Town Without Mercy

By: Joanne Simon Tailele

Narrated by: Cecilia Marie

Is it nature or nurture that drives Adele Baxter Warren's teenage daughter, Mercedes, to become a mass murderer? Town Without Mercy, a complete novella, is contemporary women's fiction dealing with current event drama of mass shootings and gay marriage. Told through the eyes of the mother, a TV news correspondent, Adele must find the answer, even as it takes her away from Mercedes' deathbed where she lays in a coma from the police bullet that stopped the carnage. If Adele follows the leads, the cost could be her 17-year-old marriage to same-sex partner, Jodi Warren. The townspeople of Concord Park wants revenge. They blame Adele and Jodi's lifestyle as the cause of their daughter's actions, but are they innocent of all blame?

©2013 Joanne Simon Tailele (P)2019 Joanne Simon Tailele

Great story told well.

Great story! Well worth my time. Enjoyed hearing a different perspective for a change on the subjects of violence, mercy, love and forgiveness.

good

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. I totally enjoyed reading this book. It’s well written and the characters were fantastic. I would suggest this book to my friends that like this sort of genera. this was a good book.

A very important book everyone should read

This book isn't easy, but it is a very well written one and deserves everyone’s attention. This book is important, very important. Teach us life is never just black and white. The issues mentioned here aren't easy to address, but the sensitive way conveyed by the author and the narrator to do it are very valuable. The author did a great job giving us the other side of the story and opening our eyes.

There were warnings about the triggers in this story, but I decided to go through all the way. That was the right decision. Having a shooting told from the shooter’s parents point of view, gives a complete and different perspective. Also, after knowing the reasons for the girl to do such a horrific act is definitely as I mentioned before an eye opener. Shows how flawed humanity is. Gives us a clear view of how much tolerance is needed. I'm really ashamed of humanity. Hate is a very awful feeling. They said she was a monster. But, who were the real monsters at the end? Ignorance and hate mixed together make a terrible combination.

Is not a read for the faint of heart. But it is something as humans we should be aware of. It's easy to point and judge others, but we never look inside and see our own mistakes and take responsibility for them.

When I finished this book I had to pause and reflect. This book invites to reflection, deep, wholehearted reflection. There are so many lessons to learn. I insist, this is a book everyone should read.

Communication is the key, always. Learn to listen; learn to talk about your concerns.

Narrated by Cecilia Marie, she did an extraordinary job voicing the feelings and what the author meant to transmit. I was moved beyond words and must admit I cried in a number of places.

It is a tough one, but undoubtedly a great one as well.

Tough subject handled well

I do not live in the US so have little experience with mass shootings, let alone that act by a child of a lesbian couple. Is this a story that needed telling I think yes absolutely, it was a difficult listen and to know it was based on fact made it even harder. For a relatively short audio book this packed some serious punches, like ripples in a pond we never know what triggers an event nor how in trying to make change for good in the eye's of a child that things can go so seriously wrong. Guns kill people it is that simple the ease of sourcing them just as easy, you just pull a trigger right ! but the damage oh I so feel for anyone caught up in such an event. A many layered story, my heart just bled at the powerful words, the narration was excellent conveying the authors words succinctly.

Wow!!

What a difficult book to review for his story line but at the same time I have to applaud the author for writing such a difficult situation but that’s our reality on this difficult times!