Product Description

"On a rainy evening in the spring of 1967, Old Jerry hunkers on his bar stool like a liquor-soaked question mark..."

So begins the story of Old Jerry, seventy years old, a lifetime drunk, and ready to die. His grandson Charlie has troubles of his own: the scars of a father's rage, a juvenile record, and brother P.T., who lives in another world with the ghost of their long-dead mother. When Old Jerry fails to show up for his birthday party at McGurk's Tap Room, these two young men are the first to ask questions. But the discovery of the old man's body in a nearby lake will send one off to war in Vietnam-and everyone else to pick up the pieces. Set in the dusky world of a working-class Midwestern city, The Mercy Killers tells a chilling story of actions taken in the name of love, and of histories spun from unspeakable pasts.

"Sharply written and stylistically brilliant, The Mercy Killers I a wonderful novel of crime with an authentic human story at its heart." -Chicago Sun-Times

"Reardon takes us into a world so complete...that nothing seems more important than reading these pages and discovering what her vivid, ferocious characters will do next." -Margot Livesey, author of Banishing Verona

"Reardon...keeps the action churning away." -Chicago Tribune

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #497178 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 266 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781582433370
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
On the eve of a milestone birthday in the spring of 1967, "Old Jerry" Moody tells his bar buddies at McGurk's in Ypsilanti, Mich., that he wants someone to kill him. While one of his grandsons, Charlie, is burglarizing a house with his best friend, Gino, his other grandson, the brain-damaged P.T., calmly smothers Old Jerry with a pillow. Charlie and Gino cover for P.T., playing dumb when Old Jerry is a no-show at his birthday party, but when his body surfaces in Ford Lake, Charlie takes the rap and enlists in Vietnam in lieu of prison. Returning to Michigan, Charlie settles down with his war pen pal Diane, but discovers the downside of domesticity and falls back into old habits. Bar owner Gil McGurk and a former hooker known as the Mississippi Blonde have a child together and a fraught relationship, and she confides in P.T. her desire to die. When P.T. does the deed, Charlie again tries to cover for him. But secrets of all kinds will come out, including some about the suicide of P.T. and Charlie's mother. Gino, another tortured vet, may be the only person who can convince Charlie not to take the fall yet again. Reardon's haunting, liquor-soaked story reveals the war that is daily living, even as it shines a light into the secret hearts of McGurk's regulars.
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Review
"A spellbinding crime novel, The Mercy Killers is also a brilliantly thoughtful saga..." -- Washington Post

"Reardon has a wicked ear for dialogue...she keeps the action churning away in this low-pitched wail of a novel." -- Chicago Tribune

About the Author
Lisa Reardon is the author of two previous novels and six plays. She lives with her husband in Chicago, where she teaches creative writing at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.

Customer Reviews

Another Triumph
I find it amazing how Lisa Reardon can put a voice to a population we see every day but never see. With out falsely glorifying, Lisa takes the story of the people who live day by day, making the choice to survive regardless if it is the right choice. I'm too young to remember the Vietnam era but I do know many bars like the one portrayed, and she hits the culture right on. When one has no family, they find family where they can. Lisa has a real knack for dialog and makes the each person an identity instead of a stereotype. As before, I loved this book and can't wait for the next.

Mercy Killers
Once again Lisa Reardon makes us feel passionately about characters that inhabit the dark, sad underbelly of society. It is a talented writer that makes you cry and laugh on the same page and root for people for whom we usually distain in real life. Her writing is sad and hopeful and so true it makes your heart ache. I couldn't put this one down until it was finished and it left me wanting these characters to make it. Bravo Lisa, this one's your best yet!

Lisa Reardon is simply amazing!
Blameless and Billy Dead were both so touching and honest that I wrote to Lisa via her website. Not only did she write me back, but she asked for my address and mailed me a free signed copy of The Mercy Killers! She is as kind as she is talented. Thank you Lisa for your amazing novels which have enriched my life!