The Mystery of Mercy Close

From the author of the 2023 Sunday Times bestseller Again, Rachel

De: Marian Keyes

Narrado por: Niamh Daly

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Marian Keye's heartbreaking stunner of a novel, The Mystery of Mercy Close, read by the actress Niamh Daly.

Helen Walsh doesn't believe in fear - it's just a thing invented by men to get all the money and good jobs - and yet she's sinking. Her work as a Private Investigator has dried up, her flat has been repossessed and now some old demons have resurfaced.

Not least in the form of her charming but dodgy ex-boyfriend Jay Parker, who shows up with a missing persons case. Money is tight and Jay is awash with cash, so Helen is forced to take on the task of finding Wayne Diffney, the 'Wacky One' from boyband Laddz.

Things ended messily with Jay. And she's never going back there. Besides she has a new boyfriend now, the very sexy detective Artie Devlin and it's all going well. But the reappearance of Jay is stirring up all kinds of stuff she thought she'd left behind.

Playing by her own rules, Helen is drawn into a dark and glamorous world, where her worst enemy is her own head and where increasingly the only person she feels connected to is Wayne, a man she's never even met.

Utterly compelling, moving and very very funny, The Mystery of Mercy Close is unlike any novel you've ever read and Helen Walsh - courageous, vulnerable and wasp-tongued - is the perfect heroine for our times.

Praise for Marian Keyes:

'When it comes to writing page-turners that put a smile on your face and make you think, Keyes is in a class of her own' Daily Express

'Zips along with engaging characters, fabulous plotting and spot-on dialogue. Marian Keyes: what a genius' Daily Mail

Marian Keyes' international bestselling novels include Rachel's Holiday, Last Chance Saloon, Sushi for Beginners, Angels, The Other Side of the Story, Anybody Out There, This Charming Man and The Brightest Star in the Sky. Two collections of her journalism, Under the Duvet and Further Under the Duvet, are also available from Penguin.

Reseñas de la Crítica

The Mystery of Mercy Close is the tale of strong and sassy but vulnerable, private detective Helen Walsh who is looking for a missing person - but can she find him before she loses herself?

'I have a habit of taking instant dislikes to people. Simply because it saves time . . .'

When it comes to writing page-turners that put a smile on your face and make you think, Keyes is in a class of her own

Zips along with engaging characters, fabulous plotting and spot-on dialogue. Marian Keyes: what a genius

if u love marian keyes, you'll find this boring

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

out of everything she's written, this flops (sorry Marian)

What was most disappointing about Marian Keyes’s story?

I know Marian has suffered major depression, I have too ... I empathise. But your fans have a certain level of fun, excitement + a smidge of naughty/dodgy behaviour of your characters to keep your fans amused.

But for the author to use the key protaganist, Helen, one of the Walsh sisters to go through severe depression and what she did, experienced etc. I felt Marian Keyes was using this character as a cathartic to go through her own experiences and issues.

Fair enough for her. But not for her readers/listeners .. we want to be enterained and pay to read/listen, and not feel we're sharing the same kind of mental overhaul she went through, and then she got paid tons of bucks to write this book.

If she wasnt a bestselling author, and sent this book to every publisher in the world, it wouldnt have been published by anyone.

Sorry, Marian, but its true, and deepdown you know this. You cant's turn out this kind of pap, when your fans have devoured your last 8 books with glee.

Which character – as performed by Niamh Daly – was your favorite?

the key character - Helen, Niamh was exciting and kept me listening, through a very predictable plod of a tale. It's not the narrater's fault that she had a bad read to narrate. Without her, I would've let it go and just skipped to the end within the 1st hour.

Could you see The Mystery of Mercy Close being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Any additional comments?

I know Marian has suffered major depression, I empathise. But your fans have a certain level of fun, excitement + a smidge of naughty/dodgy behaviour of your characters to keep your fans amused.

But for the author to use the key protaganist, Helen, one of the Walsh sisters to go through severe depression and what she did, experienced etc. I felt Marian Keyes was using this character as a cathartic to go through her own experiences and issues.

Fair enough for her. But not for her readers/listeners .. we want to be enterained and pay to read/listen, and not feel we're sharing the same kind of mental overhaul she went through, and then she got paid tons of bucks to write this book.

If she wasnt a bestselling author, and sent this book to every publisher in the world, it wouldnt have been published by anyone.

Sorry, Marian, but its true, and deepdown you know this. You cant's turn out this kind of pap, when your fans have devoured your last 8 books with glee.

Interesting Detective I'd Say

I am not a big fan of Helen Walsh but I had to respect the lady. She had her quirks for sure but managed to get the job done. I was particularly impressed with Marian Keyes' descriptions of depression and what it feels like to be in the throes of an illness that you can't seem to get a handle on. The inability to escape your own brain, is truly terrifying - truly - and as such resulting suicide attempts are not the result of any rational thought, simply a means to an end for true sufferers of depression or manic-depression.

Hats off to Marian Keyes for her unique glimpse into mental illness and her ability to convey that it is not a weakness of character but an ailment unto its own. Helen Walsh is no lightweight, she is a strong, confident woman.

The story of the band, well, I wasn't really into it but the rest kept me going. I really like this narrator too.

Listened twice so far

Really enjoyed this audio book. Marian Keyes toes the line between funny and dark so well, and this book keeps you interested all the way through. Very heartwarming ending and the narrator's interpretation is great too, especially for mammy Walsh!

A study on depression & a mystery

The mystery part is good, you won't be able to decipher until almost the end, just a little bit ahead of the protagonist and then revising the clues said "of course!" but that is the fun, right ?

The depression... I believe it is done in order to illustrate how a person suffering from endogenous depression feels and her interaction with the rest of the world: family, friends, job,etc. And I think M.Keyes does a good job, The symptoms, failures and / or successes of the treatment are textbook. Reminded me of some of J. Picoult's novels (house rules, my sister keeper, handle with care etc.)

So, to me the achievement of this listen is that going thru this little mystery the listener learns the suffering of a person with e. depression and by knowing and understanding this terrible disease one becomes more respectful and compassionate towards these patients, at least that is what I believe.

Also I should point out that it is a shock this dark version of M.Keyes. there is this black humor and kind of bitter wit towards the world as it is now (mostly the economy). But again it is the color of the glass through which the protagonist watches said world.

The performer is great.Very, very good !

Dark, Light and Altogether Wonderful

I literally laughed out loud. Wonderfully entertaining, I enjoyed every minute of it.

There couldn’t have been a more perfect choice of narrator for this book. Niamh Daly did a remarkable job.

I highly recommend this book.