Mercy is a propulsive, gripping tale that picks up right where Daylight left off, taking the readers back into the life of FBI agent Atlee Pine, as she and her loyal assistant, Carol Blum, decide to take a leave of absence from the bureau to find out what’s happened to her twin sister, Mercy, who after escaping from her captors 19 years ago, seems to have vanished without a trace.
For her entire life, Atlee has been searching for Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Mercy’s disappearance left behind a damaged family that later shattered beyond repair when Atlee’s parents inexplicably abandoned her.
Baldacci’s novel always has a fine balance between action and emotion. From the moment we are introduced to Mercy Pine, a no-nonsense realist who takes life as it comes, she has become aware that the FBI is looking for her and begins a journey that will ultimately bring her back to her sister. As Mercy travels along, she flashes back to the remnants of her early life in emotion-charged detail. The emotion is heightened when the sisters reunite.
The writing is gritty and descriptive. The characters are cunning, ruthless, and persistent. And the plot keeps the readers on the edge of their seat as it immerses them into a malicious tale full of twists, turns, mayhem, chaos, revenge, survival, violence, cruelty, and murder. Overall an exciting and thrilling novel.