A Suspension of Mercy

By: Patricia Highsmith

Narrated by: Simon Vance

A major new reissue of the work of a classic noir novelist. Throughout her career, Patricia Highsmith brought a keen literary eye and a genius for plumbing the psychopathic mind to more than 30 works of fiction, unparalleled in their placid deviousness and sardonic humor. With deadpan accuracy, she delighted in creating true sociopaths in the guise of the everyday man or woman. In A Suspension of Mercy, a masterpiece of noir fantasy, Highsmith revels in eliciting the unsettling psychological forces that lurk beneath the surface of everyday contemporary life.

©2015 Patricia Highsmith (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wry Hitchcockian

Kept imagining Christian Bale’s American Psycho as Sid. Excellent story and narration. Ok 15 words

Captivating

It arrested my interest immediately with likeable characters, beautiful word pictures, and mundane delights. The simplicity of the story kept me hooked. I never saw the twists coming. Unpredictable yet ordinary. “Truth is stranger than fiction” premise through and through. I find myself sitting, long after completing, to ponder the people and events, I was made that involved with them. That’s a rare gem of a book. Our narrator could not have been a better choice for this character parade!

Starts slow but stick with it

very clever mystery and the writing was so good. Good performance with good characters. enjoyable

Great narrator!

Love this narrator. Story was good. Characters kept me listening. I enjoyed the journey thoroughly

SLOW Burn

I tried this book on a whim. It started very slow and I was hesitant to continue it but I am so glad I did! The character of Sydney felt so real and I couldn’t help but root for him in the end.

As I said, the beginning was quite slow. A lot of exposition and back and forth between Sydney and the other characters. At times you can almost zone out. That being said, the last few chapters had me hooked! I was on the edge of my seat!

Great overall!

Kept me nervous about what and how and when and who through the whole story. I loved it!

delusional and plodding

it was a struggle to finish. It was so many convoluted schemes that you didn't know what was real and what wasn't.

Simple and sinister crime novel.

A clever story that took several twist and turn to reach the climax. Readers familiar with Ms. Highsmith’s Ripley stories would definitely enjoy this book. Enjoyed the performance .

Disappointing

I had just completed The Talented Mr Ripley and was keen to read more by Patricia Highsmith. This novel was available for free for a limited time, so I chose it. It left me disappointed and underwhelmed. A climactic ending might have saved it but it ended with a whimper. Don't expect a page turner with this one. The narration by Simon Vance was flawless.

It's OK...

This was kind of a mess for me. Much too long, cardboard characters and just a mushy plot. I guess the "suspense" was supposed to come from the uncertain mental stability of the main character, but I really just didn't care...he was ...vapid. Some of the reviews were 5s...so maybe I just really missed the boat.