Saturday, February 20, 2010

No Mercy-Lori Armstrong

No Mercy
Lori Armstrong
Touchstone, Jan 2010, $25.00
ISBN: 9781416590958

Army sniper Mercy Gunderson has come home from Iraq to South Dakota filled with guilt for failing to return to see her dad one last time as he jus died. On medical leave due to a retinal detachment that makes being a sniper impossible and nightmares, Mercy must decide what she should do with the ranch she inherited form her father. Making the decision difficult is how to care for her reckless sister, single mom Hope and her irresponsible teenage nephew Levi recently collared by Sheriff Dawson for theft.

Someone hits Mercy in the back of her neck in a parking lot and soon afterward an unknown adversary shoots Levi in the head and heart leaving him dead. Mercy knows she has to tell Hope, but plans to also investigate her nephew’s murder. Soon she uncovers the shocking truth behind that homicide and another, but is running out of time as a determined killer targets the Gunderson brood.

This is an action-packed South Dakota amateur sleuth mystery starring a trained killer soldier who has a ton of emotional family baggage; perhaps too much. The story line starts a bit slow as the audience meets the players with their emotional issues especially the kick butt heroine. Once the introductions are finished, the story line is fast-paced driven by Mercy’s frenzied need to know who. Fans will enjoy the aptly titled tale as the heroine shows No Mercy to her enemies.

Harriet Klausner

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