Merci - Magma

Advantages: Quick to read
Disadvantages: Poorly developed characters, no real storyline

...I've never read any Jack Higgins before, but I was lent Without Mercy and decided to give it a go. I was a little dubious as on the front cover it states 'the unstoppable Sean Dillon is back' and as I don't know who this Sean Dillon character is, I thought I may have missed some important back history. The book claimed to be 'a fierce thriller of terrorism, murder and revenge', and so I thought it would be quite fast-paced and exciting. As I read the first couple of chapters, I realised it didn't matter that I didn't know the Sean Dillon character. I found that none of the characters were given any real depth or back story. By half way through the book, this remained the case and I began to get frustrated. I can forgive an author poorly developed characters if there is a compelling storyline to the book, but I was disappointed by this... Read review

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Advantages: gripping story
Disadvantages: a bit slow to get going

...I am a huge fan of the american writer Jodi Picoult and find each of her novels fresh and original. Every time, she seems to come up with a successful formula in her storylines and her novel Mercy is no exception. I was a bit worried when I first started reading the book though as I found it quite difficult to get into. I wondered whether I had been spoilt after reading such fantastic novels as Plain Truth or Nineteen Minutes. However, in true Picoult style she slowly reeled me in to the story and after about one hundred pages I was hooked! Jodi Picoult is not afraid to tackle difficult topics and in Mercy she probably tackles the most difficult of them all - mercy killing. Jamie McDonald has killed his wife Maggie - but only because she asked him too. She had been suffering from cancer which has been slowly spreading and taking... Read review

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Advantages: Some good characters and descriptions about character emotions.
Disadvantages: Was hard to get into at the beginning. Some parts unbelievable.

...Mercy by Jodi Picoult 449 pages Modern fiction Another Jodi Picoult book to add to my review list! Although I found this one a bit disappointing compared to Picoult's other works. Maggie and Jamie are living an almost fairytale marriage life, until that is Maggie discovers she is suffering from cancer. With no hope of surviving it Maggie asks Jamie to kill her, he wants to end her pain so he smothers her with a pillow. Jamie takes the body to his cousin's home town, wanting to be punished for the crime. Jamie's cousin is Cameron Macdonald, the police chief. Allie, Cam's wife, believes that Jamie does not deserve to be punished. The two have already been divided on thoughts though when Cam 'falls' for Allie's assistant Mia.. From the blurb on the back of the book, I believed the story would be focused on mercy killing but... Read review

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