Without Mercy

Lisa Jackson
Kensington (2010)
ISBN 9780758225641
Reviewed by Tracey Rock for Reader Views (04/10)


It’s been five years since Jules Farentino saw her father die, but she still feels the pain from her loss.  Her life, or what is left of it, is lifeless. The only thing that Jules still clings to is the relationship she has with her half-sister Shaylee.  Shaylee, who also witnessed Jules’ father’s death, is now seventeen and although quite intelligent, has spent the past five years in and out of trouble with the law.  This time though, Shaylee has gone too far.  A judge has ordered her to attend Blue Rock Academy, a boarding school designed for wealthier kids as an alternative to jail.  This is Shaylee’s last chance.  Although Blue Rock Academy is known for its stringent rules, idealist beliefs and state-of-the-art equipment, Jules believes something is just not right about the school.  Underneath Blue Rock Academy’s stellar reputation, Jules learns of a teacher/student cover-up and worse yet, a student from the school has been missing for six months now with no known whereabouts.  Jules decides that she must find a way to get Shaylee out of Blue Rock Academy and fast.  As a last ditch effort, Jules takes a teaching position with the school only to realize that things are worse than she anticipated.  Upon arriving for her first day at work, Shaylee’s roommate is found dead and a teacher’s aid has been beaten to unconsciousness.  Worse yet, one of the teachers turns out to be her ex-boyfriend, Trent Cooper, an area she had no intention of rehashing at this point in her life.  After another gruesome murder occurs, the evidence clearly points someone at the school and Shaylee could be next.  Jules and Trent work together to try to solve the mystery behind the murders and perhaps find out what happened to the missing girl. 

“Without Mercy” is a good murder mystery with an interesting surprise ending.  The book starts out slow.  I was halfway through the book when I realized that I didn’t know any more about the characters or the storyline than I did after the first three chapters of the book.  I think those looking to try to connect to the main character will initially find this difficult.  Also, since Shaylee is a stronger character than Jules, I found myself wanting to know more about Shaylee and her life at the school than I did about Jules.  The storyline does eventually progress and pleasingly so.  After reading the ending of the story, which is a complete shocker, I found myself going back through the book to re-read certain sections as they made the ending even more fascinating.  If you are willing to get through the middle of the book, which appeared to be a lot of Lisa Jackson retelling portions of the story that she already provided, then you will look back and realize that you enjoyed the book after all and can’t wait for a sequel.

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