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Mercie's Secret: He saved her life. She destroyed his.
A Dangerous Secret. A Reckless Choice.
When Lucas Bonham saves a mysterious woman from a brutal assault, he thinks he's found redemption. Mercie Halford is beautiful, frightened, and on the run—but from what, she won’t say. As their intense connection deepens, Lucas becomes dangerously obsessed with protecting her.
But Mercie is hiding a secret, and when her past comes crashing into their fragile refuge, Lucas learns the hard way that some people are not meant to be saved.
Betrayal cuts deeper than fire—and Lucas is about to get burned.
When Lucas Bonham saves a mysterious woman from a brutal assault, he thinks he's found redemption. Mercie Halford is beautiful, frightened, and on the run—but from what, she won’t say. As their intense connection deepens, Lucas becomes dangerously obsessed with protecting her.
But Mercie is hiding a secret, and when her past comes crashing into their fragile refuge, Lucas learns the hard way that some people are not meant to be saved.
Betrayal cuts deeper than fire—and Lucas is about to get burned.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2025
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Michael Garrett
72 books13 followersMichael Garrett is a novelist and short story writer who has the distinction of being Stephen King's first editor and publisher. His 1990 novel KEEPER received rave reviews from critics and was optioned for a movie. He recently wrote a career guide for writers entitled THE PROSE PROFESSIONAL: Your Career as a Fiction Writer, which was published in 2001. However, Mr. Garrett's contributions to the literary world go well beyond writing. He is an Editorial Associate of the Writer's Digest School and, since 1986, has taught a number of fiction and screenwriting workshops at major colleges and universities across the country. Mr. Garrett is also a three-term President of Magic City Writers, an organization for professional and semi-professional writers. Currently, he is an Advisory Board member of Kentucky's Green River Writers.
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November 26, 2025
Triggers: Sexual assault, betrayal, violence, emotional manipulation
Mercie’s Secret is a deeply emotional Christian suspense novel that weaves together themes of redemption, betrayal, faith, and the lasting scars of past trauma. The novel centers on two complex protagonists, Mercie Halford and Lucas Bonham.
Mercie is a beautiful, but rebellious young woman whose life takes a devastating turn when she begins texting Crank Robinson, a man she meets while participating in a prison ministry. As their relationship progresses, Crank demands more from Mercie than she is willing to give. Her life becomes intertwined with Lucas’ when he rescues Mercie from an attempted sexual assault as punishment for denying Crank. Although Lucas takes her in and protects her, Mercie’s fear prevents her from fully trusting Lucas.
As the truth about Crank Robinson and Mercie’s past fully unravels, Lucas and Mercie make a calculated decision to confront him. Through courage and a measure of strategy, they manage to face Robinson’s threat head-on. The climax brings danger, but also a moment of reckoning: Mercie must confront her abuser, and Lucas must decide whether “saving her” means more than just physical protection — it means helping her face her emotional scars.
At its heart, Mercie’s Secret explores the cost of buried trauma, the consequences of silence, and the lengths people go to protect family. The novel’s strength lies in Garrett’s atmospheric writing. His descriptive style creates a vivid sense of place. Certain scenes carry a moody, almost cinematic quality that pulls the reader in.
“Ahead, the road unwound like an old ribbon, hand-laid and half-forgotten, curling with the land’s soft hills. Long gravel driveways disappeared into thick woods, each marked by crooked mailboxes and collapsing gates. On the far side of a pasture, a half-fallen barn slumped against the horizon, its tin roof caved in like a memory trying to forget itself.”
However, the writer’s deft skill at painting scenes could not overcome my inability to connect with the main characters, especially Mercie. While her vulnerability and fear should make her a compelling and sympathetic character, I found her too shallow, secretive, and manipulative to embrace. Her betrayal of Lucas was beyond the pale and her redemption left me feeling unconvinced. Although Garrett succeeded at making me root for Mercie’s safety, I was deeply dissatisfied with her character arc.
I also found the novel’s pacing a bit uneven. While the middle section is gripping, the opening takes time to gain momentum, and the final act feels somewhat rushed, compressing major emotional beats into a short space. Some plot twists land well, but others feel a bit forced, relying on coincidence rather than organic development.
Mercie’s Secret is a deeply emotional Christian suspense novel that weaves together themes of redemption, betrayal, faith, and the lasting scars of past trauma. The novel centers on two complex protagonists, Mercie Halford and Lucas Bonham.
Mercie is a beautiful, but rebellious young woman whose life takes a devastating turn when she begins texting Crank Robinson, a man she meets while participating in a prison ministry. As their relationship progresses, Crank demands more from Mercie than she is willing to give. Her life becomes intertwined with Lucas’ when he rescues Mercie from an attempted sexual assault as punishment for denying Crank. Although Lucas takes her in and protects her, Mercie’s fear prevents her from fully trusting Lucas.
As the truth about Crank Robinson and Mercie’s past fully unravels, Lucas and Mercie make a calculated decision to confront him. Through courage and a measure of strategy, they manage to face Robinson’s threat head-on. The climax brings danger, but also a moment of reckoning: Mercie must confront her abuser, and Lucas must decide whether “saving her” means more than just physical protection — it means helping her face her emotional scars.
At its heart, Mercie’s Secret explores the cost of buried trauma, the consequences of silence, and the lengths people go to protect family. The novel’s strength lies in Garrett’s atmospheric writing. His descriptive style creates a vivid sense of place. Certain scenes carry a moody, almost cinematic quality that pulls the reader in.
“Ahead, the road unwound like an old ribbon, hand-laid and half-forgotten, curling with the land’s soft hills. Long gravel driveways disappeared into thick woods, each marked by crooked mailboxes and collapsing gates. On the far side of a pasture, a half-fallen barn slumped against the horizon, its tin roof caved in like a memory trying to forget itself.”
However, the writer’s deft skill at painting scenes could not overcome my inability to connect with the main characters, especially Mercie. While her vulnerability and fear should make her a compelling and sympathetic character, I found her too shallow, secretive, and manipulative to embrace. Her betrayal of Lucas was beyond the pale and her redemption left me feeling unconvinced. Although Garrett succeeded at making me root for Mercie’s safety, I was deeply dissatisfied with her character arc.
I also found the novel’s pacing a bit uneven. While the middle section is gripping, the opening takes time to gain momentum, and the final act feels somewhat rushed, compressing major emotional beats into a short space. Some plot twists land well, but others feel a bit forced, relying on coincidence rather than organic development.
Displaying 1 of 1 review