Mercy

Jodi Picoult confronts these powerful issues in Mercy, which follows the path of two cousins driven to extremes by the power of love.Police chief of a small Massachusetts town, Cameron McDonald makes the toughest arrest of his life when his own cousin Jamie comes to him and confesses outright that he has killed his terminally ill wife out of mercy. A heated murder trial plunges the town into upheaval and drives a wedge into a contented marriage: Cameron, aiding the prosecution in their case against Jamie, finds himself suddenly at odds with his devoted wife, Allie. She is seduced by the idea of a man so in love with his wife that he'd grant all her wishes, even her wish to end her life. And when an inexplicable attraction leads to a shocking betrayal, Allie faces the hardest questions of the heart: when does love cross the line of moral obligation? And what does it mean to truly love another?Tightly woven with passion and a fast-paced plot, Mercy explores some of today's most highly charged emotional and ethical issues as it draws toward its stunning conclusion. "Mercy is a quietly powerful book that examines the boundaries of love and loyalty, courage and forgiveness."  The Boston Globe"What could have been a competent, topical novel about a mercy killing becomes, in Picoult's hands, an inspired meditation on love… Picoult pays loving attention to her central characters, fashioning a sensitive exploration of the balance of love."  Publishers Weekly"A graceful stylist, Picoult entertains her readers not only with feel-good storytelling and irresistible characters but with consideration of such serious moral dilemmas as euthanasia and forgiveness."  Booklist"I would be surprised if anyone who reads the first 20 pages of Mercy could put it aside again. This is the Real Thing, a novel about plausible people and important ideas told with riveting cinematic clarity. The story's edge, and the economy with which Jodi Picoult hones it, positively gleam."  Portland Oregonian