The Mercy Oak

Kathy Wall continues to intrigue her readers with her plot twists. I love Bay Tanner which is a credit to Kathy's gift of character development. I have to admit that I'm a little "creeped out" by Bay's relationship with her dead husband's brother. I'll leave it up to Kathy to "develop" that into something that feels less incestuous to me.

I love every one of Kathryn Wall's books and can't wait until she writes the next one. I just returned from Hilton Head Island while vacationing, and every summer I wonder what it would be like to leave my home state of WV and stay on the island like she has. I dream of retiring from teaching and looking at the ocean, but don't know if I could convince my husband! This book brings Bay Tanner closer to a marriage commitment than ever before, and reveals more about her close family friends than any of her other books so far....I feel like she's a member of my own family I know so much about her! I couldn't put the book down, and I love how Kathryn draws her readers into Bay Tanner's life. Thank you, Ms. Wall, for another make-believe trip to Hilton Head Island when I am stuck here in the rainy mountains of West Virginia! Pam Piziak

Although the mystery at the center of The Mercy Oak involves the possible murder of a young Hispanic girl, what ultimately makes the novel such a satisfying read is the masterful way the author connects that story to the mysteries of the human heart. In Kathryn Wall's most recent novel in the BayTanner Mystery series, Bay, (a.k.a. Lydia Simpson), a private investigator at Simpson & Tanner, Inquiry Agents, on the Island of Hilton Head, South Carolina, takes on a potential case of murder. Bay is haunted by the ghosts of her past--she has lost her mother, Emmaline, her husband Rob (murdered three years before The Mercy Oak begins), and her former partner, Ben Wyler. But Bay is slowly building a new relationship with her brother-in-law, Red Tanner, the sergeant at the Beaufort County Sheriff's office. Red's commitment to law enforcement is often at odds with Bay's work. The friction between them heats up when Bay agrees to take on a new investigation. The plot of The Mercy Oak involves two crimes. Less than two weeks before Christmas, a young girl is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Initially believed to be Serena Montalvo, her death is at first ruled accidental, but when Bobby Santiago, the son of Bay's Guatemalan housekeeper Delores, calls to ask Bay for help, she soon learns that the dead girl is actually Serena's sister, Theresa. At the same time, a series of bank robberies have distracted the police from pursuing an investigation into Theresa's death. When Bobby and his mother Delores disappear, the investigation takes on a more personal aspect. Bay learns that Theresa's death may be connected to a local campaign to support the rights of illegal immigrants, and the FBI is involved. Threatening phone calls, vandalism, and the involvement of a family friend in the hold-ups, all lead Bay to believe the two crimes are related and that she is the common thread. The Mercy Oak is a fast-paced, romantic mystery, recommended reading for a day lounging on the beach, or a crisp autumn evening nestled by the fire. Armchair Interviews says: Unique background story for this mystery.

This was another wonderful Bay Tanner mystery. The only down side is it was over all too soon because I cannot put one of her stories down until the end. Already wishing for the next in the series. Thanks Kathryn R. Wall !!

On Sunday Island, South Carolina Bobby Santiago calls his mother Dolores' employer Simpson & Tanner Inquiry Agent Bay Tanner asking for her help. He fears the Hispanic Jane Doe reported as dead in the Sunday Island Packet is his girlfriend, Serena Montalvo, who he believes was murdered. Serena has been a vocal advocate of the rights of illegals; Bobby thinks the Coyotes who transport them to the States for exorbitant fees and blackmails them afterward, killed her. However, instead the victim is Serena's sixteen years old sister, Theresa. Bobby and Serena vanish while his parents out of fear for their other two offspring as well themselves remain mute on what they know. When Dolores vanishes, Bay drops everything to find her housekeeper even as FBI Special Agent Harry Reynolds warns Bay to stay out of his inquiries into some bank robberies he is investigating and Homeland Security agents threaten to lock her up under the Patriot Act if she does not back off. Obstinate as ever; Bay digs deeper as she distrusts the Feds to protect the Santiago's, Montalvo's, or any illegals. This is a fabulous Bay Tanner mystery that showcases the other side of the illegal immigration issue from the perspective of those entering the country illegally. Ironically, the recent clamor led by Congressman Tancredo to kick people out has abetted the Coyote crowd, who has found a lucrative second economic source. The story line is fast-paced as Bay gets involved in a case in which everyone tells her to stay out or else. Kathryn R. Wall is at her best with this exciting thought provoking thriller focusing on the consequences of who keeps winning the illegal immigration debate. Harriet Klausner