The Hiding Place: A Mercy Carr Mystery, by Paula Munier (Minotaur Books, 2021, 323 pages, $27.99)
Hot on the heels of A Borrowing of Bones (2018) (reviewed here) and Blind Search (2019) comes another Mercy Carr mystery, The Hiding Place (2021).
The Series
Mercy Carr, a former Army MP (military police) who deployed to Afghanistan, has returned to Vermont, sans fiance, a dog handler, who didn't make it back. Mercy is now confronted with mystery after mystery, along with her loyal sidekick, Elvis, her fiance's MWD (military working dog). Other characters include a lovely veterinarian grandmother with her main squeeze, and Mercy's two attorney parents in Boston who couldn't be more different from Mercy and her grandmother.
Another Good, Fast, yet Long and Convoluted Read
Be sure to set aside enough time to read this book in a short period of time, since there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Or, take notes.
And thank goodness, this book is about the dogs - again, in this third book of the series. One, a Malinois/Belgian Shepherd, Elvis (similar to a German Shepherd), had been an MWD while the other, a rescue Newfie mix, Susie Bear, was trained in Search and Rescue (SAR) for his person, a fish and Wildlife Department game warden in Vermont and Mercy's main squeeze.
Violence there is - an explosion. And more. A missing girl from long ago, never to be found - or can Mercy find her? Add a missing grandmother.
And Now, for the Story
Mercy's grandfather was murdered many years ago and now his murderer has escaped from prison down south fixing to travel north to take care of her grandmother, and not in a good way. Mix in Grandfather's partner on his death bed giving Mercy a cryptic message.
Plus another veteran who says Elvis the dog is rightfully his and he has come from Texas to claim him.
How on earth can all this tie together or, as in life, perhaps it can't. Read The Hiding Place to find out. And then read A Borrowing of Bones
and Blind Search
and you will be hooked. After that, Fixing Freddie (2010) will be like a walk in the park!
No comments:
Post a Comment