Book Review: “Shades of Mercy” by Bruce Borgos
Mercy, Mercy Me
Last year, I read and reviewed the first book in the Porter Beck police procedural series, The Bitter Past. I said in my review of that book that you could sign me up for any sequels, but the truth is that I’m suffering a bit lately from sequel fatigue (and there’s no real reason for it). However, the publicist for author Bruce Borgos sent me a copy of said sequel to my email inbox, so I decided to look. I’m glad I did because while The Bitter Past was a stellar read, its follow-up, Shades of Mercy, is even better. No lie. This novel fires on all cylinders and entertains in an adrenaline-fuelled way. This natural gas guzzler, a complete V8 engine, will have readers glued to the edge of their seats as they read on about the fantastic predicament Beck finds himself in. If anything, I have to wonder how in the hell Bruce Bogos will top this novel.
Shades of Mercy picks up nearly a half year after The Bitter Past left off. Sheriff Beck’s vision problems, as outlined in the first book, only continue to get worse, and he now has an opioid crisis on his hands. People are dying left and right from harmful, illegal drugs for pain that are being imported into his corner of Nevada. However, he also must figure out who had intercepted a remote-controlled aircraft being piloted by the U.S. government and shot a missile at a steer that his friend owned, which was worth a heck of a lot of money. It may seem a silly and throwaway plot point; however, the Feds are involved and are muscling in on Beck’s territory as they assume that the hacker was using the region’s mountains to get a good signal to the satellite controlling the plane. If that weren’t enough, it would turn out that the whole hack job is tied to the Chinese government but was seemingly orchestrated by a young girl named Mercy. But how did she do it? She was serving time in a youth detention center in Beck’s jurisdiction, and there was no way she would have access to a computer to do such a thing. So, what happened? That is for Beck and loyal readers to find out.
What I enjoyed most about this book is that The Bitter Past’s silly sexual tension and cheekiness are absent. There is little that is funny about Shades of Mercy, and this novel is all the better for it. While Beck’s father — who played a pivotal role in The Bitter Past — sits this one mostly out, Beck’s sister and fellow gun expert, Brinley, plays an even more significant role, and new allies are introduced. This is precisely the setup you want in a bigger and better sequel. How much better a book is Shades of Mercy? Think of The Bitter Past as akin to the original Mad Max movie and Shades of Mercy as being on par with The Road Warrior. I could go on and on about how Shades of Mercy is a vast improvement on the original. And let me remind you that the original wasn’t that bad! I must envy those who haven’t had a chance to read Shades of Mercy yet because they’re in for a superb treat. And I have to say that you can dive right in with this book — there are not too many references back to The Bitter Past, which means that that book isn’t spoiled by the more current novel. That’s an admirable feat.
So, are there any faults to be had here? Well, this is a book you can’t think about too much. Some of it — such as the killing of the bull mentioned earlier — is a bit unserious and eye-rolling. There’s a subplot about conspiracy nutjobs thinking of storming Area 51 for answers about the existence of alien life that goes nowhere (unless, of course, this is some metaphor for the Chinese being aliens in the U.S.) And the ending is quite chaotic, with the action amped up to a stunning climax. However, this is a giant quibble because I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I can’t wait to read Book 3 of this series and hope many more books of this ilk come down the pipeline.
I’d also like to see the movie adaptation of Shades of Mercy in the hands of George Miller. I’m sure he could give this book the knock-out visual touch. Ultimately, Shades of Mercy is a high-flying and explosive sequel —again, that rarity where the second book is even better than its predecessor. I probably could go on and on about how exciting and riveting this novel is, but why don’t you experience this for yourself? You need to go down to the nearest bookstore and buy this one. It more than delivers. It’s the book we need for those hot summer days at the beach. Shades of Mercy is strictly dynamite: an unrelenting, superb thriller that simmers until the boiling point is reached and all hell breaks loose. Escapism doesn’t come as good as this, so gobble this one down greedily as soon as possible!
Bruce Borgos’ Shades of Mercy was published by St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books on July 16, 2024.
Of course, if you like what you see, please recommend this piece (click on the clapping hands icon below) and share it with your followers.
Get in touch: zacharyhoule@rogers.com
