Eliza Blake, while attending a party to celebrate the feast day of St. Francis, just misses witnessing the suicide of her friend, Ennis Wheelock. The events that unfold form a deadly circle that will take her back decades even as the bodies start piling up as Eliza and her crew begin to find the puzzle pieces Ennis left behind in DYING FOR MERCY.
DYING FOR MERCY is a decent read for an afternoon off. It's easy for newcomers to jump into and understand and fans of the series will be pleased to have something new for their collection. I loved the secondary characters, but felt that the main character took away from the story. Leaving children who have just been kidnapped with the nanny/housekeeper to attend an ostentatious party seems seems unbelievable and jerks the reader out of the story. While the mystery and puzzle-like elements are excellent and enthrall the reader, the rest of the story isn't as engaging.
When death shatters the serenity of the exclusive moneyed
enclave of Tuxedo Park, New York, Eliza Blake, cohost of the
country's premier morning television show "KEY to America,"
is on the scene. While attending a lavish gala at her
friends' newly renovated estate, Pentimento, Eliza's host is
found dead--a grotesque suicide that is the first act in a
macabre and intricately conceived plan to expose the sins of
the past involving some of the town's most revered citizens.
Determined to find out the truth, Eliza and her KEY News
colleagues--producer Annabelle Murphy, cameraman B.J.
D'Elia, and psychiatrist Margo Gonzalez--discover that
Pentimento holds the key. Nestled in the park's sprawling
architectural masterpieces, picturesque gardeners' cottages,
and lush, rolling landscape, the glorious mansion is
actually a giant "puzzle house," filled with ingenious clues
hidden in its fireplaces, fountains, and frescoes that lead
them from one suspicious locale to another--and, one by one,
to the victims of a fiendish killer.
As Pentimento gives up its secrets, it becomes clear that no
amount of wealth or privilege will keep the residents of
Tuxedo Park safe. But just when Eliza unearths one final
surprise, she comes face-to-face with a murderer who
believes that some puzzles should never be solved.
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