Genre: Thriller/Supernatural
Description:
“An
unexpected visitor from Mark's past brings him unwanted attention from the
authorities. Unable to decide who is friend and who is foe, Mark becomes a fugitive
from the law, but with thousands of lives at stake, he is forced to put aside
his fear of capture, and instead, seek help from his pursuers.”
Author:
A mother of three and a respiratory therapist, M.P. McDonald has been
an avid reader her entire life. As the fifth of eight children, hiding in the
corner with a book was her only way to get a moment of peace. She has two other
books available, No Good Deed and March into Hell, which are books one and
two in the Mark Taylor series. This is the third.
For more, visit McDonald’s website.
Appraisal:
While visiting Afghanistan, Mark Taylor purchased a camera that had
magical qualities. When developing the film from this old-fashioned camera,
additional pictures would appear, depicting a negative event that would happen
in the near future. Taylor would then dream about the events in these pictures
and, if he acted fast enough, be able to prevent them. The series happens in
the early part of this century, when film cameras were still in common use.
The reaction of some readers to the second book in the series, March into Hell, was interesting and, in
my opinion, missed the point. Through both books, Mark is consistent. He’s the
good guy and, with the assistance of his magic camera, fights evil. That the
primary evil Mark was fighting was a religious cult triggered some knee jerk
reactions, not recognizing that Mark was still fighting evil.
Deeds of
Mercy is a return to Mark’s roots, in that many of the ways March into Hell was different from No Good Deed do not apply to this latest
installment. As with No Good Deed,
this book is operating in the political, rather than the religious realm. Who
is friend and who is foe is no longer clear. Deeds of Mercy also answers one of
the big questions some readers had about what happened to one of the secondary
characters from No Good Deed, and
brings that story thread to a satisfactory resolution.
If you’re a thriller fan, especially political thrillers, and haven’t
read No Good Deed, you need to. For
those who have read the series and felt March
into Hell didn’t live up to your expectations, Deeds of Mercy almost surely will.
FYI:
Although experiences from the prior books in the series are mentioned,
a reader could probably read this as a standalone. However, I would advise
reading the first book, No Good Deed,
prior.
Added for
Reprise Review: Deeds of
Mercy was the WINNER in the Thriller/Suspense category for 2013 Readers'
Choice Awards at BigAl’s Books and Pals and is the third book in M.P.
McDonald’s The Mark Taylor Series.
The original review ran March 15, 2012.
Format/Typo
Issues:
This review is based on a pre-release, Beta version of the book, and
I’m unable to comment in this area.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 85-90,000 words
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