Product Description

When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to shapeshifting car mechanic Mercy Thompson to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not. And she'll have to choose between the two werewolves in her life-whether she wants to or not.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1585 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Shape-shifter Mercy Thompson has a complex life, juggling two werewolf lovers and a job working for a fae mechanic; things get even more hectic when her boss and mentor is arrested for killing a citizen of the fae reservation. As the fae seem content to let him rot, Thompson takes it on herself to clear her friend's name, beginning a lone-wolf investigation that may cost her life. Briggs's third novel featuring Thompson (after Blood Bound) is another top-notch paranormal mystery; her well-balanced contemporary world, where humans live uneasily among werewolves and fae, is still a believably lived-in world; the ever-present threat of government legislation against nonhumans (though familiar to X-Men fans) adds weight to her paranormal elements, and thoughtfully researched mythology adds rich detail. Thompson is a sharp, strong heroine and her lycanthropic love triangle is honest and steamy. Briggs never shies from difficult material, and she moves effortlessly from werewolf pack psychology to human legal proceedings, making this a tense, nimble, crowd-pleasing page-turner. (Jan.)
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Review
"In the increasingly crowded field of kick-ass supernatural heroines, Mercy stands out as one of the best."
-- Locus

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. As with the other in this series, it is enjoyable to read without being over thought out.

Excellent read!
This book had a minor slow start but once it got moving it never slowed down. I was so happy w/ the outcome of Mercy's relationship between Sam and Adam. I hated the trama that Mercy went through but i'm glad she was able to work through it. I was impressed at how sensitive Ben was to her situation and shocked at how Adam needed Ben to spell it out for him. Hopefully Mercy's financial situation will improve from here on out. I highly recommend the this book and the rest of the series.

Letting go is sometimes hard to do...
Choices, choices...usually a good thing, right? In Mercy's case, not always. Especially when it's between two werewolves she loves, and helping her friends. No matter the cost.

After sniffing around in Fairyland, in coyote form, at the request of Zee and Uncle Mike, who can't quite figure out what is killing other faes in the reservation, Zee, an iron kissed fae, gets himself arrested by the humans. And it's up to Mercy once again to stick her nose in other supernatural being's businesses. But sometimes, especially this time, nothing is what it seems, not just about the Fae, but also Adam and Sam, even members of the pack, Zee and Uncle Mike, or anyone else really, but most of all, Mercy herself. Independent, fiery and stubborn, this time around, it's not just everyone else in trouble, but the very welfare and soul of Mercy herself. And what happens to a walker who teeters between human and not, friend or foe to the forces who can crush her without even trying? What happens to a woman like Mercy, so unshakable and loyal, gets beaten down, possibly to the point of no return?

All I have to say, was that by the end, I couldn't read it fast enough and then I read the second half again. Holy. Cow. The ending will blow you away and leave you breathless. I was totally thrown and had no idea what to expect. It is, I think, the best so far in the series. Despite the incredible climax and tie-ends, the beginning starts off very slow, and it's not until the middle where things really pick up and get moving. Briggs also repeats a bit too much about stuff someone who's been reading it from book 1-2 already knows. I suppose it allows for people who can't commit to jump right in and not miss the gist, except for the romance element, which has been building subtlely from book 1.

In terms of creativity, this world can't get any more expansive, otherwise, it would just get confusing. Plus, I trust Briggs, she's a talented writer with an instinct to know what her readers want and expect, and weaves a great yarn meantime. Now, it's about layering and building this world into something stable and almost touchable. It maybe the same style and tone, but the plot itself was what was so well done. Stick with it, because I had to really hunker down and read the beginning parts, but it was well worth the pay off in the end.

In terms of the emotional element, I found it quite satisfying, especially with Mercy's decision between the werewolves, which I found very plausible and well done. And completely resolved with no rancor--Briggs really thought about this subplot, and I'm glad she understood it had to be tied up, one way or the other. I hate being strung along for too long. Mercy's own development is still very intriguing. In the second book, I was worried about the Superwoman Complex, because the consequences of her actions were, to me, both extreme yet resulted in an unrealistic turn of events. As it turned out, it was the calm before the storm because here, her seemingly innocent actions aren't so innocent and it's much more balanced, and realistic, with the fact that Mercy isn't just left with bruises and a few days missed of work, the end result is a lot darker, and the effects potentially more complicated for alter on. In other words, Mercy paid a price, and it may never go away. Not to say that she should suffer, but you can't have a character get herself into all this trouble, and nothing bad happens to her, like she's untouchable. But she's not, and it's really good to know that.

The theme of this story, to me, was shedding the illusions that tend to bind people to their habits, a way of hiding and not facing the truths of reality, however hard and frightening. It stems from the first two and is well integrated into this third book. The symmetry and lacing of all the characters, however purposeful or not, was not only effective but added to the emotional element that is palpable in the second half. Because here, Mercy is painfully and wonderfully human. As are Sam, Adam, even Jesse and Ben, who are all just as affected. Everyone is left raw for a good long while, and while usually too much, Briggs managed to do well and fluently, and never over did it.

Briggs has a real talent and magic with this series. This third installment will make your heart pound and wanting for the fourth book to come out, like now. It's Bone Crossed, which I think will be witch related, but who knows. Whatever the story, I cannot wait. Give me more, please!