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Miracles and Mysteries of Mercy Hospital #1
Where Mercy Begins
Miracles & Mysteries of Mercy Hospital
Where Mercy Begins is the 1st book in the Miracles & Mysteries of Mercy Hospital fiction series.
When they aren’t caring for the patients at Mercy Hospital, Evelyn, Joy, Anne and Shirley quickly discover that the hospital is a place of intrigue, adventure, and amazing miracles. They believe the legend that the hospital is under the protection of a guardian angel, the one portrayed in a large stone statue at the entrance. So, when the famous Mercy Angel statue goes missing in the middle of the night, everyone is scrambling to find out who stole it. The day after it disappears a woman who has a striking resemblance to the statue, and detailed knowledge of the hospital, shows up to begin a new job in the gift shop. Could this new hire have some sort of connection to the missing statue?
Where Mercy Begins is the 1st book in the Miracles & Mysteries of Mercy Hospital fiction series.
When they aren’t caring for the patients at Mercy Hospital, Evelyn, Joy, Anne and Shirley quickly discover that the hospital is a place of intrigue, adventure, and amazing miracles. They believe the legend that the hospital is under the protection of a guardian angel, the one portrayed in a large stone statue at the entrance. So, when the famous Mercy Angel statue goes missing in the middle of the night, everyone is scrambling to find out who stole it. The day after it disappears a woman who has a striking resemblance to the statue, and detailed knowledge of the hospital, shows up to begin a new job in the gift shop. Could this new hire have some sort of connection to the missing statue?
248 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2021
2 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Y'Barbo
132 books747 followersPublishers Weekly bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than one hundred novels with almost two million copies in print in the US and abroad.
A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and is the winner of the Inspirational Romance of the Year by Romantic Times magazine.
To connect with her through social media, check out the links on her website at www.kathleenybarbo.com.
A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and is the winner of the Inspirational Romance of the Year by Romantic Times magazine.
To connect with her through social media, check out the links on her website at www.kathleenybarbo.com.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 3, 2021
This is the first book in the newest Guideposts series MIRACLES & MYSTERIES OF MERCY HOSPITAL. I always like hospital mysteries since I spent all of my adult life working in one. I was surprised that working in a hospital the 4 main characters had so much time for breaks to sleuth, but books don't always reflect real life.
This was a nice cozy mystery about the theft of the angel statue, named Mercy, from in front of the hospital. A couple nice side mysteries involved the girl named Angela who shows up to help Joy in the gift shop when there was a hiring freeze. Angela looks exactly like the statue Mercy come to life. Another side mystery was who posed for the statue and paid for it so many years ago. All mysteries were solved in the end tying up all the loose ends. I did not guess who stole the statue but I must confess that I sort of forgot about this character. I'm pleasantly intrigued to read book #2, which luckily I own.
This was a nice cozy mystery about the theft of the angel statue, named Mercy, from in front of the hospital. A couple nice side mysteries involved the girl named Angela who shows up to help Joy in the gift shop when there was a hiring freeze. Angela looks exactly like the statue Mercy come to life. Another side mystery was who posed for the statue and paid for it so many years ago. All mysteries were solved in the end tying up all the loose ends. I did not guess who stole the statue but I must confess that I sort of forgot about this character. I'm pleasantly intrigued to read book #2, which luckily I own.
August 8, 2021
A solid start to the newest Guideposts cozy series. I enjoyed meeting the characters that will be the series leads and the mystery for this opener was good. Looking forward to more of this series!
June 25, 2025
There’s a reason I don’t read these kitschy, ubiquitous Christian cozy mysteries that seem to exist by the thousands in church libraries, Christian bookstores, and church ladies’ bookshelves — multiple reasons, actually. I could not be any less of the target audience for Where Mercy Begins, written by Kathleen Y’Barbo to kick off the Miracles and Mysteries of Mercy Hospital series, and I only read and reviewed it because I felt like I should read at least one of the enormous box-full of these books that I received after a church clean-out day. Yes, this book as squeaky-clean as a brand-new rubber duck, and yes, you should take my review with a grain of salt since I’m predisposed to loathe books of this genre, but Where Mercy Begins was a fantastic reminder of why I avoid these seemingly omnipresent cozy mysteries like the plague.
Joy Atkins, the gift shop caretaker at the historic Mercy Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, has always taken comfort in greeting the famed Angel of Mercy statue on the hospital’s front lawn every morning, believing that the Angel watches over her the same way she watched over the hospital during the Civil War. When the Angel is mysteriously stolen in the night, however, Joy resolves to solve the mystery and bring the Angel back to her rightful place. At the same time, a mysterious young woman named Angela Simpson arrives to begin helping at Mercy Hospital, despite a critical lack of funding, and Joy’s neighborhood garden club erupts with family feuds and rival roses. The Angel thief is not so easily caught, however, forcing Joy and her friends, historian Evelyn Perry and volunteer Anne Mabry, to interview a number of suspects and sort through multiple possibilities.
I’m going to start by saying what bugs me most about these kinds of books: the fact that they’re labeled as “Christian literature” without having a single shred of spiritual depth, maturity, or truth. Where Mercy Begins, like many books of its genre, should be classified strictly as a “cozy mystery,” because any faith-based elements are totally neglected. Y’Barbo presents a totally idealized depiction of Christianity, one in which our main characters can make occasional references to prayer, church, and miracles and somehow be portrayed as heroines of the faith. So many of these generic, paint-by-the-numbers cater to a Christian audience simply by providing clean content and casually tossing around the word “God” like He’s an afterthought. I believe that authors who market themselves as Christians have a duty to share the Gospel and represent the faith in a way that glorifies God first and foremost; without that, your book is just another feel-good mystery that has totally removable elements of faith and no true Christian message. Y’Barbo missed some great opportunities to share Christ-centric lessons about mercy, love, and compassion.
The mystery itself is not totally uninteresting, and it took me a little longer than I thought to figure out who the thief was. The plot is formulaic and predictable, and the mystery (which seems a bit overblown considering it’s about a missing statue) is super slow-paced, with no action whatsoever and just… a ton of conversations. There are way too many characters who are not defined well enough to be memorable, way too many convenient little plot points that are resolved (or not!) with no effort, and way too many missed opportunities for interesting moments (the buildup to the hurricane is mentioned a dozen times and then just… suddenly no longer an issue). The storyline with Angela is resolved without any emotional buildup and with such a ridiculous deus ex machina that I was almost flabbergasted, and multiple other plot points (Angela’s supernatural powers? Joy’s witnessing to Dr. Barnhardt? literally anything involving Joy’s family?) were never revisited. For a mystery that’s so unnecessarily long and convoluted, it’s amazing how little actually happens.
Though the main characters in Where Mercy Begins were supposed to be upbeat and positive representation for our senior citizen ladies, I found Y’Barbo’s depiction of Joy, Evelyn, and Anne to be incredibly uninteresting (and, sorry, but did I miss the part where Shirley Bashore was important?). All three of them have the exact same personality, speaking voice, and behaviors; they are totally interchangeable, which I guess is good when you’re writing an installment in a series of mostly-interchangeable mysteries? Joy, Evelyn, and Anne never manage to be charming or compelling, and their snoopiness (plus their insane third-degree habit) is a bit annoying at times. The dynamics between the characters are manufactured and unnatural, and every relationship feels overly idealized in a way that makes them obnoxious. The supporting characters have no personality or variety, no interesting dialects, and no relatable motivations. The frequent heart-to-heart conversations are seriously lacking in heart because we never have any reason to get attached to our characters (mainly because none of them have any… like… personality traits).
There’s a constant cloying sweetness to Where Mercy Begins, both in the storyline and the writing. Nothing truly bad ever happens, and nothing even remotely not-clean happens (and clean content is a wonderful thing, but oh boy does Y’Barbo manage to make it boring). Y’Barbo doesn’t have a grasp on prose, which makes the cozy elements of this “cozy mystery” pretty lackluster. The story drags along with no urgency, weight, or purpose, and the dialogue is horribly contrived and unnatural. I can’t emphasize how bad the dialogue is; I could honestly forgive most of the flaws of this book if every character didn’t talk in the exact same formal, wooden speech, like an AI-generated grandma simulator. Most chapters begin and end in the middle of conversations for no apparent reason, and Y’Barbo manages to include absolutely no emotional stakes and no deeper themes at all. Like, at all.
And, again, I know I’m not the target audience here and I know this is one of those cozy mysteries about Southern hospitality, but… why do we need to have eight thousand conversations about coffee? Why does the only moment of real conflict happen at a garden club meeting? Y’Barbo’s writing style is almost dizzyingly inane and unnecessarily detailed when it comes to stuff like what time the coffee pot automatically turns on, or what outfits the supporting cast are wearing, or how a Noisette rose grows. Everything is so painfully cute and sweet that it works like an Uno Reverse card and makes the story off-putting. The hot summer Charleston setting could have been fun (and Y’Barbo does make use of some of the Southern history in her narrative), but mostly Charleston is just there for the kitschy flavor and is written more like Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. I was also amazed by how little of the story involved the actual Mercy Hospital: the medical profession and setting is fully replaceable with anything else, and the duties of the three ladies at their hospital jobs are laughably neglected.
Where Mercy Begins is definitely the most skimmable book I’ve read in a long time. It’s way too much Hallmark Channel and not enough Murder, She Wrote, or Agatha Christie, or The Thursday Murder Club. I know a lot of people find these kinds of books comforting and fun, but the utter shallowness and saccharine kitsch just makes my skin crawl. Surely there is better representation for our senior citizen ladies, and surely there is better “Christian content” out there for people who genuinely want a good mystery with mature, faith-based teachings. Where Mercy Begins definitely is not the place to look for either.
Joy Atkins, the gift shop caretaker at the historic Mercy Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, has always taken comfort in greeting the famed Angel of Mercy statue on the hospital’s front lawn every morning, believing that the Angel watches over her the same way she watched over the hospital during the Civil War. When the Angel is mysteriously stolen in the night, however, Joy resolves to solve the mystery and bring the Angel back to her rightful place. At the same time, a mysterious young woman named Angela Simpson arrives to begin helping at Mercy Hospital, despite a critical lack of funding, and Joy’s neighborhood garden club erupts with family feuds and rival roses. The Angel thief is not so easily caught, however, forcing Joy and her friends, historian Evelyn Perry and volunteer Anne Mabry, to interview a number of suspects and sort through multiple possibilities.
I’m going to start by saying what bugs me most about these kinds of books: the fact that they’re labeled as “Christian literature” without having a single shred of spiritual depth, maturity, or truth. Where Mercy Begins, like many books of its genre, should be classified strictly as a “cozy mystery,” because any faith-based elements are totally neglected. Y’Barbo presents a totally idealized depiction of Christianity, one in which our main characters can make occasional references to prayer, church, and miracles and somehow be portrayed as heroines of the faith. So many of these generic, paint-by-the-numbers cater to a Christian audience simply by providing clean content and casually tossing around the word “God” like He’s an afterthought. I believe that authors who market themselves as Christians have a duty to share the Gospel and represent the faith in a way that glorifies God first and foremost; without that, your book is just another feel-good mystery that has totally removable elements of faith and no true Christian message. Y’Barbo missed some great opportunities to share Christ-centric lessons about mercy, love, and compassion.
The mystery itself is not totally uninteresting, and it took me a little longer than I thought to figure out who the thief was. The plot is formulaic and predictable, and the mystery (which seems a bit overblown considering it’s about a missing statue) is super slow-paced, with no action whatsoever and just… a ton of conversations. There are way too many characters who are not defined well enough to be memorable, way too many convenient little plot points that are resolved (or not!) with no effort, and way too many missed opportunities for interesting moments (the buildup to the hurricane is mentioned a dozen times and then just… suddenly no longer an issue). The storyline with Angela is resolved without any emotional buildup and with such a ridiculous deus ex machina that I was almost flabbergasted, and multiple other plot points (Angela’s supernatural powers? Joy’s witnessing to Dr. Barnhardt? literally anything involving Joy’s family?) were never revisited. For a mystery that’s so unnecessarily long and convoluted, it’s amazing how little actually happens.
Though the main characters in Where Mercy Begins were supposed to be upbeat and positive representation for our senior citizen ladies, I found Y’Barbo’s depiction of Joy, Evelyn, and Anne to be incredibly uninteresting (and, sorry, but did I miss the part where Shirley Bashore was important?). All three of them have the exact same personality, speaking voice, and behaviors; they are totally interchangeable, which I guess is good when you’re writing an installment in a series of mostly-interchangeable mysteries? Joy, Evelyn, and Anne never manage to be charming or compelling, and their snoopiness (plus their insane third-degree habit) is a bit annoying at times. The dynamics between the characters are manufactured and unnatural, and every relationship feels overly idealized in a way that makes them obnoxious. The supporting characters have no personality or variety, no interesting dialects, and no relatable motivations. The frequent heart-to-heart conversations are seriously lacking in heart because we never have any reason to get attached to our characters (mainly because none of them have any… like… personality traits).
There’s a constant cloying sweetness to Where Mercy Begins, both in the storyline and the writing. Nothing truly bad ever happens, and nothing even remotely not-clean happens (and clean content is a wonderful thing, but oh boy does Y’Barbo manage to make it boring). Y’Barbo doesn’t have a grasp on prose, which makes the cozy elements of this “cozy mystery” pretty lackluster. The story drags along with no urgency, weight, or purpose, and the dialogue is horribly contrived and unnatural. I can’t emphasize how bad the dialogue is; I could honestly forgive most of the flaws of this book if every character didn’t talk in the exact same formal, wooden speech, like an AI-generated grandma simulator. Most chapters begin and end in the middle of conversations for no apparent reason, and Y’Barbo manages to include absolutely no emotional stakes and no deeper themes at all. Like, at all.
And, again, I know I’m not the target audience here and I know this is one of those cozy mysteries about Southern hospitality, but… why do we need to have eight thousand conversations about coffee? Why does the only moment of real conflict happen at a garden club meeting? Y’Barbo’s writing style is almost dizzyingly inane and unnecessarily detailed when it comes to stuff like what time the coffee pot automatically turns on, or what outfits the supporting cast are wearing, or how a Noisette rose grows. Everything is so painfully cute and sweet that it works like an Uno Reverse card and makes the story off-putting. The hot summer Charleston setting could have been fun (and Y’Barbo does make use of some of the Southern history in her narrative), but mostly Charleston is just there for the kitschy flavor and is written more like Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. I was also amazed by how little of the story involved the actual Mercy Hospital: the medical profession and setting is fully replaceable with anything else, and the duties of the three ladies at their hospital jobs are laughably neglected.
Where Mercy Begins is definitely the most skimmable book I’ve read in a long time. It’s way too much Hallmark Channel and not enough Murder, She Wrote, or Agatha Christie, or The Thursday Murder Club. I know a lot of people find these kinds of books comforting and fun, but the utter shallowness and saccharine kitsch just makes my skin crawl. Surely there is better representation for our senior citizen ladies, and surely there is better “Christian content” out there for people who genuinely want a good mystery with mature, faith-based teachings. Where Mercy Begins definitely is not the place to look for either.
December 17, 2022
This book is set in the south at Mercy Hospital. The four friends: Evelyn, Joy, Anne and Shirley are all employed at the hospital. They believe the legend that the hospital is under the protection of a guardian angel that is carved in stone at the hospital entrance—the Angel of Mercy. The legend goes that the statue stood guard over the hospital during the civil war and a hurricane. Its story is an important one to those who work at the hospital. So, it goes missing in the middle of the night, everyone is eager to find out who stole it. The day after it disappears a woman who has a striking resemblance to the statue, and detailed knowledge of the hospital, shows up to begin a new job in the gift shop. The friends try to find out if it is coincidence or if she has something to do with the missing statue.
This book was cute. It is part one of a three part book series from Guideposts. I could see this becoming a Hallmark movie series at some point. The mystery was clean, the dialog was clean, and the writing style was not overly complicated. There were a lot of names in this book, and it made it hard to keep everyone straight sometimes. Overall though it was a nice change of pace from some of the heavier stuff I gravitate to. If you enjoy cozy mysteries that are quick reads then I would recommend this book.
This book was cute. It is part one of a three part book series from Guideposts. I could see this becoming a Hallmark movie series at some point. The mystery was clean, the dialog was clean, and the writing style was not overly complicated. There were a lot of names in this book, and it made it hard to keep everyone straight sometimes. Overall though it was a nice change of pace from some of the heavier stuff I gravitate to. If you enjoy cozy mysteries that are quick reads then I would recommend this book.
May 29, 2023
When Mercy Begins reminds me of an adult remake of Nancy Drew books. The synopsis is accurate. It is a book filled with inspiration, adventure, mystery, and humor. Where Mercy Begins was a quick, easy read. It was a refreshing break from novels of a more intense, deeper nature. The series is written by multiple authors . But the characters are the same for each book. I look forward to following the adventures of Evelyn, Joy, Anne, and Shirley in the rest of the series.
September 27, 2022
This is a new series for me even though it was first published in January 2021. I like these guidepost series. But I had a few questions after reading this. So, the statue is 4 1/2 feet tall and made of stone.
How did two men manage to move it into a hole? And how convenient that there is an artist studio in town with a sculptor. But beside that, I enjoyed the book.
How did two men manage to move it into a hole? And how convenient that there is an artist studio in town with a sculptor. But beside that, I enjoyed the book.
July 31, 2022
I don't enjoy giving a negative review so I will just say this book wasn't for me. I found it much too wordy for me. The plot was good. The mystery unique but all the on and on descriptions about everything was just not for me.
June 5, 2024
Amazing book. It was so great to meet all the characters and their back stories. I love that there is so much history talked about as well. And I love that these are clean Christian faith filled books
June 30, 2021
Was a cute story. Simple read, but I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight.
August 28, 2021
Took longer than I would have liked to read.
December 27, 2021
Quick, easy read. Light reading in book 1 of this new Guidepost series. I enjoyed the book as I am a nurse, and the series setting is in a hospital. Look forward to reading book 2!
January 4, 2022
Cute cozy book my grandma gave me for Xmas.
February 7, 2022
It was just ok. More talk of making coffee then I thought should be. I will in the future read the second of the series.
March 20, 2023
Really good read! Kept me guessing right up to the end!
May 21, 2024
It was a very compelling first book of a mystery series. It is a Christian series, too. This story was well written.
Read
August 10, 2025it was a great book, easy read
January 2, 2024
Happy New Year, everyone!
Where Mercy Begins by Kathleen Y’Barbo is a cozy about the stolen angel statue at Mercy Hospital, an historical building in Charleston, South Carolina. Our amateur detective for this journey is the hospital gift shop manager, Joy Atkins. With the help of her friends Evelyn Perry, head of records, and Anne Mabry, a volunteer at the hospital, Joy uncovers more than just the location of the missing angel statue.
What’s enjoyable about this Miracles & Mysteries of Mercy Hospital series is that the reader learns about the lives of the characters; their family troubles, their histories. This increases the reader’s interest in what happens to the characters. We learn about the Noisette Rose, and that it “originated in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1800’s.” [p-235, hardback ed.] We discover pieces of history and architecture of the hospital. And of course, the cozy is full of clues and red herrings. A fun read!
Where Mercy Begins by Kathleen Y’Barbo is a cozy about the stolen angel statue at Mercy Hospital, an historical building in Charleston, South Carolina. Our amateur detective for this journey is the hospital gift shop manager, Joy Atkins. With the help of her friends Evelyn Perry, head of records, and Anne Mabry, a volunteer at the hospital, Joy uncovers more than just the location of the missing angel statue.
What’s enjoyable about this Miracles & Mysteries of Mercy Hospital series is that the reader learns about the lives of the characters; their family troubles, their histories. This increases the reader’s interest in what happens to the characters. We learn about the Noisette Rose, and that it “originated in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1800’s.” [p-235, hardback ed.] We discover pieces of history and architecture of the hospital. And of course, the cozy is full of clues and red herrings. A fun read!
August 9, 2022
I was given this book by my mom. It was a good mystery and a short easy read.
December 10, 2024
Cozy mystery - interesting inspirational story - characters were easy to follow - adventure, mystery, and humor all in one story - well written.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews