Monday, February 15, 2010

No Mercy (Mercy Gunderson) by Lori Armstrong


Lori Armstrong, author of the fantastic Julie Collins novels is back! I was a little worried when the news came out she was going to write a new series under the Touchtone banner, afraid nothing would be able to top Julie's adventures. I was wrong!
Mercy Gunderson is every bit the tough chick Julie was... and more! Again Lori brings us a harddrinking, cussing, tough woman with a heart. Back from Iraq, sniper Mercy tries to ajdust to life on a ranch. The murder of a nephew forces her to take up arms again once again, though. A damaged character with a dark and haunting past Mercy is not always 100% easy to like. Her hardboiled style of dealing with things can make her seem like an uncaring character but slowly we find out more and more she has a hard of gold.
The fire in her heart is what drives this novel. Sometimes I was craving for a bit more detail to the mystery or action aspects of the story but the personal drama in Mercy's life is written in an engaging style and the characters she meet are welldrawn enough to make you interested in them.
You might find Mercy to be described as a femal Jack Reacher but that's misleading. Yes, she was in the Army and yes, she kicks ass but the interpersonal relationships are as important a part of this book as the action-oriented part, making this a series that absolutely stands on its own feet.

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