What do you think?
Mercy House
Welcome to Mercy House, a state-of-the-art retirement home that appears perfectly crisp, clean, and orderly . . . but nothing could be farther from the truth. In Adam Cesare’s thrilling novel, the residents will find little mercy—only a shocking eruption of unfathomable horror.
Harriet Laurel notices the odor at Mercy House as soon as she sets foot inside, brought there against her will by her son, Don, and his wife, Nikki. In the early stages of dementia, Harriet has grown resentful of Nikki, blaming her daughter-in-law for failing to supply grandchildren. Yet even Harriet must admit that her mind becomes clearer as soon as she crosses the threshold. If it wasn’t for that annoying smell.
Arnold Piper is an eighty-five-year-old ex-Marine, a proud man who has cared for himself his whole life. But no longer. Betrayed by his aging body, Arnold is learning that the trials he survived long ago in war-torn Korea pale beside the daily indignities of growing old. Little does he know that his greatest nightmares are still ahead of him.
Sarah Campbell is an idealistic nurse whose compassion has been stretched to the breaking point at the chronically understaffed facility that is Mercy House. But now Sarah’s list of unpleasant duties is about to take a terrifying turn. For something wicked is brewing in Mercy House. Something dark and rotten . . . and deadly.
Harriet Laurel notices the odor at Mercy House as soon as she sets foot inside, brought there against her will by her son, Don, and his wife, Nikki. In the early stages of dementia, Harriet has grown resentful of Nikki, blaming her daughter-in-law for failing to supply grandchildren. Yet even Harriet must admit that her mind becomes clearer as soon as she crosses the threshold. If it wasn’t for that annoying smell.
Arnold Piper is an eighty-five-year-old ex-Marine, a proud man who has cared for himself his whole life. But no longer. Betrayed by his aging body, Arnold is learning that the trials he survived long ago in war-torn Korea pale beside the daily indignities of growing old. Little does he know that his greatest nightmares are still ahead of him.
Sarah Campbell is an idealistic nurse whose compassion has been stretched to the breaking point at the chronically understaffed facility that is Mercy House. But now Sarah’s list of unpleasant duties is about to take a terrifying turn. For something wicked is brewing in Mercy House. Something dark and rotten . . . and deadly.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2015
About the author
Adam Cesare
68 books2,803 followersAdam Cesare is a New Yorker who lives in Philadelphia. His books include Clown in a Cornfield, Video Night, The Summer Job, and Zero Lives Remaining. He’s an avid fan of horror cinema and runs Project: Black T-Shirt, a YouTube review show where he takes horror films and pairs them with reading suggestions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
April 27, 2015
Don and his wife Nikki has decided it's time for Don's mother to go to the retirement home Mercury House. Harriet, Don's mother is feeling resentment towards Nikki, blaming her for failing to provide her with grandchildren. She is also in the early stages of dementia so a retirement home should be the best for her. They couldn't be more wrong...
Something is really wrong at Mercy House and soon Don, Nikki and the staff at the retirement home has to fight for their lives...
This isn't a book for people that can't take blood and gore. Quite early in the book, everything goes to hell and the violence (and the orgies) is quite graphic. Personally, I had no real problem with it, well the orgies was a bit nasty, old people, well old people that are “healed” and participating in wild sex games was not that fun, especially when they couldn't perform anymore and was discarded.
But the thing that bothered me with the story was that there wasn't an explanation to why all old people smelled a bad smell and then went primitive and crazy. Why just old people, and where the smell come from? Was it an experiment gone wrong/right? I can take the carnage, but I want to know why everything was happening and, in the end, it wasn't explained in any way. Other than that, the book was good well written and intense and you had no idea who would die and who would live.
I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley and from TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review!
Something is really wrong at Mercy House and soon Don, Nikki and the staff at the retirement home has to fight for their lives...
This isn't a book for people that can't take blood and gore. Quite early in the book, everything goes to hell and the violence (and the orgies) is quite graphic. Personally, I had no real problem with it, well the orgies was a bit nasty, old people, well old people that are “healed” and participating in wild sex games was not that fun, especially when they couldn't perform anymore and was discarded.
But the thing that bothered me with the story was that there wasn't an explanation to why all old people smelled a bad smell and then went primitive and crazy. Why just old people, and where the smell come from? Was it an experiment gone wrong/right? I can take the carnage, but I want to know why everything was happening and, in the end, it wasn't explained in any way. Other than that, the book was good well written and intense and you had no idea who would die and who would live.
I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley and from TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review!
May 28, 2015
What the hell is wrong with me? I love gore. I consider myself an extreme horror reader. Mercy House did not send me into a nerve-shattering orgasmic episode of delight and I can tell you why. There were too many questions. For an OCD girl like me, I wanna know. You can't just throw something out there and expect me to not question your motivations and direction. What was the primary reason for the "Healing?" That question followed me through the halls. It overshadowed the geriatric sex. It trivialized the killings and gore, which, by the way, can be found in abundance.
Maybe my own issues stopped me from enjoying this read to the fullest.
It had all the elements of a perfect splatterpunk read so I'll give you a little blurb.
"Mercy House is a tale of survival where the weak and forgotten not only usurp their overseers and the institution that has held them captive, but violently and bloodily rip it apart, showing everyone that age ain't nothing but a number."
*I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review*
Maybe my own issues stopped me from enjoying this read to the fullest.
It had all the elements of a perfect splatterpunk read so I'll give you a little blurb.
"Mercy House is a tale of survival where the weak and forgotten not only usurp their overseers and the institution that has held them captive, but violently and bloodily rip it apart, showing everyone that age ain't nothing but a number."
*I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review*
June 14, 2015
Review copy
Don Laurel and his wife, Nikki, are dropping off Don's mother at Mercy House. Harriet Laurel was losing her mind as a result of Pick's disease, like Alzheimer's leading to more and more "senior moments" and eventually to a near catatonic state.
The home rolls out the red carpet for new arrivals and their families, but things quickly turn ugly during an argument over who gets steak and who has to eat fish.
Adam Cesare instantly creates an atmosphere of terror. In the hours that follow some truly horrible crimes are committed. Although we never learn what caused the changes to the residents of Mercy House, the writing itself is top notch and there are some disturbingly violent images filling the pages of this book.
My wife works in a nursing home, the best recommendation I can give is to say I won't be suggesting she add it to her reading list. I don't think think she'd go back to work and we really need the money.
Mercy House is published by Hydra, the next generation of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror from Random House. It's available now in most e-book formats, from the usual online retailers.
Recommended.
Don Laurel and his wife, Nikki, are dropping off Don's mother at Mercy House. Harriet Laurel was losing her mind as a result of Pick's disease, like Alzheimer's leading to more and more "senior moments" and eventually to a near catatonic state.
The home rolls out the red carpet for new arrivals and their families, but things quickly turn ugly during an argument over who gets steak and who has to eat fish.
Adam Cesare instantly creates an atmosphere of terror. In the hours that follow some truly horrible crimes are committed. Although we never learn what caused the changes to the residents of Mercy House, the writing itself is top notch and there are some disturbingly violent images filling the pages of this book.
My wife works in a nursing home, the best recommendation I can give is to say I won't be suggesting she add it to her reading list. I don't think think she'd go back to work and we really need the money.
Mercy House is published by Hydra, the next generation of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror from Random House. It's available now in most e-book formats, from the usual online retailers.
Recommended.
January 19, 2015
Something has gone seriously rotten at Mercy House.
A geriatric fuck fest amid a Hieronymus Bosch tapestry of violence and destruction.
Nasty. Gory. Old school horror. Classic Cesare. Yep.
A geriatric fuck fest amid a Hieronymus Bosch tapestry of violence and destruction.
Nasty. Gory. Old school horror. Classic Cesare. Yep.
July 31, 2026
Mercy House by Adam Cesare takes the familiar setting of a retirement home and transforms it into a nightmare fueled by body horror, relentless violence, and mounting dread. What could have been a simple splatterfest is elevated by Cesare’s ability to create sympathetic characters, particularly Harriet, Arnold, and nurse Sarah, whose struggles with aging, illness, and compassion give the story surprising emotional weight.
The pacing is relentless once the horror begins, delivering one shocking set piece after another. While the novel never fully explains the source of the nightmare, the ambiguity adds to its unsettling atmosphere.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy.
The pacing is relentless once the horror begins, delivering one shocking set piece after another. While the novel never fully explains the source of the nightmare, the ambiguity adds to its unsettling atmosphere.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy.
July 21, 2026
Review in the September 2026 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2026/09... (link live on 9/10/26 at 7am central)
Three Words That Describe This Book: Survivor Horror, mature protagonists, visceral bordering on gross (in a good way)
Cinematic, extremely entertaining while also being thought provoking, multiple povs, fast paced (because we know from start all of the action will take place in 24 hours), body horror, dark humor, opens with fear, pulls back to dread and then plows forward through all the dark, anxious emotions until it gets to all out terror. Well done (but I am not surprised, Cesare is a very good writer).
After his huge success with the Clown in a Cornfield series for teens, Cesare's older titles for adults are being reissued. Readers will be so excited to have these titles more easily accessible. Mercy House is particularly interesting because it came out in 2015 but it hits on a trend from 10+ years after its release-- mature characters.
This is a classic survivor horror as you would have read in the Leisure Books era-- Brian Keene feels here especially. Starts with a scene that makes it clear that things have gone very bad and there is only 1 survivor. That's the prologue. Then the action is all 1 day before.
We are at a nursing home in the PA Woods-- off the beaten path for sure. It looks very nice on the outside but it is probably midlevel in terms of care and amenities. Not a dump but not as fancy as they want it to seem to families.
This story is told in multiple points of view from a few of the residents, workers, and the wife of the man who's mom I being brought to check in that day-- Harriet-- she also has some POV.
Again, readers know things are going to go VERY badly but how is the fun of reading this book. From the start, as we meet residents and get into their POVs we know that the old people can smell this rotten sweet smell and younger people cannot. We also know from the very beginning that they are starting to heal-- one of the main characters is a resident who is a Korean War Vet and for the first time in months he can stand and walk to the bathroom unassisted. But again, this may seem like a "happy" event, but coupled with the smell and the prologue, readers are on edge from the start.
This book has sex and violence, the details of deaths are great-- cinematic and lots of body fluids. It is a very detailed look at how things go from bad to worse. I am purposely NOT giving details other than the residents are transformed into monsters-- but each in their own unique way. The non-olds have to try to escape.
The characters are well developed for how fast the story is and how short the timeline is. Reminds me of Brian Keene there too. He is one of the best at this. Readers who like him go out and read this ASAP.
There is also a tongue in cheek tone here-- not too much though, just the right amount. The dark humor is there to make readers think about how we treat people as they age and their bodies start to break down. The horror and the humor come directly from this place and make the story thought-provoking even while it is a fast-paced, cinematic, and visceral survivor horror story.
Think the Troop by Cutter but instead of kids we've got old people. The Complex by Brian Keene but there it is an Apartment Complex. Any of the old Leisure books titles. Survival horror like The Ruins by Smith or This Wretched Valley Jenny Kiefer except in an isolated nursing home. For more nursing home horror, try the slasher Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Survivor Horror, mature protagonists, visceral bordering on gross (in a good way)
Cinematic, extremely entertaining while also being thought provoking, multiple povs, fast paced (because we know from start all of the action will take place in 24 hours), body horror, dark humor, opens with fear, pulls back to dread and then plows forward through all the dark, anxious emotions until it gets to all out terror. Well done (but I am not surprised, Cesare is a very good writer).
After his huge success with the Clown in a Cornfield series for teens, Cesare's older titles for adults are being reissued. Readers will be so excited to have these titles more easily accessible. Mercy House is particularly interesting because it came out in 2015 but it hits on a trend from 10+ years after its release-- mature characters.
This is a classic survivor horror as you would have read in the Leisure Books era-- Brian Keene feels here especially. Starts with a scene that makes it clear that things have gone very bad and there is only 1 survivor. That's the prologue. Then the action is all 1 day before.
We are at a nursing home in the PA Woods-- off the beaten path for sure. It looks very nice on the outside but it is probably midlevel in terms of care and amenities. Not a dump but not as fancy as they want it to seem to families.
This story is told in multiple points of view from a few of the residents, workers, and the wife of the man who's mom I being brought to check in that day-- Harriet-- she also has some POV.
Again, readers know things are going to go VERY badly but how is the fun of reading this book. From the start, as we meet residents and get into their POVs we know that the old people can smell this rotten sweet smell and younger people cannot. We also know from the very beginning that they are starting to heal-- one of the main characters is a resident who is a Korean War Vet and for the first time in months he can stand and walk to the bathroom unassisted. But again, this may seem like a "happy" event, but coupled with the smell and the prologue, readers are on edge from the start.
This book has sex and violence, the details of deaths are great-- cinematic and lots of body fluids. It is a very detailed look at how things go from bad to worse. I am purposely NOT giving details other than the residents are transformed into monsters-- but each in their own unique way. The non-olds have to try to escape.
The characters are well developed for how fast the story is and how short the timeline is. Reminds me of Brian Keene there too. He is one of the best at this. Readers who like him go out and read this ASAP.
There is also a tongue in cheek tone here-- not too much though, just the right amount. The dark humor is there to make readers think about how we treat people as they age and their bodies start to break down. The horror and the humor come directly from this place and make the story thought-provoking even while it is a fast-paced, cinematic, and visceral survivor horror story.
Think the Troop by Cutter but instead of kids we've got old people. The Complex by Brian Keene but there it is an Apartment Complex. Any of the old Leisure books titles. Survival horror like The Ruins by Smith or This Wretched Valley Jenny Kiefer except in an isolated nursing home. For more nursing home horror, try the slasher Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi.
February 12, 2015
3.5*
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Harriet is in the early stages of dementia and is being taken to Mercy House, a state of the art nursing home by her son, Don, and his wife Nikki. Recently the residents of Mercy House have noticed something odd in the home as they begin to experience physical changes and Harriet also becomes affected as soon as she arrives. Residents experience a reversal of the ageing process but along with this comes a violent psychological change that has the elderly lusting for blood.
After reading some of the other reviews for this I was expecting a much more explicit read but was glad that it wasn't quite as extreme as I had anticipated. There is still plenty of gore so hardcore fans won't be disappointed but the sexual content wasn't as graphic as expected. There is plenty of action and it starts pretty much from the first few chapters and doesn't let up til the final page.
I had a couple of issues that lessened my enjoyment of the read. The first was that there was no explanation as to why the residents changed, what the funny smell was and what was it connected to. It was frustrating not to know the source of the change and gave the story no real foundation for the residents actions.
The other issue was that there were too many characters for me, I found it hard to keep everything straight especially as the pacing was very fast. There were also not nearly enough likeable characters. The main character of Nikki was well done but for some reason I couldn't quite connect to her enough to feel completely invested in her outcome. The other main character was Sarah, I found her very unlikeable even though I assumed she was supposed to be a sympathetic character. Her back story made her seem very judgmental and nit picky which I didn't like at all. The character I liked most was the physical therapist (Paolo, I think), perhaps too good to be true but the one character you really wanted to survive.
An entertaining story that is missing some vital information and characters that well drawn but hard at times to connect with. I'd still recommend this to horror fans as it's a fun read.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Harriet is in the early stages of dementia and is being taken to Mercy House, a state of the art nursing home by her son, Don, and his wife Nikki. Recently the residents of Mercy House have noticed something odd in the home as they begin to experience physical changes and Harriet also becomes affected as soon as she arrives. Residents experience a reversal of the ageing process but along with this comes a violent psychological change that has the elderly lusting for blood.
After reading some of the other reviews for this I was expecting a much more explicit read but was glad that it wasn't quite as extreme as I had anticipated. There is still plenty of gore so hardcore fans won't be disappointed but the sexual content wasn't as graphic as expected. There is plenty of action and it starts pretty much from the first few chapters and doesn't let up til the final page.
I had a couple of issues that lessened my enjoyment of the read. The first was that there was no explanation as to why the residents changed, what the funny smell was and what was it connected to. It was frustrating not to know the source of the change and gave the story no real foundation for the residents actions.
The other issue was that there were too many characters for me, I found it hard to keep everything straight especially as the pacing was very fast. There were also not nearly enough likeable characters. The main character of Nikki was well done but for some reason I couldn't quite connect to her enough to feel completely invested in her outcome. The other main character was Sarah, I found her very unlikeable even though I assumed she was supposed to be a sympathetic character. Her back story made her seem very judgmental and nit picky which I didn't like at all. The character I liked most was the physical therapist (Paolo, I think), perhaps too good to be true but the one character you really wanted to survive.
An entertaining story that is missing some vital information and characters that well drawn but hard at times to connect with. I'd still recommend this to horror fans as it's a fun read.
September 21, 2015
It would've been so easy to just write this as a straight forward zombie-esque splatter fest, not that there's anything wrong with that. In the hands of someone as skilled as Cesare, it would've been downright entertaining. But with Mercy House, he goes the extra step, playing on the reader's fear of someday growing old and possibly winding up in such a facility. The book's tone is a somewhat uneven mix of horror and comedy but it's done deliberately (as far as I can tell) and it makes for an almost dizzying narrative. Just when you think the story's at its wackiest, it goes for the jugular, making the violence/depravity all the more effective. With realistic/sympathetic characters and perhaps the best use of setting I've read all year, Cesare's newest book is intelligent horror gold. I promise you'll love this one. Just don't expect it to show any mercy.
August 19, 2026
⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2
You can’t win ‘em all. I’ve liked everything I’ve read from Cesare…up until now.
Mercy House is pointlessly violent, with no rhyme or reason to justify its existence. The outbreak isn’t well-formed, and certainly isn’t explained. It was gratuitous and over-the-top, which can be fun at times, but there still has to be some redeeming quality to overcompensate for an otherwise inane plot. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and the writing alone couldn’t rescue it from itself. This won’t dissuade me from reading more of his books, but it is a good reminder that no writer has 100% hit rate.
You can’t win ‘em all. I’ve liked everything I’ve read from Cesare…up until now.
Mercy House is pointlessly violent, with no rhyme or reason to justify its existence. The outbreak isn’t well-formed, and certainly isn’t explained. It was gratuitous and over-the-top, which can be fun at times, but there still has to be some redeeming quality to overcompensate for an otherwise inane plot. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and the writing alone couldn’t rescue it from itself. This won’t dissuade me from reading more of his books, but it is a good reminder that no writer has 100% hit rate.
March 26, 2019
When the elderly residents of Mercy House undergo an inexplicable mutation that renders them elongated and lust-addled cannibals, it’s safe to assume that none of our small cast of young protagonists stand much of a chance. Characters are drawn quickly but effectively, giving enough emotional engagement with these caregivers (and one couple who picked a bad day to drop-off a fading mother) as they navigate slime-drenched orgies, battle royales, and the realities of their own human nature. Cesare’s novel is a fast-paced, ultraviolent extravaganza of geriatric dread that will please lovers of gonzo action-horror comedies like Dead Alive and Re-Animator.
January 1, 2017
No author has a hundred percent hit rate, and Mercy House is Adam Cesare's first swing and miss for me. Dealing with some kind of outbreak at an old people's home which turns the residents into super-charged, id-driven monsters, the novel follows both the efforts of a few select characters in trying to get out alive, as well as the POVs of several of the residents as they undergo their change.
Though the book builds nicely through the establishing sections, I found myself losing interest as the chaos mounted. The infection (or whatever it is) is never well-defined so I was uncertain why some people acted in one way, while others acted completely differently. The ranks of the survivors are thinned fairly quickly, leaving behind only one or two whom I liked and wanted to see live. And then this all gets thrown into a very repetitive mix of stalk and hide scenes that were never thrilling or horrifying enough (for me).
Don't worry. Cesare has more than demonstrated how fantastic an author he is, so I will definitely be back for his next book, but this is one that I will not be adding to his collection on my physical book shelf.
2 Strict Nursing Routines for Mercy House.
Though the book builds nicely through the establishing sections, I found myself losing interest as the chaos mounted. The infection (or whatever it is) is never well-defined so I was uncertain why some people acted in one way, while others acted completely differently. The ranks of the survivors are thinned fairly quickly, leaving behind only one or two whom I liked and wanted to see live. And then this all gets thrown into a very repetitive mix of stalk and hide scenes that were never thrilling or horrifying enough (for me).
Don't worry. Cesare has more than demonstrated how fantastic an author he is, so I will definitely be back for his next book, but this is one that I will not be adding to his collection on my physical book shelf.
2 Strict Nursing Routines for Mercy House.
February 27, 2015
What would happen if you took Bubba Ho-Tep with its old folks home backdrop, then replaced the oddball comedy with the most hair-raising, blood-curdling moments of The Evil Dead? Well, you might wind up with Mercy House.
No sign of Bruce Campbell in this taut-paced novel, but the manic pace and otherworldly manifestations do lend themselves to his brand of horror.
What you basically have in Mercy House is an out of the way seniors complex. The owners present it to folks as an idyllic place to admit elderly relatives, so they can enjoy all the wonderful amenities like fine dining, hot tubs, and frequent social events. In reality, the place is a wee bit shady, cutting corners where it can and employing a few people who fall short of "Employee of the Month." It's not a dungeon by any stretch ... at least not yet. Because, ya see, one day all hell breaks loose. Inexplicably, something happens to the residents of Mercy House, just as a prospective new resident is being given the grand tour. Carnage, to put it lightly, ensues.
In one sense, the novel feels a little familiar, at least with the jump off. An opening chapter that gives a glimpse of the terror, then the intro of the key players and just enough character development for you to give a damn whether they live or die, then pull the lever and let the madness begin. But once it does kick off with the bedlam, the familiarity is replaced with a kind of disorienting dread. This is not a mystery novel. Don't look for answers. Look for questions, and amid the bloodletting there are some touched upon questions of our autumn years, our mortality, and our unspoken frailties bubbling to the surface in unsavory ways.
Adam Cesare is really good in writing what feels like a cinematic slaughterhouse. He did it with Tribesmen, which I loved, and he's done it here. If visceral, unvarnished horror is your preferred reading experience, you've got a good one here.
No sign of Bruce Campbell in this taut-paced novel, but the manic pace and otherworldly manifestations do lend themselves to his brand of horror.
What you basically have in Mercy House is an out of the way seniors complex. The owners present it to folks as an idyllic place to admit elderly relatives, so they can enjoy all the wonderful amenities like fine dining, hot tubs, and frequent social events. In reality, the place is a wee bit shady, cutting corners where it can and employing a few people who fall short of "Employee of the Month." It's not a dungeon by any stretch ... at least not yet. Because, ya see, one day all hell breaks loose. Inexplicably, something happens to the residents of Mercy House, just as a prospective new resident is being given the grand tour. Carnage, to put it lightly, ensues.
In one sense, the novel feels a little familiar, at least with the jump off. An opening chapter that gives a glimpse of the terror, then the intro of the key players and just enough character development for you to give a damn whether they live or die, then pull the lever and let the madness begin. But once it does kick off with the bedlam, the familiarity is replaced with a kind of disorienting dread. This is not a mystery novel. Don't look for answers. Look for questions, and amid the bloodletting there are some touched upon questions of our autumn years, our mortality, and our unspoken frailties bubbling to the surface in unsavory ways.
Adam Cesare is really good in writing what feels like a cinematic slaughterhouse. He did it with Tribesmen, which I loved, and he's done it here. If visceral, unvarnished horror is your preferred reading experience, you've got a good one here.
May 17, 2015
The setting for Adam Cesare's Mercy House may be as depressing as it gets. Harriet is reluctantly brought to the state-of-the-art retirement home called Mercy House by her son and his wife, Don and Nikki. As they tour the home, a change comes over the elderly residents. It is a change that brings violence and depravity to the facility and leaves some staff and visitors desperately trying to survive as the residents kill, rape and eat their way through the night.
Setting the action in a retirement home is a tricky endeavor and invites all type of analogizing. The fact that the author provides no clear motive for the transformation of the residents is an interesting tactic. Without an explanation, we are forced to look at the action and emotions of the characters, searching for rationalizations where that may be none. Some readers have focused on the zombie-like state of the transformed seniors but I don't see it. The elderly protagonists go from helpless victims to savage victimizers in a moment. They are violent but still alert, more so than before and stronger than before. The viciousness in which they go after the caretakers imply an almost obsessive revenge, a turning of the tables so to speak. This theme of docility turned savage is not new. There are some comparisons that can be made to other sources. The focusing on one building where the characters are trapped and reverting to a primitive state is similar to J. G. Ballard's Highrise while there is a very similar setup in Cronenberg's early horror film Shiver. But I kept thinking that I may actually be reading sort of a geriatric Lord of the Flies. Are not the very old sometimes thought of as being in a second age of innocence especially as physical and mental frailty sets in. And if that was removed suddenly along with the effects of returned strength and heightened libido and emotions, could not the result be a wave of hostility and revenge upon those who controlled them?
Yes, Mercy House brings forth a load of questions. But are they the reader's or the author's? it is a little hard to say since Cesare's incredibly violent and intense novel never really lets up enough to indulge in answers. The author writes like in a whirlwind going to one shocking scene after another. it is really quite impressive. He focuses on a few of the characters more than others in a way that gives pretty much a capsule study on modes of survival. Nikki is basically the main focus, lost in the meaning of it all but simply trying to survive. Sarah is a nurse quickly headed for burnout when the events becomes for her a sad karmic accusation. Of the elder residents, Arnold Piper, a veteran, turns the horrors into what sometimes seemed to me like a gruesome re-enactment of his war years. And finally, there is Harriett, whose violent transformation is dominated by the obsessive hatred she has for the daughter-in-law she always resented.
Yes, there is a lot to take in here. Yet Mercy House is a visceral, controversial and ultimately difficult read. Cesare's skills are so good that his descriptions bring you into the action maybe a little too intimately. Intense may be an understatement. If one can handle the extreme ride it is a very rewarding if exhausting tale. But at times I wished he slowed down and gave the reader time and clues to ponder all the madness. I don't need explanations in a novel all the time but in this one I wonder if it would have been a little more helpful to tie the themes and action together.
Yet it is still a sick but wonderful roller coaster ride. I would certainly recommend this to those who enjoy extreme horror but also to those who want to see where the young writers in the genre are heading. For me, it is nice to know that the younger writers can still find stories that make us old veteran horror readers a little queasy.
Three and a half stars.
Setting the action in a retirement home is a tricky endeavor and invites all type of analogizing. The fact that the author provides no clear motive for the transformation of the residents is an interesting tactic. Without an explanation, we are forced to look at the action and emotions of the characters, searching for rationalizations where that may be none. Some readers have focused on the zombie-like state of the transformed seniors but I don't see it. The elderly protagonists go from helpless victims to savage victimizers in a moment. They are violent but still alert, more so than before and stronger than before. The viciousness in which they go after the caretakers imply an almost obsessive revenge, a turning of the tables so to speak. This theme of docility turned savage is not new. There are some comparisons that can be made to other sources. The focusing on one building where the characters are trapped and reverting to a primitive state is similar to J. G. Ballard's Highrise while there is a very similar setup in Cronenberg's early horror film Shiver. But I kept thinking that I may actually be reading sort of a geriatric Lord of the Flies. Are not the very old sometimes thought of as being in a second age of innocence especially as physical and mental frailty sets in. And if that was removed suddenly along with the effects of returned strength and heightened libido and emotions, could not the result be a wave of hostility and revenge upon those who controlled them?
Yes, Mercy House brings forth a load of questions. But are they the reader's or the author's? it is a little hard to say since Cesare's incredibly violent and intense novel never really lets up enough to indulge in answers. The author writes like in a whirlwind going to one shocking scene after another. it is really quite impressive. He focuses on a few of the characters more than others in a way that gives pretty much a capsule study on modes of survival. Nikki is basically the main focus, lost in the meaning of it all but simply trying to survive. Sarah is a nurse quickly headed for burnout when the events becomes for her a sad karmic accusation. Of the elder residents, Arnold Piper, a veteran, turns the horrors into what sometimes seemed to me like a gruesome re-enactment of his war years. And finally, there is Harriett, whose violent transformation is dominated by the obsessive hatred she has for the daughter-in-law she always resented.
Yes, there is a lot to take in here. Yet Mercy House is a visceral, controversial and ultimately difficult read. Cesare's skills are so good that his descriptions bring you into the action maybe a little too intimately. Intense may be an understatement. If one can handle the extreme ride it is a very rewarding if exhausting tale. But at times I wished he slowed down and gave the reader time and clues to ponder all the madness. I don't need explanations in a novel all the time but in this one I wonder if it would have been a little more helpful to tie the themes and action together.
Yet it is still a sick but wonderful roller coaster ride. I would certainly recommend this to those who enjoy extreme horror but also to those who want to see where the young writers in the genre are heading. For me, it is nice to know that the younger writers can still find stories that make us old veteran horror readers a little queasy.
Three and a half stars.
June 30, 2025
This was a solidly ghoulish good time. The weak ending and slight pacing issues did little to detract from my enjoyment.
September 11, 2026
So...this is a reissue. And it's interesting to see how much the author has grown since writing this one. The author has matured, while still keeping a sort of tongue-in-cheek quality to their work.
This one...isn't it. I understand that the author has a fan base and reissuing their work makes money-sense, but this is gore for gore's sake with very little story. Our characters read as caricatures with very little heart and no soul. They never, ever feel like actual people.
It's sex and violence, but let's pretend it's edgy because it's the olds instead of younger characters.
I'm okay with extreme horror, but generally not okay with horror seeking a plot.
Will continue to read the author's newer work!
This one...isn't it. I understand that the author has a fan base and reissuing their work makes money-sense, but this is gore for gore's sake with very little story. Our characters read as caricatures with very little heart and no soul. They never, ever feel like actual people.
It's sex and violence, but let's pretend it's edgy because it's the olds instead of younger characters.
I'm okay with extreme horror, but generally not okay with horror seeking a plot.
Will continue to read the author's newer work!
October 21, 2015
Are You Afraid Of The Elderly?
Fear of old people. There's a lot packed into that concept. Young people afraid of growing old, sealing their elders away in nursing homes to die. But what if the old people are given a mysterious new lease on life? What if they mutate and fall prey to their old vices and new ones too. Like cannibalism. Like sloppy old people orgies. This book is twisted, make no mistake, but what elevates it to the next level is the characters. The elderly residents at Mercy House don't all dive wholeheartedly into their transformation into old monster mutant things. Some of them try to hold onto their humanity, or at least pieces of it. Meanwhile, the youngsters who are trapped in the olders' clutches are no saints. After all, they're the ones who have kept the oldsters captive. The nursing home devolves into a Lord of the Flies scenario, but with old people. But let's talk about the old people orgies some more. There's a good chance you're going to gag the next time you hear the word "blue." You're not ready for this.
Fear of old people. There's a lot packed into that concept. Young people afraid of growing old, sealing their elders away in nursing homes to die. But what if the old people are given a mysterious new lease on life? What if they mutate and fall prey to their old vices and new ones too. Like cannibalism. Like sloppy old people orgies. This book is twisted, make no mistake, but what elevates it to the next level is the characters. The elderly residents at Mercy House don't all dive wholeheartedly into their transformation into old monster mutant things. Some of them try to hold onto their humanity, or at least pieces of it. Meanwhile, the youngsters who are trapped in the olders' clutches are no saints. After all, they're the ones who have kept the oldsters captive. The nursing home devolves into a Lord of the Flies scenario, but with old people. But let's talk about the old people orgies some more. There's a good chance you're going to gag the next time you hear the word "blue." You're not ready for this.
February 17, 2015
Over the past year, Adam Cesare has become one of my "must read" horror novelists. He is surfing the top of the wave of new talent that has been coming into their own recently. Anytime he publishes a new book, I immediately snatch it up.
MERCY HOUSE is another great addition to his library. Starting with the premise that an unknown force causes elderly people to regain the strength and "lust for life"" they had lost over the years (pun definitely intended).
Unfortunately, their rejuvenation continues until they revert to primal bloodthirsty savagery. The majority of the action takes place in a nursing home called Mercy House as it devolves into a festival of bloodshed..
The only issue I had with the books was the nebulous origin for the mutation... or whatever it was. Personally, I prefer to know the exact cause. Even so, that's a minor quibble. I would definitely recommend this to any fan of horror fiction.
4 out of 5 stars
MERCY HOUSE is another great addition to his library. Starting with the premise that an unknown force causes elderly people to regain the strength and "lust for life"" they had lost over the years (pun definitely intended).
Unfortunately, their rejuvenation continues until they revert to primal bloodthirsty savagery. The majority of the action takes place in a nursing home called Mercy House as it devolves into a festival of bloodshed..
The only issue I had with the books was the nebulous origin for the mutation... or whatever it was. Personally, I prefer to know the exact cause. Even so, that's a minor quibble. I would definitely recommend this to any fan of horror fiction.
4 out of 5 stars
May 7, 2015
Mercy House is a non-stop, graphic, chaotic ride of terror and mayhem. It's pure, old school, gore-filled horror about survival. It's sort of a zombie novel, but not a zombie novel, as the "residents/creatures" are more than what we think of as "zombies"--brainless flesh consuming monsters. These "things/changed people" are something new and do more than simply kill. There are orgies, sex, lots of violence and death and characters to root for. Filled with dread and that feeling of "are they going to make it" and lots of cool scenes and surprises, Mercy House is a true horror fan's must-read.
September 13, 2026
I wasn't aware that MERCY HOUSE was a re-release when I requested it on NetGalley, and had I seen the existing reviews beforehand, I would not have requested this book. The premise sounded right up my alley, with a sinister retirement home, elderly residents, an understaffed facility, and something dark and rotten lurking beneath the surface. Instead, I found myself struggling almost immediately with the sheer number of characters. There were far too many people to keep track of, and I never became invested enough in any of them to care what happened.
The pacing was the biggest problem for me. This story moved at a snail's pace, and I kept waiting for something to happen that would actually push the narrative forward. I have absolutely zero issues with gore, so the graphic elements weren't the problem. If anything, I wanted more from them. There were plenty of opportunities for the horror to actually propel the story, but the gore felt disconnected from the larger narrative rather than adding momentum or tension. I kept reading because I was hoping things would eventually click into place, but that never really happened for me.
The execution completely missed the mark. I know horror is subjective, and clearly this one has found its audience, but unfortunately I was not one of them. Regardless, thank you to Del Ray Books for the early copy that will publish October 20, 2026.
The pacing was the biggest problem for me. This story moved at a snail's pace, and I kept waiting for something to happen that would actually push the narrative forward. I have absolutely zero issues with gore, so the graphic elements weren't the problem. If anything, I wanted more from them. There were plenty of opportunities for the horror to actually propel the story, but the gore felt disconnected from the larger narrative rather than adding momentum or tension. I kept reading because I was hoping things would eventually click into place, but that never really happened for me.
The execution completely missed the mark. I know horror is subjective, and clearly this one has found its audience, but unfortunately I was not one of them. Regardless, thank you to Del Ray Books for the early copy that will publish October 20, 2026.
May 11, 2015
I received an advance copy of Mercy House from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Hydra.
Not read much by Adam Cesare but loved his contribution in Jackpot and heard really good things about Mercy House so grabbed my chance to get a copy from NetGalley. What a journey this turned out to be!
Don and Nikki Laurel are on a road trip to Mercy House. It’s an old people’s home. They are taking Don’s mother Harriet there but she really doesn’t want to go. She thinks Nikki is to blame for her going there and hates her with a vengeance.
Sarah Campbell is a nurse in Mercy House. She does everything by the book to make sure all the residents have as much of a pleasurable stay as they can.
Arnold Piper is eighty five and an ex-marine. He served in Korea and is now seeing out his last years in Mercy House. He hasn’t been able to move much for a long time but suddenly he feels fitter. He can move more. He is getting some life back in his old bones.
Something is in the air. No one is quite sure what it is but when it starts to affect the residents in ways that no one could ever expect, it spells disaster for anyone unlucky enough to be staying in Mercy House, or even just visiting.
People are scared of clowns. People are scared of dolls. People are scared of balloons. I personally, have always had a fear of old people’s homes. I hate the feeling in them. I hate the smell in them. I’m almost sorry to say that I hate the people in them. This is due to the fact that they all seem to have given up. The homes are like the last waiting room before the resident’s just pop off upstairs or downstairs for good.
After reading Mercy House, I will never set foot in one again. I am even right now, looking at the one directly opposite my house with suspicion and fear.
Adam Cesare has written a book that is horrific in every way possible. It is wonderfully written to give you a crawling sensation up your spine with every word you read and one that stays with you long after you finish it. Let’s face it, an old peoples home wouldn’t be the place you would expect a horror book to be set. I mean what damage can old people do? You would be surprised.
Our main characters in this book stand out big and tall for varying reasons. Harriett is nuts. There is no doubt about that. Her son Don and his wife Nikki are doing the best they can for her. She doesn’t see it like that. When the “thing” happens her level of nuttiness multiplies by a million. She goes on a horrific rampage with only one mission. Get Nikki. Nikki herself has more to deal with than most in this story and her battle for survival shows a strength of character most people would not possess. Arnold Piper is cool. An ex-marine who still has what it takes to lead an army, comes to the fore in a way he thought had long left him. Sarah Campbell is a quiet, unassuming girl just out to do her job. She gets caught up in something she could never have imagined in all of her lifetime.
Mercy House is essentially a battle for survival, told from many different perspectives, both good and evil. It’s like a zombie book but there are no zombies. All characters are alive. Some of the residents more alive than they have been for years. I don’t want to give anything away of the plot but there is no escape. Some people are in total control and some people have no control. Some people are running for their lives and some want to end those lives. The frustrating thing for me was you have no idea why. Some call it “the healing” but I would have liked to have known more about what it actually was. This in no way takes away from the story though.
Trying to describe how horrific this is without giving away the story is nearly impossible. It is superb, edge of your seat stuff with blood, guts and gore a plenty. You can smell the fear. You can taste it. You can feel it.
Ever see House of 1000 Corpses? One of the greatest horror films ever made in my opinion. Rob Zombie absolutely killed me with that film. It was perfect.
Mr Zombie needs to get his hands on Mercy House and give it the same treatment. It has the same feel about it only times the horror by ten.
To summarise: Horror in an old people’s home. Palpable, tangible horror. It will grab you by the squidgies and not just squeeze them but rip them off and thrown them away. Super, perfectly paced writing with characters that fit like a glove and characters you just cannot fail to love and equally hate. You will jump, you will cringe, and you will even laugh. Do not read whilst eating and make sure you have someone close by to give you a hug when you’re finished with it.
General rating:
★★★★★ Can't give it any less.
Horror rating:
★★★★★ You want horror? Buy this.
Not read much by Adam Cesare but loved his contribution in Jackpot and heard really good things about Mercy House so grabbed my chance to get a copy from NetGalley. What a journey this turned out to be!
Don and Nikki Laurel are on a road trip to Mercy House. It’s an old people’s home. They are taking Don’s mother Harriet there but she really doesn’t want to go. She thinks Nikki is to blame for her going there and hates her with a vengeance.
Sarah Campbell is a nurse in Mercy House. She does everything by the book to make sure all the residents have as much of a pleasurable stay as they can.
Arnold Piper is eighty five and an ex-marine. He served in Korea and is now seeing out his last years in Mercy House. He hasn’t been able to move much for a long time but suddenly he feels fitter. He can move more. He is getting some life back in his old bones.
Something is in the air. No one is quite sure what it is but when it starts to affect the residents in ways that no one could ever expect, it spells disaster for anyone unlucky enough to be staying in Mercy House, or even just visiting.
People are scared of clowns. People are scared of dolls. People are scared of balloons. I personally, have always had a fear of old people’s homes. I hate the feeling in them. I hate the smell in them. I’m almost sorry to say that I hate the people in them. This is due to the fact that they all seem to have given up. The homes are like the last waiting room before the resident’s just pop off upstairs or downstairs for good.
After reading Mercy House, I will never set foot in one again. I am even right now, looking at the one directly opposite my house with suspicion and fear.
Adam Cesare has written a book that is horrific in every way possible. It is wonderfully written to give you a crawling sensation up your spine with every word you read and one that stays with you long after you finish it. Let’s face it, an old peoples home wouldn’t be the place you would expect a horror book to be set. I mean what damage can old people do? You would be surprised.
Our main characters in this book stand out big and tall for varying reasons. Harriett is nuts. There is no doubt about that. Her son Don and his wife Nikki are doing the best they can for her. She doesn’t see it like that. When the “thing” happens her level of nuttiness multiplies by a million. She goes on a horrific rampage with only one mission. Get Nikki. Nikki herself has more to deal with than most in this story and her battle for survival shows a strength of character most people would not possess. Arnold Piper is cool. An ex-marine who still has what it takes to lead an army, comes to the fore in a way he thought had long left him. Sarah Campbell is a quiet, unassuming girl just out to do her job. She gets caught up in something she could never have imagined in all of her lifetime.
Mercy House is essentially a battle for survival, told from many different perspectives, both good and evil. It’s like a zombie book but there are no zombies. All characters are alive. Some of the residents more alive than they have been for years. I don’t want to give anything away of the plot but there is no escape. Some people are in total control and some people have no control. Some people are running for their lives and some want to end those lives. The frustrating thing for me was you have no idea why. Some call it “the healing” but I would have liked to have known more about what it actually was. This in no way takes away from the story though.
Trying to describe how horrific this is without giving away the story is nearly impossible. It is superb, edge of your seat stuff with blood, guts and gore a plenty. You can smell the fear. You can taste it. You can feel it.
Ever see House of 1000 Corpses? One of the greatest horror films ever made in my opinion. Rob Zombie absolutely killed me with that film. It was perfect.
Mr Zombie needs to get his hands on Mercy House and give it the same treatment. It has the same feel about it only times the horror by ten.
To summarise: Horror in an old people’s home. Palpable, tangible horror. It will grab you by the squidgies and not just squeeze them but rip them off and thrown them away. Super, perfectly paced writing with characters that fit like a glove and characters you just cannot fail to love and equally hate. You will jump, you will cringe, and you will even laugh. Do not read whilst eating and make sure you have someone close by to give you a hug when you’re finished with it.
General rating:
★★★★★ Can't give it any less.
Horror rating:
★★★★★ You want horror? Buy this.
February 20, 2015
Review Copy times 2
This is the second time I have read MERCY HOUSE. I have no memory whatsover of the first time. It is being re-released after roughly 10 years with seemingly no changes.
I like Adam Cesare and when I saw a had a 'new' book available, I said, yes! I went to add it to my Goodreads shelf and saw my original review. Still not remembering a thing I started reading and tried comparing new book to old, After 3 tries with no changes I gave up. It seems to be one long fight scene. It took me a while to get through it, but I did.
The book has a new cover and that seems the only new about it. I wasn't any happier with the story than I was the first time. Some people enjoy fight scenes and this might you, if so, check out MERCY
HOUSE.
I've left my original review below if you're interested.
###################################################################
Mercy House. A place none of us wants to end up in, but pretty nice from the description. Don & Nikki are bringing Don's mother to live. They'll spend the day to check it out. And that's the premise.
For some reason the seniors are given sudden strength and stamina. Food fights break out and various other fighting begins. The true horror begins when you get the image of octogenarian sex in your mind. This could be you in (x) number of years! Please! I'd prefer not to imagine that. But, basically, the novel was pretty much one note. Sex, gore, gore, sex. For that reason, for me, it was just OK and I gave it three stars.
This is the second time I have read MERCY HOUSE. I have no memory whatsover of the first time. It is being re-released after roughly 10 years with seemingly no changes.
I like Adam Cesare and when I saw a had a 'new' book available, I said, yes! I went to add it to my Goodreads shelf and saw my original review. Still not remembering a thing I started reading and tried comparing new book to old, After 3 tries with no changes I gave up. It seems to be one long fight scene. It took me a while to get through it, but I did.
The book has a new cover and that seems the only new about it. I wasn't any happier with the story than I was the first time. Some people enjoy fight scenes and this might you, if so, check out MERCY
HOUSE.
I've left my original review below if you're interested.
###################################################################
Mercy House. A place none of us wants to end up in, but pretty nice from the description. Don & Nikki are bringing Don's mother to live. They'll spend the day to check it out. And that's the premise.
For some reason the seniors are given sudden strength and stamina. Food fights break out and various other fighting begins. The true horror begins when you get the image of octogenarian sex in your mind. This could be you in (x) number of years! Please! I'd prefer not to imagine that. But, basically, the novel was pretty much one note. Sex, gore, gore, sex. For that reason, for me, it was just OK and I gave it three stars.
August 5, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
You know what? It’s so nice when a horror novel does something that feels a little bit more original. I can’t say that creepy old people have never been done before, but them getting done in this specific way feels like something just that bit new.
I’m a big fan of ‘extreme’ horror where it doesn’t solely rely on sexual content to make the point it’s trying to make. This book teeters on that line, but it doesn’t try to go for just the shock of that approach, which is really nice. The violence itself is not as ‘extreme’ as some other shock books, but it’s done in a way that horror rookies would enjoy it more than something that throws them in the deep end.
Some of the scenes have a genuine creepy element, like the one in the spa room, which was done really well prior to Sarah’s discovery. I think it’s a great insight into societal expectations about the elderly too, and the POV sections were probably my favourite from the residents. They were certainly confronting, but that’s very realistic, to be honest.
The fact that it is almost entirely a locked door horror has to be applauded to. While it could have done with a little more structure in places, particularly at the end, I was impressed by this as a concept. The potential of humans, regardless of weird augmentation, will always be the scariest possible concept in a way.
You know what? It’s so nice when a horror novel does something that feels a little bit more original. I can’t say that creepy old people have never been done before, but them getting done in this specific way feels like something just that bit new.
I’m a big fan of ‘extreme’ horror where it doesn’t solely rely on sexual content to make the point it’s trying to make. This book teeters on that line, but it doesn’t try to go for just the shock of that approach, which is really nice. The violence itself is not as ‘extreme’ as some other shock books, but it’s done in a way that horror rookies would enjoy it more than something that throws them in the deep end.
Some of the scenes have a genuine creepy element, like the one in the spa room, which was done really well prior to Sarah’s discovery. I think it’s a great insight into societal expectations about the elderly too, and the POV sections were probably my favourite from the residents. They were certainly confronting, but that’s very realistic, to be honest.
The fact that it is almost entirely a locked door horror has to be applauded to. While it could have done with a little more structure in places, particularly at the end, I was impressed by this as a concept. The potential of humans, regardless of weird augmentation, will always be the scariest possible concept in a way.
August 28, 2026
Well, one thing is certain: I will never look at old people the same way again. 😂 And apparently I’m suspicious of grandparents now.
I went into Mercy House expecting horror, obviously, but I was NOT prepared for how quickly this went from fragile elderly people in a retirement home to absolute fucking monsters and complete chaos.
This book is WILD. Bloody, disgusting, brutal, completely unhinged and at times so over the top that I genuinely had to sit there thinking, what the fuck am I reading? Once things start going wrong, they go wrong FAST, and from there it’s basically survival, carnage and one increasingly horrifying situation after another.
What I really loved was the setting. A retirement home is such an unexpected place for this kind of horror, and Adam Cesare absolutely takes advantage of it. There’s something deeply disturbing about watching these vulnerable people suddenly become the biggest threat in the room. And some of the imagery? Unfortunately burned into my brain forever. Thank you very much for that.
I do wish we’d gotten a little more explanation about why everything was happening. I kept waiting for answers, and the lack of them left me wanting more from the story beyond all the blood, gore and insanity. Still, I can’t deny how much fun I had reading it.
Fast, gruesome, disturbing and absolutely ridiculous in the best horror way.
Pre-read : Retirement home + supernatural horror + absolute fucking chaos? Well… obviously I had to
__Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and the Author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I went into Mercy House expecting horror, obviously, but I was NOT prepared for how quickly this went from fragile elderly people in a retirement home to absolute fucking monsters and complete chaos.
This book is WILD. Bloody, disgusting, brutal, completely unhinged and at times so over the top that I genuinely had to sit there thinking, what the fuck am I reading? Once things start going wrong, they go wrong FAST, and from there it’s basically survival, carnage and one increasingly horrifying situation after another.
What I really loved was the setting. A retirement home is such an unexpected place for this kind of horror, and Adam Cesare absolutely takes advantage of it. There’s something deeply disturbing about watching these vulnerable people suddenly become the biggest threat in the room. And some of the imagery? Unfortunately burned into my brain forever. Thank you very much for that.
I do wish we’d gotten a little more explanation about why everything was happening. I kept waiting for answers, and the lack of them left me wanting more from the story beyond all the blood, gore and insanity. Still, I can’t deny how much fun I had reading it.
Fast, gruesome, disturbing and absolutely ridiculous in the best horror way.
Pre-read : Retirement home + supernatural horror + absolute fucking chaos? Well… obviously I had to
__Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and the Author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
July 30, 2026
A rotten smell causes the residents of Mercy House to turn into crazed, mutated people. The catch is that it's only the elderly. The few survivors that escape the initial bloodbath have to find a way to survive amidst the chaos, which eventually turns into a drawn out game of cat and mouse.
Overall, this was a well-written book. The beginning kept me engaged, but I started to lose interest towards the middle. This would be a great book for horror fans because it is quite gory. My main problem with the book is that the smell is never explained. The smell and the very end seemed underwhelming. Why did the change affect people differently? Why did it only affect the elderly residents? None of those questions were answered. Also, the ending was a little inconclusive for me. It felt slightly open ended and left me wondering what was going to happen. The characters were well written, but also hard to engage with.
Thank you Del Rey for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, this was a well-written book. The beginning kept me engaged, but I started to lose interest towards the middle. This would be a great book for horror fans because it is quite gory. My main problem with the book is that the smell is never explained. The smell and the very end seemed underwhelming. Why did the change affect people differently? Why did it only affect the elderly residents? None of those questions were answered. Also, the ending was a little inconclusive for me. It felt slightly open ended and left me wondering what was going to happen. The characters were well written, but also hard to engage with.
Thank you Del Rey for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 27, 2026
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!
Well, this was my first splatterpunk book and it was.... exactly how I thought it would be. Gratuitous, over the top, insane. Shock after shock. And at times it felt like it was shock for shocks sake, which - depending on which side of the fence you're on - you'll either love, or it'll drive you crazy.
I was somewhere in the middle. There wasn't enough of a lull in the story for me to be prepared for whatever happened next, so I expected every page to be a new nightmare. It got repetitive after a time.
Not to mention, there was no reason for the cause of events in the story, and again that's something you either love or hate, and unless this will become a multi book series (it wont), im on the side of hate (okay that's a strong word tbf - more like 'aversion')
Still, overall a fun- and traumatising read. If I ever had my sights set on working in a nursing home, that's absolutely off the table now.
Well, this was my first splatterpunk book and it was.... exactly how I thought it would be. Gratuitous, over the top, insane. Shock after shock. And at times it felt like it was shock for shocks sake, which - depending on which side of the fence you're on - you'll either love, or it'll drive you crazy.
I was somewhere in the middle. There wasn't enough of a lull in the story for me to be prepared for whatever happened next, so I expected every page to be a new nightmare. It got repetitive after a time.
Not to mention, there was no reason for the cause of events in the story, and again that's something you either love or hate, and unless this will become a multi book series (it wont), im on the side of hate (okay that's a strong word tbf - more like 'aversion')
Still, overall a fun- and traumatising read. If I ever had my sights set on working in a nursing home, that's absolutely off the table now.
August 16, 2026
Reading Mercy House had me making that famous Zendaya-as-Athena meme face the entire time.
It probably didn’t help that one of the main characters was named Nikki, she had a mother-in-law, and the whole thing takes place in a retirement home where the residents basically Hulk out. I was simultaneously horrified and wondering if I should be taking notes.
Adam Cesare doesn’t pull a single punch. This is gloriously gory, chaotic, body-horror fun with enough blood and mayhem to satisfy even seasoned horror fans. Beneath all the carnage, there’s also something genuinely unsettling about aging, dementia, and losing control, which makes the horror hit even harder.
If you’re squeamish, this one is absolutely not for you. But if you like your horror drenched in gore with a killer premise and relentless pacing, Mercy House delivers.
Oh, that ending is freaking terrifying!
It probably didn’t help that one of the main characters was named Nikki, she had a mother-in-law, and the whole thing takes place in a retirement home where the residents basically Hulk out. I was simultaneously horrified and wondering if I should be taking notes.
Adam Cesare doesn’t pull a single punch. This is gloriously gory, chaotic, body-horror fun with enough blood and mayhem to satisfy even seasoned horror fans. Beneath all the carnage, there’s also something genuinely unsettling about aging, dementia, and losing control, which makes the horror hit even harder.
If you’re squeamish, this one is absolutely not for you. But if you like your horror drenched in gore with a killer premise and relentless pacing, Mercy House delivers.
Oh, that ending is freaking terrifying!
September 14, 2026
Received as an ARC from Netgalley:
This gore filled exploration into debauchery reads like an Elder home take upon Lord of the flies.
A book like this will normally give you some sort of setup and reasoning that will help you understand what the wider points of the novel are going to be. This does not have anything more than the barest hints, leaving a book full of extreme horror but lacking a sense of reasoning behind it all.
There are some good passages and hints of a great story somewhere within, but as a whole I felt detached from the madness with no strong characters to anchor myself within the world.
This gore filled exploration into debauchery reads like an Elder home take upon Lord of the flies.
A book like this will normally give you some sort of setup and reasoning that will help you understand what the wider points of the novel are going to be. This does not have anything more than the barest hints, leaving a book full of extreme horror but lacking a sense of reasoning behind it all.
There are some good passages and hints of a great story somewhere within, but as a whole I felt detached from the madness with no strong characters to anchor myself within the world.
July 30, 2026
The book had a great premise. Elders going bananas (not to spoil it for you) and a lot of gore.
However, it lacked explanation as to why things were the way they were. What was the story behind what happened to the old folks?
Made me feel like it was just a book of pure gore and not much plot. Don’t get me wrong, I love gore! But at some point I just wanted the book to be finished.
Concluding, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. It doesn’t mean it won’t be yours, though.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest
However, it lacked explanation as to why things were the way they were. What was the story behind what happened to the old folks?
Made me feel like it was just a book of pure gore and not much plot. Don’t get me wrong, I love gore! But at some point I just wanted the book to be finished.
Concluding, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. It doesn’t mean it won’t be yours, though.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest
August 18, 2026
*thank you netgalley for the ARC so i was able to read and give my honest review*
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
What a fun book from adam cesare and not what i was really expecting. I was so thinking it was going to go one way with story and boy was i wrong. This is alittle gory so trigger warning but if u read an adam cesare book then it be no surprise. I loved that it wasnt your same ole type of "zombie" like creatures and you can never say you didnt have a fun time reading one of his books. Is it perfect no but is it entertaining HELL yeah so give it a read.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
What a fun book from adam cesare and not what i was really expecting. I was so thinking it was going to go one way with story and boy was i wrong. This is alittle gory so trigger warning but if u read an adam cesare book then it be no surprise. I loved that it wasnt your same ole type of "zombie" like creatures and you can never say you didnt have a fun time reading one of his books. Is it perfect no but is it entertaining HELL yeah so give it a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2026
Welcome to Mercy House- A Wonderful retirement housing development. On the outside it looks clean, updated, and the patients are happy, but what really lurks the halls at mercy house? This will be perfect scary thriller that makes you think twice at the cute retirement home on the side of the road as you pass. I really enjoyed every characters short life story and the reasons why they ended up there.
Cesare can write some really creepy, detailed, keep you up at night-descriptive scenes that wow!!! 🤯
Cesare can write some really creepy, detailed, keep you up at night-descriptive scenes that wow!!! 🤯
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