Carmen Palma is a Homicide Detective in Houston, a strong female in a world that is still amost exclusively male. When two women are found murdered in an identical, bizarre fashion, Palma suspects the worst: a sexually motivated serial killer. When a third woman is murdered, Palma discovers that the victims are all part of an underground ndetwork of uper-class women living secret double lives, and she realises that she is way out of her depth. Written with shocking yet fascinating realism based on authentic research, MERCY's complex psychological suspense, vivid settings and powerful characterisation make it a superb and compulsive thriller - with all the heart-stopping tension of Thomas Harris and John Grisham at their best.