path that leads to an unsolved murder - and justice for a killer with a heart of stone.

I definitely enjoyed reading this book. I could follow the twists and turns of this mystery much better than the previous mystery that I had read. This book did have some romantic elements woven into the story, but they were very tastefully handled and not overdone in any way. I give Mercy Street by Mariah Stewart an A! and will certainly be on the lookout for more books by this author to read.
MELNELYNN avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 669 more book reviews
Mallory Russo used to be the lead detective on the Conroy Police force until something happened and she resigned. Mallory is writing a book when her former friend and police chief, Joe Drabyak, sends Father Kevin Burch to her. Father Burch is from the school "Our Lady of Angels" and asks her to get a P.I. license and investigate a park shooting.

Over two weeks ago, on a Friday night, four high school seniors - three boys and a girl - enter Conroy's small park. The next morning, two of the boys are found shot to death, and the girl and third boy have disappeared. There are no witnesses and no leads. Conroy's police force is busy with a sniper and have put the case on hold. This is just the type of case Mallory loved to bite into. Father Burch's secretary is the grandmother and legal guardian of the missing boy. On her behalf, Father Burch convinces Mallory to look into it.

Detective Charlie Wanamaker left the Philadelphia force and returns to his childhood home in Conroy to help his own family with a couple of problems. His first assignment with the Conroy Police Department is the park shooting. Charlie quickly realizes that the initial investigation left many questions unanswered. Unofficially, he teams up with Mallory to find out what really happened that fateful night and locate the two missing teens.

This is the first book of a new series about The Magellan Project, a select task force of private citizens with backgrounds in a variety of law enforcement fields who solve cold cases. In this book, readers witness the creation of The Mercy Street Foundation. There is a secondary plot, involving the foundation's owner, that is mentioned often but left dangling (open) for future parts in this new series.

This story is very well written and captured my attention almost immediately. There is a blooming romance between Mallory and Charlie, but no hot bedroom scenes. This story remains focused on the homicides and missing persons investigation. The reason Mallory left the force creates a lot of tension with former coworkers and rivals. This makes the action even more intriguing somehow. All-in-all, another winner from the Queen of Romantic Suspense, Mariah Stewart! Highly recommended.
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 164 more book reviews
An ex-detective, Mallory Russo and a new detective, Charlie Wanamaker work together to find two high school seniors who have gone missing after the shooting deaths of their two friends. Millionaire Robert Magellan foots the bill. A real fast reading book.
debs avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 649 more book reviews
Great storytelling, good twists that keep you on your toes. Had a hard time putting this down for any length of time! Can't wait to read the next one in the series, "Cry Mercy"
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on
great read
bigshirl55 avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 197 more book reviews
This is the first book of Stewart's that I have read but it definitely won't be the last. Loved loved it and can't wait to get more of hers. So great to find a new author.
barbsis avatar reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 1076 more book reviews
Ex-cop Mallory Russo starts searching for two missing teens with new cop, Charlie Wanamaker. As they get close to finding the teens, the action heats up. An insane killer, a sniper, a homeless guy, an absentee father, a few crooked cops and even a priest are all somehow involved in the mystery surrounding the teens disappearance.

The plot of Robert Magellan and his missing wife and infant son set up the background mystery to tie the series books together. I'm intrigued enough as to what happened to Beth and Ian to continue the series. I really enjoyed the setup for this mystery and the investigation techniques. Mallory and Charlie are a great team. They think differently so come at the problem from slightly different direction which gives both of them another intelligent viewpoint. The chemistry between them is heating up as well. It will be interesting to see how the relationship develops throughout the series.
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on
Great book, quick read, can't wait to get the next one.
reviewed Mercy Street (Mercy Street, Bk 1) on + 988 more book reviews
New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart crafts compelling stories of romantic suspense, full of richly imagined characters, dazzling plot twists, and breathless action that keeps the pages turning. Now Stewart begins a thrilling new series -- with a novel that proves to be her biggest and boldest yet. â On a balmy spring evening, four high school seniors--three boys and a girl--enter a park in the small Pennsylvania city of Conroy. The next morning, two of the boys are found shot to death, and the girl and the third boy are gone. After three weeks with no leads and no sign of either of the two missing teenagers, the chief of police begins to wonder if they too were victims. But with no other suspects, the authorities conclude that one of these kids was the shooter.

The missing boy's grandmother, a secretary at the local parish church, maintains his innocence. On her behalf, the parish priest, Father Kevin Burch, hires former detective Mallory Russo as a private investigator to figure out what happened in the park that night. Mallory had ended her nine-year stint with the Conroy police force some time ago after becoming a target of a smear campaign. Now a true-crime author, Mallory is surprised to receive the priest's offer -- and highly intrigued by the case. She can't help but accept the challenge -- especially when she learns that her investigation will be financed by Father Burch's cousin the reclusive billionaire Robert Magellan, a man whose own wife and infant son disappeared without a trace a year ago, a man who understands the heartache of not knowing what happened to a loved one.

Detective Charlie Wanamaker is facing another sort of tragedy. He fled Conroy years ago with no plans to return to what he considered a dying factory town -- until a family emergency brought him back. Finding the situation much worse than he'd thought, he trades his job as a big-city detective for one with the Conroy police department. Assigned to the park shooting case, Charlie quickly realizes that the initial investigation left a lot of questions unanswered. Unofficially, he teams up with Mallory to uncover the truth and find the two kids, dead or alive. What Charlie and Mallory discover will take them down a twisted path that leads to an old unsolved murder -- and justice for a killer with a heart of stone.

Mercy Street is tautly paced, resonant with emotion, and relentlessly gripping. It showcases Mariah Stewart at her most brilliant, as she ratchets up the suspense to new levels of excitement.