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A review by _onemorechapter_
The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
๐ป.๐พ:Child Abuse, Cults, Homophobia, Toxic Family, Taboo, Murder, Very Dark & Disturbing
It was very tough to write this review without giving any spoilers!! But I tried my best.
๐ญ Utterly Dark and Superbly Clever
The Mercy Chair (Washington Poe, book 6) is an excellent addition to the series. I have absurdly high expectations of the series and the multi-layered The Mercy Chair is, I think, the best yet. I love the way MWC chooses to tell this story and how it plays out.
Itโs not for the faint-hearted thatโs for sure but itโs utterly gripping. Itโs twisted and twisty with sky-high suspense and tension. Itโs an intense, disturbing noir and I think itโs got darker with each novel in the series. The darkness in this is perfectly balanced out with the laugh-out-loud interaction between Poe and Snoopy(Linus). It was damn hilarious๐คฃ๐คฃ
The plot is sensationally good. With trademark short, pacy chapters, a real sense of place, witty dialogue and numerous cliffhangers and twists. Craven builds and builds the tension so that the story is enthralling and mesmerising. This is one of those stories that genuinely removes all free will from the reader. The kind of book that captures your attention and holds it in a vice-like grip right to the very last page. I consumed The Mercy Chair in a few days because I could not put it down. It's a story that is going to take some time to recover from, and not just me with an undoubted book hangover. Its events are going to resonate long and hard with the characters too.
And as for that ending! I donโt often talk out loud when Iโm reading but I couldnโt stop a โWTFโ escaping my mouth. I had to stare at a blank wall for 10 minutes after I finished this, it was that good!
I adore Poeโs sarcastic edge and in The Mercy Chair, I was absolutely roaring with laughter at a lot of his conversations, his utter contempt for fools and all things modern really does make him such a fabulous character, and one of my favourite detectives of all time. He is a man driven by a desire for justice and a passion for fighting for what he considers to be right. And in this particular case, there is a plethora of injustice that needs to be avenged, even if it is to come at a very high cost to the team.
Tilly, sheโs more intelligent than an intelligent thing would be if it was intelligent and also blooming lovely! She is so refreshing, unhindered by life's construct of false nicety, as she has literally no concept of what is offensive and what is not. She has no filter. She is everything you'd like to say, but wrapped in a truly likeable, forgivable, bundle of technical geekery that remains irresistible. I felt that Tilly wasnโt in the book as much as usualโน๏ธ
And they are joined by a third team member. Not DI Flynn, whose presence is a lot less, well, present this time around, but a man with an agenda Poe can't quite put his finger on. He's allegedly there to conduct an audit, but Linus Jorgensen, given the all too appropriate nickname of "Snoopy" by Poe, is certainly keeping his cards close to his chest. It makes for some interesting, and amusing, scenes as Poe delivers the requisite amount of abuse towards his new 'intern'.
I feared at the end that this might be a series finale but when I read the postscript by the author I was relieved to see he has more to say about these two amazing characters. Now I must steel myself for the hideous prospect of having to wait until late 2025 to read the next book in the series
Overall, some jaw-drop moments. Wonderful characterisation. Engaging storytelling. Very dark and challenging at times and goes immediately into my top 5 books of the year, itโs slick, itโs darn clever and itโs another bookbanger from the legend that is M.W Craven!
If you've not read this series yet, you really should, but start at the beginning. That way you get the best out of the Poe and Tilly friendship and the series as a whole.
๐.๐. Do not make any plans when you start reading as you'll find the urge to cancel them will be very, very strong.
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญโญ.75
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.77 (153)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐:Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐:Washington Poe (Book 6)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Often brutal, surprisingly sensitive, totally brilliant and utterly captivating, The Mercy Chair must not be missed. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I thought it was fabulous.
It was very tough to write this review without giving any spoilers!! But I tried my best.
๐ญ Utterly Dark and Superbly Clever
The Mercy Chair (Washington Poe, book 6) is an excellent addition to the series. I have absurdly high expectations of the series and the multi-layered The Mercy Chair is, I think, the best yet. I love the way MWC chooses to tell this story and how it plays out.
Itโs not for the faint-hearted thatโs for sure but itโs utterly gripping. Itโs twisted and twisty with sky-high suspense and tension. Itโs an intense, disturbing noir and I think itโs got darker with each novel in the series. The darkness in this is perfectly balanced out with the laugh-out-loud interaction between Poe and Snoopy(Linus). It was damn hilarious๐คฃ๐คฃ
The plot is sensationally good. With trademark short, pacy chapters, a real sense of place, witty dialogue and numerous cliffhangers and twists. Craven builds and builds the tension so that the story is enthralling and mesmerising. This is one of those stories that genuinely removes all free will from the reader. The kind of book that captures your attention and holds it in a vice-like grip right to the very last page. I consumed The Mercy Chair in a few days because I could not put it down. It's a story that is going to take some time to recover from, and not just me with an undoubted book hangover. Its events are going to resonate long and hard with the characters too.
And as for that ending! I donโt often talk out loud when Iโm reading but I couldnโt stop a โWTFโ escaping my mouth. I had to stare at a blank wall for 10 minutes after I finished this, it was that good!
I adore Poeโs sarcastic edge and in The Mercy Chair, I was absolutely roaring with laughter at a lot of his conversations, his utter contempt for fools and all things modern really does make him such a fabulous character, and one of my favourite detectives of all time. He is a man driven by a desire for justice and a passion for fighting for what he considers to be right. And in this particular case, there is a plethora of injustice that needs to be avenged, even if it is to come at a very high cost to the team.
Tilly, sheโs more intelligent than an intelligent thing would be if it was intelligent and also blooming lovely! She is so refreshing, unhindered by life's construct of false nicety, as she has literally no concept of what is offensive and what is not. She has no filter. She is everything you'd like to say, but wrapped in a truly likeable, forgivable, bundle of technical geekery that remains irresistible. I felt that Tilly wasnโt in the book as much as usualโน๏ธ
And they are joined by a third team member. Not DI Flynn, whose presence is a lot less, well, present this time around, but a man with an agenda Poe can't quite put his finger on. He's allegedly there to conduct an audit, but Linus Jorgensen, given the all too appropriate nickname of "Snoopy" by Poe, is certainly keeping his cards close to his chest. It makes for some interesting, and amusing, scenes as Poe delivers the requisite amount of abuse towards his new 'intern'.
I feared at the end that this might be a series finale but when I read the postscript by the author I was relieved to see he has more to say about these two amazing characters. Now I must steel myself for the hideous prospect of having to wait until late 2025 to read the next book in the series
Overall, some jaw-drop moments. Wonderful characterisation. Engaging storytelling. Very dark and challenging at times and goes immediately into my top 5 books of the year, itโs slick, itโs darn clever and itโs another bookbanger from the legend that is M.W Craven!
If you've not read this series yet, you really should, but start at the beginning. That way you get the best out of the Poe and Tilly friendship and the series as a whole.
๐.๐. Do not make any plans when you start reading as you'll find the urge to cancel them will be very, very strong.
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญโญ.75
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.77 (153)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐:Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐:Washington Poe (Book 6)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Often brutal, surprisingly sensitive, totally brilliant and utterly captivating, The Mercy Chair must not be missed. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I thought it was fabulous.