Mercy Kill

Mercy Gunderson Mystery #2

by Lori G. Armstrong

Former Black Ops army sniper Mercy Gunderson isn't adjusting well on her family's ranch in South Dakota. To fill her time, Mercy accepts a bartending gig at a local watering hole. Yet her attempts to settle back home are tested when Titan Oil, a Canadian pipeline through Eagle RiverCounty, sends Jason Hawley, Mercy's former army buddy, to the area to convince ranchers to get behind the project.

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

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Lori Armstrong is the two-time winner of the Shamus Award given by the Private Eye Writers of America and a New York Times bestselling author of contemporary western erotic romance, written as Lorelei James. Her books have won the Willa Cather Literary Award and have been nominated for the High Plains Book Award and the Daphne du Maurier Award. She lives in western South Dakota - See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/L...

Series
* PI Julie Collins
* Mercy Gunderson Mystery

Reviews

[SheLove2Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercy Gunderson is back and as usual, she's taking no prisoners. I just love Mercy. She's real. Tough but vulnerable. She'll kick your ass and make you like it and then go home and cry in a bottle about how fucked up her life is. I also love the fact that she's an older heroine - somewhere in her late 30s/early 40s, and an Army veteran.

This was a pretty meaty story about old friends, shared memories and having to rethink both the past and the present. Her relationship with Dawson is stretched pretty thin but I'm glad they were able to work things out. Mercy needs a man like Dawson to help her tow the line. I also liked having an explanation for her seemingly freakish ratio of finding dead bodies. A little woo-woo but then again, Mercy is Native American and the explanation for her uncanny knack makes sense.

This series sucks you in. I definitely recommend you read in order because the storyline basically takes up where Book 1 left off. It is more suspense and mystery than romance, but there is an ongoing romantic element between Mercy and Dawson. 4.75 stars/recommended read

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ex Army sniper, Mercy Gunderson's attempts at easing back into civilian life on her families South Dakota ranch aren't going well. To stay busy she takes on a job at the local bar, but her life gets turned upside down when her old friend and army buddy Jason Hawley comes to town. Hawley is with Titan Oil (a huge Canadian Oil Company) and there to convince the people of Eagle River County that running a pipeline through their ranches is a good idea. Needless to say, the ranchers want no part of Titan Oil or Jason Hawley.
When Mercy finds Jason’s lifeless body outside the bar one night, no one seems interested in investigating the murder, including the sheriff. Mercy knows she must track down Hawley's killer. But, as she unravels the mystery, she also uncovers a dark side to this South Dakota town.
In Armstrong's latest novel, she paints such a descriptive picture that it feels like you are right there in South Dakota with Mercy. The story was strong, intense and gritty and Mercy, along with the other characters, is depicted as hard as the landscape.
Armstrong writes a very complex and interwoven storyline that twists and turns where almost everyone has a motive. But, you won't know who did it ‘til the very end. It was a wild ride!
Reviewed by Catherine Peterson for Suspense Magazine

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in Armstrong's new series centered on former Army sniper Mercy
Gunderson's life back on the South Dakota family ranch. In this one, Mercy has stopped drinking by becoming the bartender, which also helps keep her out of the way of her grieving sister and her frustrated brother-in-law. But it doesn't keep her from finding a dead body in the bar parking lot. Nor does it keep her from running against her secret lover Sheriff Dawson, even though she's about as unlikely a politician as you could possibly imagine. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep any mystery lover happy, and plenty of laughs to go with the rough stuff. Mercy Gunderson get's my vote when it comes to entertaining mysteries!

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I'm into certain mysteries, thrillers, detective novels & police procedurals. I guess I'm a solve-the-crime junkie. (Since this novel deals with a murder investigation among cowboys, thugs & ex-military folks, expect strong language & violent scenes.)

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The big appeal of this book for me is Mercy, she is such a hot mess and manages to offend everyone in the book at least once it. It seems like with this book Mercy is finally facing the truth that she is done with the Army. With her unrealistic expectations about her life and those in her life Mercy ends up eating a lot of humble pie. It seems like for the most part she learns from these experiences, but with the ending you realize that for every step forward for Mercy she takes 2 steps back.

I also liked that we were able to see more of Mercy's army past through old friends that end up in the area. You can see why Mercy is the way she is and her sense of right and wrong.

It will be interesting to see what happens next for Mercy, both on the personal and professional front.

[David Freas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was glad to see the author had her main character grow (in more ways than one) in this second book in the series. There was a lot 'wrong' with Mercy Gunderson in the first book and nothing kills interest in a series (at least for me) than a main character who is flawed, knows it, and doesn't do a thing about it. I am looking forward to the next book in the series but hope the author doesn't change Mercy so much that she loses the character that made her unique.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audio book and I feel the reader made the book better than if I tried to read it. The main character was interesting and the key point that I liked about the book was Mercy's journey through her life and the finally acceptance that she needed help to come to terms with key events and emotions that have come her way.

[Frederick Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

After being discharge from her military service, Mercy Gunderson who co owner of the eighty-five thousands acres ranch in South Dakota resorted to work at the local watering hole, Clementines'. Life is going slowly for her as she adjusted to a life outside the military. As a sharpshooter, her skill is less suited on the home front. Running the ranch is not her style so she left it to Jake, the foreman.
All semblance of a quiet life was blown away when a former army colleague appear in town on behalf of Titan Oil Corp. There is a talk of building pipe line through this part of Eagle River which brought up hostile locals including Mercy. But Major Jason Hawley was not the same man as before. He has turn rotund and soft in the five years after his discharge. Wearing suit and tie now just make it looks worse. Just when they are catching up with old time, Hawley was found dead in the parking lot outside Clementines'. At the same time Mercy is also in the running as the Sheriff against the incumbent Sheriff Dawson. Trying to find out who killed Hawley and running for Sheriff is not an easy thing to do until her best friend Anna, who happen to be her partner during their military service in Iraq turns up wanting go avenge the death of her former lover Hawley.
Things begun to go sideway when the main suspect in Hawley murder turns up dead under mysterious circumstances. Could Mercy handle it when the truth hit her as question if her loyalty to her former colleague surface?

[Ken Finlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy Gunderson, retired Army black ops sniper, is not settling back into life on the family ranch. She takes a job at a local watering hole and meets a former comrade, Jason Hawley, who once brought her back to life after an explosion.
Jason has seen better days, he's overweight and is now representing an oil company which plans to run a pipeline through local farms and ranches.
When he is viciously murdered Mercy is convinced that local sheriff and her on and off boyfriend, Dawson, is not doing enough to catch the killer (very much a repeat of her attitude in book one of the series).
Mercy's investigations uncover ... well, that would be spoiling things for readers.
Suffice it to say that this is a book which is concerned about two things, murder, and more importantly, Mercy's growing realisation that she needs to tackle her personal problems head on and take a break from the bottle.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in this series, of which I started with the third volume. Filling in more experiences and gaps up till then. Strong story, Great Plains scenery and character and First Nations politics as part of the story, many sub stories and complex characters as part of the strength of the plot. This volume includes many of the various complexities of building pipelines as part of the story, along with two of her old army buddies appearing in Eagle River County. Along with discovering murder again, Mercy is also convinced to run for election against Sheriff Dawson, which adds serious complexity to that relationship, which she must face and must consider her priorities.

Quite enjoyed it, and hope there is a 4th book in the pipeline.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have fallen absolutely in love with this series. The characters have incredible depth for this only being the second book. The storyline had me flying through the pages. And the ending had me smiling ear to ear. Then I did a little research and discovered that there's only one more book in the series to which the author confirmed was the end of the line. Oh well, I will read the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it and then have to check out what else this author has to offer. I just really hope she's got some other characters out there as kick ass as Mercy Gunderson.

[Debbie Loader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercy is still on the family ranch, more trouble comes to town in the shape of an old army buddy who is later found dead.

Mercy has a better handle on her drinking, but has no idea where she fits in in now. She still doesn't trust the sheriff and decides to start her own investigation when she feels he is too busy campaigning rather than working.

This is book 2 in a new series, Mercy is tough and takes no nonsense but currently is cut adrift from all she knew before. I loved it

[Marcyjo Chachakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of Mercy Gunderson! She may be floundering as she tried to transition from military to civilian life and she may drink way too much trying to deal with it all but she has her code and she does not waver, not even when the going gets hard. Her past comes calling and its definitely a different world she's in . She even runs for Sheriff! Hang on to your seat as you follow Mercy as she tries to find the killer and has to take a hard look at those she's called friend.

[Rosemary Takacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were things I liked and things I didn’t in this book, which is how I came to three stars. The beginning was rather slow for me, but the ending was much more gripping. I’m still torn on how I feel about Mercy. She’s clearly very troubled and I liked that she wasn’t perfect, but she frustrated me so many times throughout the book. The ending was the best part of the story as it showed how Mercy was torn, but I felt like I understood why she made the decisions she did.

TW: war violence

[Kimiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

2ND Book in the series..just as good as the first. Mercy has finally left the US Army; trying to find her way as a civilian. Decides to run for Sheriff at the last minute, while tracking down the killer of her former Army superior, J-Hawk.

Very interesting outcome and good ending. Looking forward to book 3.

[Judith Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still Good

I can’t quite figure out why these are not available on Amazon anymore? I really like this series. I really like Mercy’s character. I’m still out on the Sheriff though. Her sister is a pain in the a##. I know there is another book after this bf Merciless but I can’t find it on Kindle. Anyway, IDK what is going on with this writer but write another one!

[Dennis Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in he series featuring Mercy Gunderson an ex black op operative now retired to her ranch in South Dakota.In this one she's running for sheriff and dealing with a murder of an ex-collegue.Good follow-up to the first book.

[Margaret Yelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second book from this author, the first one was a little hard to get caught up into, but I found the second book in the series much more enjoyable. So I will get some more books from this series,

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercy is kinda prickly but I like her. I found this book at a used bookstore, on a sale rack, and really enjoyed it (and I even read it as an actual paper book!). Off to buy the rest of the books in the series.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meant to be tough and brutal, and it was, but it was also almost a caricature of a bodice-ripper romance. All too much.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't pinpoint exactly why these characters do not resonate with me. I like the prior series which is similar in tone. I likely won't continue with the others in the series.

[Rita Gorra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong 4. Loved it.

[Anita Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent a love hate some persons in this book

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it! I could relate to much of the writing angst and decisions about stepping away from the novel writing. Not sure I’d recommend it for non-writers though.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

just started this this morning with breakfast. its a x sniper from the war, but its a woman working in a bar. she had a drinking problem but they told her if she wanted the job in the bar she couldnt drink. her nephew was killed, she is part indian i think. im not following the whole thing yet but i havent gotten far. i think something happened to one eye and she cant see out of it good. her secret lover is teh sheriff. she has a dog.

her sheriff lover is not investigating the murder of her x solider friend who saved her life in a attack in a bar in bali. he was killed in the parking lot of the bar and she found him after she closed up for the night. he had been working for the pipeline going in that no one in town wants.

the town asked her to run against the current sheriff, her secret lover and when she found that he wasnt investigating the murder she decided to run. she is also having family troubles with her sister and family.

she doesnt seem to have enough time to pay attention to her dog.

so it turns out her friend from the service, the woman anna killed teh man that was abusing the woman with the scar on her face. then she found out who killed her boyfriend, the dead guy in the parking lot. she killed one of them but at the last minute before she killed the second one, her friend killed her. i think she should have left her kill the guy. i would have liked either of them in my neighorhood the one girl blew up the neighbor house so her sister coudlnt move in there and beat bad people. in the end she found her sheriff friend wasnt not looking into her friends murder cause he was no good, it was cause the fbi was looking into it which i kind of thought all along thats who that mysterious guy was. he was a real good shot, getting the target hit in teh same hole, even better than her. the sheriff ended up moving in with her.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book by Lori Armstrong that has Mercy Gunderson as its main character.

Mercy is one of the strongest, and yet complicated, women you will find in the mystery/thriller category. Mercy is from South Dakota, born on a farm, well versed in firearms, and he father has been the town sheriff for years, until his death.

Mercy has just been released from the Army due to an injury. She was part of a sniper team that was relentless in the performance of their duties.

Did I mention that Mercy swears like a sailor, chews tobacco, drinks heavily, and takes sh*t from nobody.

Mercy has become involved romantically with the local sheriff, but finds problems with him because of his approach to a murder of Mercy's sniper buddy, Jason Hawley. Jason was hired by Titan Oil to convince the people that a pipeline running through their town was a good thing.

Jason is found murdered and it seems that no one seems even remotely interested in solving the murder.

Mercy discovers that another of her sniper buddies, Anna, has arrived in town and is seeking revenge for Jason's murder.

Mercy must face many difficult decisions. She is in love with a sheriff that she feels is incompetent, and is running against him for sheriff. She is faced with her loyalty to her Army buddies, but how long and how far can you extent this loyalty. She must also face her own demons that keep surfacing from her former Army life. Mercy must also come to grips with her own beliefs and honesty.

This is an excellent read for one who likes a strong character, and a story based in a small town that has no secrets. If you read Lori Armstrong's first book, "No Mercy" you will certainly find "Mercy Kill" a great second effort.

[Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was posted at Under the Covers

4.5 Stars

It’s official…I’m a fan. Mercy is just my type of girl. She always wants to do the right thing, no matter the cost to herself. She’s kick ass, she gets into trouble, she goes after what she believes in. Now if only we could get her to see things straight from the very beginning…

In this book, Mercy is working as a bartender when her old army buddy, Jason, comes into town looking to convince people to put an oil pipeline through their ranches. And then, Mercy’s life being always so messed up, she finds his dead body outside the bar one night. When no one cares about this, and the sheriff won’t investigate, she starts taking matters into her own hands. Doing the investigative work, and even running for sheriff herself. After all, it was her dad’s job before.

Things of course get more complicated as she delves into the whys and hows of her buddies’ death…even more so when another army buddy of hers, Anna, comes into town looking for revenge.

As always, Mercy is awesome. Maybe even more so in this book because she doesn’t have as many issues as she did in book one, at least in my opinion. Then there’s the Native American element. I think Ms. Armstrong does an amazing job at weaving in the culture of the place into the story and making it also an important part of how the story develops. You really feel as if you were there.

And then there’s the actual story. Always full of suspense and just a small dash of sexy. I really like the way Ms. Armstrong surprises me with Mercy’s stories go. I can’t wait to be surprised again in the next one.

[Malcolmaffleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a classic 'it is what it is' book - a 'thriller' about a murder and a main character with a grey moral compass. The interesting parts are the inclusion of Native American ideas and customs coupled with the small town Americana that permeates a lot of the story. These might have given it 3 stars but there are a few points in the book that are, at best, plot holes and, at worst, bad writing. These are both near the end of the book, so I'm hiding them behind spoiler tags!

At the end of the book, Dawson comes in to ask Mercy where she has been the last two nights and, in doing so, asks Anna why she's been hanging out with Cherelle. Two pages (or so it seemed) later, hears this exact same information and magically works out that Anna killed Victor. Why didn't she work it out before? When I was reading the first mention, I realised that meant something was a little 'iffy' about that friendship!

Next, there's a big story at the end about how Mercy didn't follow orders and refused to run over an old man in the road. However, throughout the book - and even in the first sentence after the flashback - we are informed that Mercy was able to switch off and follow orders. Clearly, she wasn't!

Finally, the identity of the two killers. For something that bills itself as a 'mystery', it doesn't really work to have two random guys who are only vaguel mentioned at the start of the novel as the killers. Particularly when they are found out not through any detective work but because they pawned the knife at the local shop!

[Kari Wainwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy Kill, the second book in the Mercy Gunderson series, stakes a complicated protagonist against a giant oil company which threatens her home territory and violent gang members who threaten her loved ones.
Luckily for her, she has a background as a Black Ops army sniper. Unluckily for her, most of the time her skills are no longer required nor valued. Then her former army buddy, Jason Hawley, is brutally murdered. Mercy thinks no one is taking his death seriously, so she becomes involved in solving his killing, even staying on the case after she’s warned off of it by law enforcement officials.
Sound familiar? How many mysteries have you read where the protagonist is told to stay away from the investigation by inefficient lawmen?
Well, this one is not “same old, same old.”
Mercy is gritty and complex, her relationships often complicated. She is not always easy to like. In fact, in the opening scene, I disliked her actions intensely and almost gave up reading the book, but the quality of the writing made me give it more time. I was glad I did.
The use of the South Dakota setting and its Native American residents add texture and layers to this story.
I received this book free, but author Lori Armstrong now has another fan. I will purchase the first in the series and hope for more to follow. I suggest any who like their mysteries with some bite and an edge to them do the same.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercy Gunderson is out of the service where she was a sniper in a covert ops team. She is back home in South Dakota and trying to figure out her next steps. She bartending and knows that isn't what she wants for her future. She also knows that running the ranch she and her sister inherited isn't it.

Mercy has gotten over the hard drinking she did when she first got home but she is still plagued with the nightmares and flashbacks that bring her military service back to her. She is also having a secret affair with the County Sheriff Mason Dawson.

When an old army buddy shows up working for the oil company that wants to lay a pipeline through the area, Mercy is torn between her old memories of the man who literally saved her life and her hatred for the idea of the pipeline. When the buddy is found dead outside the bar where Mercy works, she wants to know who killed him. When Dawson doesn't seem to be investigating, Mercy gets involved by deciding to run for sheriff opposite him.

The story is filled with action, old friends, drug dealing, and conspiracy theories and Mercy trying to make sense of it all. The story also shows a strong love for the South Dakota landscape and lifestyle. This is the second book in the series and I really have to read the first one to find out what I missed.

Mercy is a great character. She is a loner, probably suffering from PTSD, and in the middle of a life crisis. But she is also smart, loyal, and honorable. It was great to get to know her.