Mercy Street    by Mariah Stewart Order:  USA  Can Ballantine, 2008 (2008) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Lyn Seippel Mallory loves being a detective, but her career ends after nine years when she refuses to confirm a lie told by her partner. She is shunned and harassed by her colleagues and, knowing that if she ever needs backup there will be no one to help her, she makes the decision to leave. Four teenagers, all good friends from the same Catholic high school, meet up in the park where two are murdered and the other two, a boy and a girl, go missing. Father Burch, their church priest asks former detective Mallory Russo to look into the case and help find the two missing teenagers. The police are assuming that the two who are missing murdered the others and are on the run. Father Burch is sure that's not so. Mallory does have one friend left at the precinct, her former boss, Joe Drabyak, who recommended her to Father Burch. Mallory doesn't leap at the opportunity to work on a case that the police have already investigated, but they've moved on, focusing all of their resources on a sniper whose shootings appear to be random. So far he hasn't killed anyone but finding him before he does has become top priority. Although she's not a private detective, Mallory applies for a license and begins investigating. Someone else also has an interest in the case. Without Mallory the department is down two detectives and a new detective from Philadelphia has been hired to replace her. Although personal problems won't allow him to start the job yet, Charlie Wanamaker is brushing up on ongoing cases and the park shooting will soon be his responsibility. Stewart has written an intricate mystery with a sympathetic protagonist. Mercy Street looks like the first of what should be an excellent series. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews