The Mystery of Mercy Close

By: Marian Keyes

Narrated by: Caroline Lennon

Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

As the youngest of the five Walsh girls, Helen has had a tough time finding her way in the world. At 33, her job as a private investigator has proven less than fruitful and after losing her apartment, she’s moved back in with Mammy Walsh. In desperation, Helen takes on a case to locate the missing member of a once wildly popular boy band. The only hitch is that she has to work with her ex-boyfriend.

Marian Keyes’s newest novel is a charming, bittersweet story about a woman trying to work her way back from the depths of despair.

©2013 Marian Keyes (P)2013 Recorded Books

Much Darker Than the Other Walsh Sister's Stories

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

Marian Keyes has written hilarious (while touching on serious topics) tales about the 5 Walsh sisters and their Mammy! This story is about Helen, the youngest. In the 4 other stories we see Helen as a confident, meddling, self absorbed (in a funny way) little sister - focused on how her sister's predicament affects HER.

This story is about a totally different Helen. There was never any hint of the desperation revealed in this story. It wasn't bad, just much more serious and dark than I've come to expect from the Walsh sisters.

The story would have been more 'enjoyable' if there was less time spent on descriptions of interior design & other insignificant detail and more of the clever humor and cheeky sarcasm in previous novels.

As the youngest of the five Walsh girls, Helen has had a tough time finding her way in the world. At 33, her job as a private investigator has proven less than fruitful and after losing her apartment, she’s moved back in with Mammy Walsh. In desperation, Helen takes on a case to locate the missing member of a once wildly popular boy band. The only hitch is that she has to work with her ex-boyfriend.

Marian Keyes’s newest novel is a charming, bittersweet story about a woman trying to work her way back from the depths of despair.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Ehhh...this was not as fast paced or 'page turning' as previous work. I was invested but not so much that I wanted to race to the end.

Any additional comments?

After reading 'The Mystery of Mercy Close' I read an article in The Daily Mail by Keyes written in 2012. It seems much Helen's story is autobiographical and/or projection from Keyes own life. This may explain WHY it is so much darker than her previous work...she wrote it AFTER suffering a nervous breakdown, buying a suicide kit (described exactly as that in Helen's story), etc.

This was a good read and while I'm disappointed that Helen was SO different than I expected-I understand that Marian Keyes was in a much different place when writing this.

I enjoy her earlier works as they are a bit more light-hearted but still touch on serious matters like alcoholism, depression, etc. Don't miss Watermelon, Rachel's Holiday and the other Walsh sisters stories.

Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married & Last Chance Saloon are fantastic and what got me started with Keyes. Hilarity!

Mordantly funny, surprisingly mysterious

When I started this book, I thought I had made a terrible mistake. The protagonist, Helen, seemed like an awful person. She arrives at her parents' house, lets herself in with the key she told them years ago she lost (while secretly holding it "just in case") and announces she's moving in.

Her parents are less than thrilled.

Helen seems to have nothing nice to say about anyone she's ever met.

As the book goes on, serious matters (mental illness) are woven in with a missing boy band member (now age 37), various romantic entanglements, a hilarious depressive's line of paint names, and a lot of detail about the actual work of becoming and surviving as a private eye.

I had no idea what had happened to the boy bander (although the clues were all there), and grew to love and admire Helen.

There were many smiles and a few laughs out loud.

This is apparently one of a series of books about the 5 girls in the family, and I will definitely check out the other books.

Really bad Irish accent

Why they chose this narrator I cannot understand. I've enjoyed her on other projects but she just wasn't right for this book. The other books in this series featured real Irish accents which made the humor come alive and fitted with the writer's cadence. I'm not sure if this was just a weaker book or if the narration spoiled it but for my money the weakest in what is otherwise a really enjoyable series. Too bad, as Helen is the quirkiest and funniest of the sisters.

fun read

I always enjoy Marion Keyes. books. this book was no different. there is plenty of humor and sillyness as one always finds in her novels. .

The Mystery of Mercy Close

What did you love best about The Mystery of Mercy Close?

I love the Walsh family

Who was your favorite character and why?

Helen, she is such a diverse character. I always enjoyed her in the other books

What about Caroline Lennon’s performance did you like?

She is great to listen to and I have listened to many of her performances

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had a few laugh out loud moments and a few sad moments through this book

Any additional comments?

I want another Walsh story! I really enjoy them

Strong yet flawed-perfect for Helen Walsh

This story definitely wasn't what I was expecting and in a good way. For those who are fans of the Walsh sisters stories by Marian Keyes, we've all gotten snippets of Helen Walsh's personality and have been entertained by her strong, don't-give-a-crap personality. It's been a long wait for a whole novel about the youngest Walsh. However, it was a surprise to discover that she's not quite as strong as we all previously thought, and this creates a closeness, an empathy for this character. While in the midst of investigating a missing person's case, she is constantly fighting her own demons and hell, most of us can relate to the stress of having to get the job done when you'd rather just crawl back into bed in a nice dark room. Keyes' signature talent for blending humor with difficult human situations and emotions made this book yet another enjoyable read. What's next for the Walsh family?

Another great Walsh sister story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Helen Walsh was great. I love her sarcasm and her no nonsense attitude. It was finally great to have her as the star of the story.

What does Caroline Lennon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent narration, she seem to capture the spirit of each character. She could read the phone book and I would listen.

Any additional comments?

Love most books by Marian Keyes. Especially any of the stories of the Walsh sisters. Like I said earlier I am so glad she finally did a story about Helen.

Absolutely loved this story!

What made the experience of listening to The Mystery of Mercy Close the most enjoyable?

The storyline was very believable. Listening about the author's struggles with life and depression while attempting to do her job and live her life was very eye opening.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the twists and turns that the author took you on. Just like Helen, I waited for every lead and idea to surface and bring about something in order to make the search a bit easier. I waited to find out what information would be gained from each avenue she pursued in order to find what she was looking for. There were times that I felt very sad for the characters due to their circumstances, times that I literally laughed out loud, and times that I was angry on behalf of characters due to things that happened. When a book can pull you in and make you feel those different emotions you know it's a good one.

What does Caroline Lennon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved listening to her accent. As an American I cannot mimic an Irish accent whatsoever but it definitely brought a nice touch to this story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It was very long and sometimes hard to take when listening to the dark thoughts that ran through Helen's mind. I did listen for several hours at a take though since I was driving.

Any additional comments?

This is NOT the typical light hearted chick lit we normally see from Marian Keyes. That being said though, I think she was brilliant with the story she created here. Not only did she unravel layers of a mystery to find something lost, she created an emotionally complex character that we as the listener (or reader) could at times relate to or know someone who could. I will still recommend this book to friends despite it not being the happy go lucky and friendly tale that we normally see from M.K.

Marian is genius every time!

I've read everything she has written and love her continuation of the Walsh girls' quirky adventures. This one kept me guessing, and I loved it! Her turns of phrase make me want to write them down and use them!

Not for everyone

Helen is quirky but this is an interesting mix of mystery story and a story of mental health struggles and financial struggles. This is my second listen of this - I am actually re-listening to the whole Walsh sister series. I love them all - each sister having her own character, tragedy and hopeful ending - but Helen is special - a royal pain but distinctly lovable all at the same time.