Sweet Mercy

Ann Tatlock is a well-known and well-written author who has put together a wonderful story in her newest book Sweet Mercy.

Eve Marryat is a seventeen year old girl whose parents are moving from St Paul, Minnesota, to Mercy, Ohio, during the depression. Eve is never so glad to leave a place because she feels St Paul is the capital of organized crime. She is glad to leave behind the speak-easies and the bootlegging of St Paul and to start a new life in Ohio with her uncles and the quiet life of a quiet town. The only problem is that things are not what they seem on the surface and the quiet life she was seeking wasn't the life she found in Ohio. While she made a new friend right away, she also found a step-cousin she didn't know about, and even gets a boyfriend. As events unfold, Eve begins to realize that things are not always what they seem, and the quiet town isn't without its own bootleggers and ne'er-do-wells.

I love the way Ann tells the story through the eyes of Eve looking back over her life and relating the events to her grandson. There's a winsomeness to the story that wouldn't otherwise be there because the story has to be told plainly. The sophistication is still there but with a simplicity that allows the story to be told to a preteen boy. This book is compelling, intriguing, and thoroughly entertaining.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and no bootleggers.