McAvoy is headed to New York to work with Detective Alto who is investigating the disappearance and murder of some Irish men. McAvoy's brother-in-law is one of the men who is missing, and two traveler families are about to feud if McAvoy can't find Valentine (the brother-in-law) and convince everyone that he's not the murderer.
As is always the case when McAvoy is involved, there's much more to this story. And being a visitor instead of an official police officer isn't slowing him down very much. He's determined to get to the bottom of it, and the bottom is very, very far down.
The Irish men, a boxer and his trainer, came to New York to have a chance at a professional boxing career. The case involves the Russian and Italian mobs, a priest who has been convinced to help them, and some other really shady characters.
It wouldn't be a McAvoy novel if Roisin (his wife) and Pharaoh (his boss) weren't a part of it. And while I enjoyed their contributions, they were only via phone, and I didn't get enough.
That's a small complaint, really, since Cruel Mercy takes the usual twists and turns and has the usual macabre element and a significant amount of gore. I become enthralled in these tales trying to figure out where we are headed (and never being successful), and although Cruel Mercy is not my favorite McAvoy, if you enjoyed any of Mark's other novels, this one is definitely worth it.
And if you are interested in those other books, here are some links: The Dark Winter, Original Skin, Taking Pity, and Sorrow Bound.
Published by Blue Rider Press, February 7, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss and First to Read
368 pages
Rating: 4/5
I like a good mystery and this one sounds interesting
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