Author: Paula Munier
Series: A Mercy Carr Mystery (Book 6)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 8, 2024)
Description: The sixth Mercy Carr Mystery in which Mercy and Elvis must prove the innocence of a new friend accused of murder.
Record snow and sleet and rain are pummeling Vermont and a wild boar has escaped from an exclusive hunting club nearby―but that won’t stop a very pregnant and very bored Mercy Carr from hiking her beloved woods with her loyal dog Elvis. She’s supposed to be decorating the nursery and helping her mother plan the baby shower, but she’d much rather be playing Scrabble with Homer Grant, a word-loving, shotgun-toting hermit living deep in the forest. But when she and Elvis drop by Homer’s cabin for their weekly game, they arrive to find an unknown dead man―and no sign of Homer.
As they search the woods, Mercy discovers a patch of devastation that could only be left behind by wild boar. She’s relieved when Elvis tracks Homer, injured but alive. But Homer’s troubles are far from over, as he’s still the number one suspect and he remembers nothing of the attack. When another corpse with a link to Homer is found, Mercy is determined to help her friend, an effort complicated by the unexpected arrival of her young cousin Tandie, sent by Mercy’s mother to keep an eye on her until the baby is born.
As the floods worsen, Troy and Susie Bear are called out with all the other first responders, and Mercy finds herself alone at Grackle Tree Farm with a concussed Homer, Tandie, and Elvis. As waters rise and the wild boar rampages, Mercy realizes that the murderer is out there ready to strike again, this time much closer to home.
My Thoughts: Mercy Carr is eight months pregnant and both bored and restless. She has no desire to help decorate the nursery or plan the baby shower. She decides to hike into the woods with her dog Elvis to visit her friend and scrabble-playing partner Homer. When she arrives, she finds a dead man on Homer's bed and Homer missing.
She tracks down an injured Homer but then has to travois him to the place where he has built a cell tower to get help. With Homer the chief suspect, Mercy has a murder to investigate. She's also called in to help her Uncle Homer and friend billionaire Daniel track down another missing billionaire who disappeared from his exclusive hunting camp.
It's mud time in Vermont and the weather is stormy. But bad weather and feral pigs aren't going to keep Mercy from investigating the two deaths which, at first, don't look to be connected. Nor is attempted close supervision by her female relatives going to stop her.
This was an excellent story. Wrapped in the story of Odysseus, it talks about warriors coming home from war, PTSD, and throws in some game theory. I found the whole thing fascinating and engaging. I love Mercy and her close connections with her husband, family and friends. I also really enjoy the many canine companions that are part of the characters' lives.
Favorite Quote:
Favorite Quote:
"The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools." --ThucydidesI received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
I like the feisty attitude of Mercy
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