Mercy    by Jodi Picoult Order:  USA  Can Washington Square, 2001 (1996) Hardcover, Paperback, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Jamie McDonald smothers his drastically ill wife and then surrenders to his cousin, the police chief of a small Massachusetts town. A trial ensues, involving a fledging lawyer who is not confident of his prowess in the courtroom. Though Mercy was first published eight years ago, that fact does not detract from the force of its message. The issue the jury has to face – as any of us might have to some day – is whether a person could love someone enough to put them out of their misery and then be left behind to pay the price. And what should that price be? I like Jodi Picoult's writing. I have read a number of her books and have never been disappointed. She always has a message in her work. She makes me think about her story lines - enough to come to my own conclusions as to how I would have acted had I been faced with the problems her protagonists face. I could see into her characters' lives and hearts with a clarity that rings true. I visited the courtroom each day along with the defendant. I become a part of the book, one I hated to see come to an end. But the story had been told - a remarkable one. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews