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Mercy  By  cover art

Mercy

By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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Publisher's summary

The unabridged, digital audiobook edition of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Mercy, Scandinavia’s new bestselling crime phenomenon.

Read by the actor Steven Pacey. At first the prisoner scratches at the walls until her fingers bleed. But there is no escaping the room. With no way of measuring time, her days, weeks, months go unrecorded. She vows not to go mad. She will not give her captors the satisfaction. She will die first. Copenhagen detective Carl has been taken off homicide to run a newly created department for unsolved crimes. His first case concerns Merete Lynggaard, who vanished five years ago. Everyone says she's dead. Everyone says it’s a waste of time. He thinks they’re right.

The voice in the dark is distorted, harsh and without mercy. It says the prisoner’s torture will only end when she answers one simple question. It is one she has asked herself a million times: WHY is this happening?

©2012 Jussi Adler-Olsen (P)2012 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about Mercy

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Stereotypes Spoilt It

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

This book was spoiled for me by the author's frequent use of denigrating stereotypes to describe women - witch, cow, harpy, bitch etc. He didn't demean men in the same way.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Premise for cruel, tortuous revenge absurd.

Believability and credibility crucial for me to really enjoy a book like this. My first time with this author and I probably won't go back. All the Danish towns and landmarks mentioned only added to my disinterest. I thought the narrator did a good job and I was particularly drawn to the Syrian cohort and police enthusiast Assad. After a steady diet of Clancy, Flynn etc where every Arabic character is a bitter,fundamentalist thug who spits on the rest of the world and the 'infidels' in it, a more sympathetic Arab character was a most refreshing change. Loved Assad. The story though was daft. The authors attempt to find a reason for the horrendous torture he wanted to describe was just lame and hard to accept. Don't waste your credit.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Crime Thriller From Denmark

One of the best crime novels I have ever experienced. This can be favorably compared to the best of Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, John Sanford and Henning Mankell. A powerful, emotional ending that will remain with me.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Totally weird and awfully gruesome

This may stretch your imagination. It certainly stretched credibility - to breaking point.
The book is at least twice as long as it ought to be.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

If you could sum up Mercy in three words, what would they be?

Great Tension Fine written characters

What about Steven Pacey’s performance did you like?

The tone of voice

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

double faces

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Dark Crime thriller- brilliant!

The author certainly seemed to get deep into the mind of a psychopath! a disturbing but brilliant book. This one will be remembered for a long time!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Audible listen

Loved the humour, the characterisations are so lively & brilliant and the plot twists and turns make it un-put-down-able! Looking forward with glee, to the next in this series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tremendous drama.

I could not stop listening. Was absolutely enthralled the entire time. So well narrated. Can't wait to read another.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Funny, thrilling

Great race against time, perfect story, funny detective’s assistant , I have enjoyed the book so much!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Excruciating for all the wrong reasons

Gripping story-telling (The Guardian) and a pitch-black novel (The Independent). That's what a couple of newspaper reviews said about Mercy. The reason I looked was that this is the second Audible book in a row that I have found intolerably bad, so I was wondering whether others had the same reaction or whether I'm just have a bad month/year/life.
It seems as if I am in the minority -- perhaps a minority of one -- because I just don't get the appreciation.
Mercy is excruciating: dull characters, banal dialogue and failure to launch from a promising premise.
Am I the only listener who found the comedic portrayal of Assad racist, both in the writing and the recording?
I managed to listen to about three hours out of the full 13 and a half, so perhaps it fell together into a fascinating and complex storyline by the end, but I doubt it: weak writing is a pre-existing condition with no miracle cure.

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