The Absence of Mercy

by John Burley

A doctor and father in small town Ohio weighs the need to catch a killer against his fears for his family's safety in this debut psychological suspense novel

Just west of the Ohio River, lies the peaceful town of Wintersville. Safe from the crime and congestion of city life, it is the perfect place to raise a family . . . or so they thought.

Life as the town medical examiner is relatively unhurried for Dr. Ben Stevenson. With only a smattering of cases here and there-car accident victims, death by natural causes-he has plenty of time to spend with his loving wife and two sons. That is until a teenager's body is discovered in the woods and Ben, as the only coroner in the area, is assigned to the case. But as the increasingly animalistic attacks continue, the case challenges Ben in ways he never suspects.

With its eerie portrait of suburban life and nerve-fraying plot twists, this is psychological suspense at its best-an extraordinary debut that challenges as much as it thrills.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Audiobook

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

John Burley worked as a paramedic and firefighter before attending medical school in Chicago and completing an emergency medicine residency at University of Maryland Medical Center and Shock Trauma in Baltimore. His debut novel, THE ABSENCE OF MERCY, received the National Black Ribbon Award, which recognizes a novelist who brings a fresh voice to suspense writing. His latest novel, SURRENDER THE DEAD, is available now. To learn more, visit his website at www.john-burley.com.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my gosh this book was bad. Really, really bad. We can start with the continuity error in the first chapter- unacceptable. Then we can move on to the dozens and dozens of peripheral characters. I didn't care about the main characters, let alone all these other people that were thrown in there for filler(?). The pace of this book was soooooo slow. And then we can go to the fact that the author is a doctor and so yes, ok, I get it, you know a lot about medical procedures but this was supposed to be a suspense novel, not a medical textbook. Not to mention, just say you took an aspirin it is not necessary for you to use the word analgesic. Oh yeah and the ending is predictable Ugh. What a complete and total waste of time. I REALLY want someone to investigate how these truly horrible books get all the big time authors' quotes on them saying how fantastic they are! In case I wasn't clear, hated it.

[Mallory · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but I struggled my way through it. The writing was awkward and didn’t always visit the characters and the plot was full of holes I won’t point out to avoid spoiling the mystery. The pacing was slow and there was some over explaining the medical details (and I understand one of the main characters is a doctor but it slowed the story for me). I will say there were exciting elements to the serial killings that were interesting but overall for a mystery about a brutal serial killer it wasn’t exciting enough to keep my interest.

[☮Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My final opinion of this isn't quite formulated yet, and I'm not sure what to say anyway without spoiling the whole story. I thought it was a pretty interesting plot, executed well overall. I just wasn't crazy about the writing itself. At multiple points in the story I found myself wondering if this was a first time book (Lo and behold, it is Burley's debut). Sometimes it seemed Burley was trying too hard. Other times, to fill space, the main character had a bad dream and the reader had to endure a play by play of the dream even if it added nothing of interest. I loath dream sequences and they usually are the kiss of death for me! And I knew who the killer was very early on.
Still Burley was able to surprise me with that ending

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book in one day, and it was all right. I enjoyed the references to Pittsburgh, being a native Pittsburgher, and Ben was an interesting character. Beyond that, I can't get past several major obstacles...beginning with the error in continuity in the very first chapter. How does an editor overlook that?

I agree with some of the other reviewers; there were too many peripheral characters and there were serious issues with how the killer could have essentially hidden in plain sight. The crimes in this book were incredibly brutal and the cleanup that would have been necessary post-crime wouldn't have been easily hidden. All in all, I have read better thrillers than this one.

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy on Goodreads Firstreads. This was an uncorrected proof copy.

This is a suspenseful psychological thriller. Ben Stevenson became the county medical examiner because he didn't want to go to bed every night listening to sirens. Also the slower pace would give him more chances to spend time with his wife and 2 sons. But his life undergoes dramatic changes when a teenager is brutally savaged and murdered. As attacks continue and become even more animalistic, Ben can feel his life spinning out of his control.

Since this was a proof copy, I will not comment on any glitches that appeared in the story as they should be corrected in the final copy. There was one extremely small detail that may not be caught though. The author said he got one of his kids a balloon filled with hydrogen. Hopefully he meant helium as it is much safer than using the flammable hydrogen.(The science teacher in me just had to comment on that.)

While I have been called reasonably intelligent and have a decent vocabulary, the medical descriptions lost me at times. A copy of a medical text and a good dictionary would have been beneficial at times.

I did like that while the crimes are truly horrific, the story never really got overly graphic or gory. There are plenty of twists. While the ending wasn't a complete surprise it was still satisfying. The best way I can describe it is the feeling you sometimes get when you guess your present before you unwrap it. There are plenty of clues to catch and on a subconscious level I knew who the killer was. It reminded me of the movie The Sixth Sense. It is totally obvious after you hear it.

I would say this is definitely worth a read. A nice first book.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that The Absence of Mercy was a pretty good mystery. The story flowed pretty easily and was well written. The book is told through the points of view of Ben, his wife and the teens in the town. There is a killer loose in the town and it has everyone scared. It was interesting to see how the town reacted to the killings. I thought Ben's reaction to the murders was the most interesting. The way it almost paralyzed him at times and caused him to lose sleep. Being the coroner and having a teenager, the murders must have really hit home.

My only complaint was that I thought the way the murderer was discovered was a little too neat and tidy for me. It was a little unbelievable. I also would have liked a better epilogue. I felt like it left some things open. Despite that, I do recommend the book. It's a great effort for a debut book!

[LJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here we go again. I seem to be rating only books I think are way over-rated which seems to suggest I am a nasty person.... Perhaps. But this book is not very good. It is slow, flat, bogged down in needless medical detail, full of uninteresting characters and head-hopping. The dialogue is lifeless.... staged. Hmm.

So many books these days get positive reviews when they really shouldn't have been published at all.
Unfortunately, I purchased this audiobook quite awhile ago so cannot return.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Mercy – Yes Please

John Burley’s debut crime thriller, No Mercy, is yet another winner winner chicken dinner for AvonBooks the imprint of HarperCollins how do they do it? It would be easy to fill this up with all the clichés going, page turner, gripping, cilling as it all those and so much more. Burley uses all his experience as a medic in this novel plus he has a fondness for a few smart words too; hebetudinous and precipitation you can just use dullness and rain/snow we will let you.

Dr Ben Stephenson is a pathologist and also the coroner for Jefferson County in Ohio, he is married to Susan also a physician in practice they have two sons, Thomas and Joel as well as Alex the Great their Great Dane. They live in small town America where you know everyone, where church and school are at the centre of the town activities and nothing really happens here unlike the local big city of Pittsburgh.

Everything changes when there are two murders and an attempted murder of teenagers from the town. Something that affects the town badly as this is their soft underbelly and it has been left exposed by senseless murders that do not happen in small town America. Both the murders and the attempted murder are exceptional for the extreme nature and slashing of the body and the amputations that take place and this goes right to the psyche of the local population.

Ben is central to the investigation as the local coroner and knows the depths that the murderer has stooped too. Whether he notices what is going on around him is a different matter as he is totally absorbed at looking for clues to give to the police. From here on in it would be easy to carry on about the plot but I would need to put spoiler alerts everywhere. Ben is our central character rather than the murderer and we are able to see the toll this investigation takes on him and his family.

John Burley has the thriller reader wanting to get to the end so that we can find out who the killer is, is he or she local are they outsiders? You really want to find out and the best thing about Burley he does not telegraph who the murderer could be until his reveal and then hunt. This thriller grabs you by the throat and does not let you go until the end this is everything that you want from a crime thriller. The anticipation and excitement of the hunt the pace and feeling of desperation for the police as their searches seem to continue to no avail. This is a novel that you will easily get wrapped up in there is only one disappointing aspect, you have to finish eventually. Brilliant and stunning debut and a welcome addition to the crime thriller genre.

[Allison Ketchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://noranydroptoread.com/2013/10/2...

THE ABSENCE OF MERCY by John Burley: I could subtitle this review “I was so bored.” The premise was enchanting; the execution, not so much. Dr. Ben Stevenson, pathologist, is a small-town medical examiner, a very undemanding job until the first victim of a serial killer turns up, mutilated, and the second is a friend of his oldest son’s. The killer eventually begins taunting Stevenson, who fears for his family, yadda, yadda, yadda.

You might think it is not easy to make a serial killer book boring. I knew I was in trouble when the first pages were from the point-of-view of Unknown Psychopathic Killer. This rarely bodes well in my experience. However, I gave the book the benefit of the doubt and soldiered on. After all, a small-town medical examiner is a favorite premise of mine, and the father struggling with his fears could be a fascinating psychological portrait.

Could be.

So, here’s where the book lost me. The crazily shifting point-of-view meant I never identified with any of the characters and I wasn’t invested in the outcome to begin with. Clunky foreshadowing and anvil-on-the-head hints meant that I was just waiting for the characters to finally catch up to me (sadly, I was not mistaken when I guessed the outcome early on). When they finally did catch up, the book dragged on for some time for no apparent reason, to an ultimately unsatisfying conclusion. I didn’t even care that the ending was unsatisfying, because, thank the literature gods, the book was over!

Source disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a keep-you-up-all-night book, we are introduced to a maniacal killer. This murderer bites his victims, stabs them repeatedly, cuts off body parts and then leaves them to die (if they aren’t already dead). Thus is the new world of the police, families and Coroner’s Office in Wintersville, OH.

Dr. Ben Stevenson, coroner is handed the first victim – a boy – and is appalled by the damage a human being has done to him. They have no identity, only what he has on and no missing person reports at first. Since the boy is about the age of Ben’s oldest son, Thomas, Ben is shaken to the core. As is his wife, a doctor as well. She worries about Thomas and Joel, the youngest – more than Ben.

The killings continue, then go silent until a pair of high-schoolers snowmobiling find the body that matches the frozen arm left on Ben’s door at his office.

A book of nightmares, love and a very crude Morgue attendant. Who is behind the killings? Do they really want to know? Turns out, maybe not. The ending will shake all you believe in. A great tale very well written for a first novel. I’m sure there will be many, many more. Out in December.

[Loretta Rinzel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was totally disappointed in how this story ended. The story itself was good, but it seemed like the writer didn't give the ending much thought.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Absence of Mercy: A Novel by John Burley is a very intense suspenseful psychological thriller. It was so hard for me to put the book done and I was relieved when I had time to go back to the story. John Burley is incredibly talented in his development of characters. The story told by the town medical examiner Dr. Ben Stevenson. The setting is in Wintersville, Ohio, a small town where the usual quiet of no bad news was ripped to shreds by a serial killer.

A teenager’s body was found in the woods, he was stabbed to death on the way home from school. The wounds were so savage and the victim had no chance of escaping death. Susan, Ben’s wife hears about the murder before him and asks him if he had spoken to Thomas this afternoon. He is late from coming home from school. Ben explains that Ben has a wresting meet that afternoon. Ben has trouble believing his wife’s news. Nothing gruesome like that ever happens in Wintersville. He finds out later that it is true is and he has to do the autopsy. His assistant, Nat is a young kid and is not bothered by dead bodies at all in fact he is fascinated by them.

John Burley does an excellent job in setting up red herrings and also gets deep into Dr. Ben Stevenson’s thoughts and feelings. In fact after I realized who the serial killer was, I did not want it to be that person! But then I realized that it could only be that one. I loved how the author shaped the relationships between Ben and his wife, between Thomas and Joel and between Thomas and his girlfriend.
I don’t usually feel that I would love to read a book again but this book is an exception! Now that I know who the killer is, I would like the different experience of re-reading that book with that knowledge.
This is a gem of a thriller. I highly recommend it.

I received this book from Library Thing but that in no way influenced my review. My thoughts and my feelings in it are my own.

[Ronald Roseborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Ben Stevenson thought he knew the people in the sleepy Ohio town where he and his wife chose to raise their two children. He was wrong. He thought he knew his wife and children. He was wrong. He thought he knew how far he would go to protect them. He was wrong. If you have a family that you have devoted your life to raising and protecting, this thriller will sneak up on you and hit you right where it hurts. If you think this sort of violence would never happen in your neighborhood, you're wrong. If you think you've seen or read it all, you haven't. If you haven't had a chill run down your spine lately, now's the time. If you are a bit put off by pedantic descriptions of extensive autopsy procedures in the early chapters, hang in there, the story gets better.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about "not seeing that coming!" I really would have liked to be inside the perpetrator's mind. I can't say this was the best thriller I've ever read, but I do know the story will stick with me for quite some time. The what-if's are definitely food for thought.

[Kit · Rating 2 out of 5]

No review pending.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book left me with chills.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling creepy ride! I couldn't put this down til I finished it! Awesome book!

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite a ride! I didn’t get an inkling of what was going on until late in the book. It wasn’t the smoothest, best ending, but it works.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,75

[Victor Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Burley in his new book, “The Absence Of Mercy” published by Harper Collins introduces us to Dr. Ben Stevenson.

From the back cover: A doctor and father in small town Ohio weighs the need to catch a killer against his fears for his family’s safety in this debut psychological suspense novel

Just west of the Ohio River, lies the peaceful town of Wintersville. Safe from the crime and congestion of city life, it is the perfect place to raise a family . . . or so they thought.

Life as the town medical examiner is relatively unhurried for Dr. Ben Stevenson. With only a smattering of cases here and there-car accident victims, death by natural causes-he has plenty of time to spend with his loving wife and two sons. That is until a teenager’s body is discovered in the woods and Ben, as the only coroner in the area, is assigned to the case. But as the increasingly animalistic attacks continue, the case challenges Ben in ways he never suspects.

With its eerie portrait of suburban life and nerve-fraying plot twists, this is psychological suspense at its best-an extraordinary debut that challenges as much as it thrills.

A serial killer, a murder mystery, and a medical thriller all wrapped up in one. That can only mean that this is going to be a winner. And it is. Part of the story is told from the eerie point of view of the killer and part is told from the point of view of the doctor. Dr. Stevenson is not in Wintersville for the excitement but, since he is the only coroner in the area, he is called in on a murder. The case eventually turns into a chilling cat and mouse hunt between the killer and the good doctor. ”The Absence Of Mercy” is a very exciting thriller that is well written. It has twists and turns that will keep you guessing. I don’t believe you will guess the identity of the killer and will be very surprised when the identity is revealed. If you do not want to lose sleep then do not start this book late at night.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Partners In Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

**4.5 stars**

Publication Date: 3rd July 2014 Harper Collins UK/Avon

U.S. Title: The Absence of Mercy – available now.

Review copy received via Netgalley.

The peaceful town of Wintersville is a place safe from the crime and congestion of city life, where neighbours feel like family. It’s the perfect place to live.
But when a teenager is discovered brutally murdered in the woods, it becomes clear that a psychopath is roaming the streets. Dr Ben Stevenson, the town’s medical examiner, and father of two young boys, becomes entangled in the hunt for the murderer, determined to keep his family safe.
But as Ben uncovers the dark secrets of his seemingly quiet community, he confronts a truth that will haunt him forever and puts those he loves in serious danger.

A clever little mystery thriller this one, with a great flowing storyline and a way of making you read just ONE more chapter before you put it down. When a badly mutilated body turns up in the small, neighbourly town of Wintersville, local coroner Ben Stevenson is drawn into a case that will haunt him and those around him. With an eye cast firmly over the emotional resonance and underlying psychological trauma an event like this can cause, the author weaves a twisted tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

There were some really great things about the way this particular story is constructed – I loved the forensic detail which was enough for a good understanding but not so much that you got bogged down in it. The psychological and physical effects of recovery from a traumatic event was brilliantly done through one particular character’s eyes and this was perhaps the part of the book that got me at the heart. Add to that some great characters and well drawn relationships and you are onto a winner.

The mystery elements are kind of secondary in a way to the people that are caught up inside it – as a look at a town on the edge this was fascinating stuff. You choose a safe place to live, you do the best you can to protect those you love – then BAM something happens that makes you realise that those things you once relied on are tenuous at best. The author does an excellent job of making that very real and making you ask the question – how well do you REALLY know anyone, even those closest to you.

All in all this is a great addition to the genre and for me, an author to keep an eye on. If the standard keeps up then John Burley will certainly end up on my “must read” list.

Happy Reading Folks!

[Luanne Ollivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Burley makes his fiction debut with The Absence of Mercy.

In the small Ohio town of Wintersville, Dr. Ben Stevenson wears two hats - that of the town doctor and when needed, that of the medical examiner.

But rarely is he called to examine violent deaths - Wintersville is a place where the neighbours all know your name - and a lot of times, your business.

Who then could be responsible for the frenzied attack on a local teenager that left him dead in a field? Suddenly, folks are locking their doors and keeping their kids close. That goes double for Ben. His older son was friends with the slain boy.

Ben becomes more involved with the investigation, especially when another attack occurs - and the victim is found barely alive.

Burley explores the reaction to such a crime through the townsfolk, most notably the teenagers in town and through Ben's eyes - both as a father and a coroner. This is a lot of the focus of the book, as there are not a lot of clues to follow. Instead, things ratchet up a notch when the killer's identity becomes known. While I was not overly surprised at this turn, it did raise some interesting questions. I was surprised at where Burley chose to take his story after that - it was a nice twist. I'm not sure if I liked the ending, but again it wasn't nice and tied up with a bow. I like that. And I liked this debut by John Burley - I would pick up his next book without hesitation.

Burley's background is in medicine. This background certainly gives the medical scenes a ring of authenticity. But, after a few lengthy descriptions it also had me skipping further explanations - they were filled with too much 'technical' jargon.

The title? "The same was true for the absence of mercy – not because mercy was something such individuals chose to withhold, but because it was a faculty they simply did not possess." Chilling.

[Pauline Creeden · Rating 5 out of 5]

*This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.*
A serial killer, murder mystery, and medical thriller all wrapped up in one? How could I resist? As a long time fan of John Sanford, I saw this opportunity for review and picked it up right away. The twist of seeing things from the medical examiner and his family's point of view made things hit home a little harder than the usual "single" detective story.

The author's masterful use of metaphor had me underlining passages just for the poetic nature of his prose. And although a lot of the medical jargon went over my head, it added a bit of realism to the general plot line. None of the book felt too intellectual to be picked up by the common reader.

Now. Not to spoil the plot, but as far as whodunits go, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of real clues throughout the story. It wasn't until after the murderer was suspected that we got real clues to his/her identity. For that, I was sorely tempted to knock off a star. But overall, the reading experience was better than pleasant, and I'd definitely pick up a book by this author again.

***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A gruesome attack on a teenaged boy in Ohio leaves a small town paralyzed with fear as pathologist Dr Ben Stevenson performs the autopsy. The savagery of the attack is astounding and Ben and his general practitioner wife are concerned since they have 2 boys, Thomas & Joel. A teenaged girl is attacked by the same killer but she survives with no memory but lots of nightmares. Another victim's hand is delivered to the coroner's office as Ben and the sheriff try to understand the message being sent.

Actually, everyone in the book was on my list of suspects. The killer could have been anyone but when the reveal came, I didn't want it to be true. I kept hoping there was a mistake that would come out but the hole just got deeper. I was dumbfounded at the coverup of past crimes and that was a revealing twist for me. Unsettling but good debut for this author and I believe he's gotten better with his newest novel, The Quiet Child.

I noticed a glaring editorial error in the first chapter but that didn't detract from the story. Also, the author is obviously a doctor because the medical jargon at the autopsy and hospital were much too detailed for anyone else to decipher.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a real page turner - Mr Burley sure knows how to create suspense and in this debut novel he has put together a great plot. Any book that I have to read as fast as I can deserves five stars!

A little heavy on the medical terms, especially during the autopsies. The author is a doctor so I guess that is to be expected.

Lord of grizzly scenes - I had to sluff over the animal chapter.

In spite of terrible copy editing - baseball or wrestling? Cloth blanket or sheet?
How did she get the film in the disposable camera developed? Passports? I gobbled up every word👍

Off to his next one.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it, and I've decided to stop finishing truly terrible books, so that should tell you something. However, this was not a good book. One of the minor characters had truly, truly insufferable and unnecessary speech patterns, the main character was clueless and wishy-washy and was not the central mystery solver (likely because of his cluelessness) and the culprit's characterization was really lacking considering the close relationship between the protagonist and culprit. All in all pretty disappointing way to have spent money, but not awful.

[Lisa Eirene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Kept skimming and skipping paragraphs and even entire pages. Didn't like the writing style. Didn't care about the characters. The long paragraphs (and often pages) of medical jargon was boring and didn't move the story along. We get it, you did your research. Make it readable and interesting. Also, the dialogue was not well written.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The character building was nicely done. The story line was very good. I think the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because of the way it ended. The ending seemed a bit rushed, and there wasn’t really an end. Is there a book two?

[Christopher Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book. It definitely kept me on edge and surprised with its twists and turns. I definitely recommend it!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Burley - "Langzaam, sterf langzaam"

Ziek, vettige, vieze, spannende thriller!
I LOVE IT!
5 ⭐️ (omdat meer niet kan) 🙈