The Mystery of Mercy Close
Publication Date: April 9, 2013
Pages: 400
Marian Keyes is one of those Irish authors that turned me on to the beauty of Irish literature. I have read all about the Walsh family and the ups and downs of their lives in books such as
Watermelon and
Rachel's Holiday. Sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, for better or worse Marian Keyes has brought the Walsh family into our lives.
The Mystery of Mercy Close is Helen's story. Helen Walsh has had a rough go of things lately. With the economy crashing her private investigation business has taken a nosedive. Her flat is about to be foreclosed on and she is forced to move back in with her parents, at the age of thirty-three it is rather quite humiliating. The only bright thing in Helen's wife is her rather handsome boyfriend, Artie. But even things with him have been a little tense lately, his ex-wife has been hanging around far more than Helen likes. All of it has her spiraling out of control and barely hanging on by a thread when she gets a phone call from her ex-boyfriend, Jay Parker. He needs her help with a top secret case.
One of the most famous boy bands from the nineties is getting back together for a reunion concert, Jay Parker has put it all together and there is a lot at stake. Except for now, one of the major stars has gone missing and Jay is desperate to find him so that the show will go off without a hitch. As Helen searches for the missing star, she starts spiraling deeper and deeper into the abyss. The only thing that is keeping her from ending it all is her professionalism. She must find Wayne Diffney - and then she can end it all. Will Helen find the missing boy band star and what will she do when the case is over?
Marian Keyes has always been known to write Chick Lit novels with a somewhat dark overtone, but
The Mystery of Mercy Close is the only one that somewhat parallels her own life. In 2009 Marian Keyes experienced a crippling bout of depression, much like Helen Walsh, it nearly destroyed her. Her experience with depression is the reason why this book was so good. The darkness that envelopes Helen is almost as terrifying for the reader as it is for Helen. When she even went so far as to buy a knife and start planning her suicide I was so tense and found myself so concerned for her well being.
Bottom line,
The Mystery of Mercy Close, has everything you would want in a novel. Mystery, romance, rock-stars,divas, crazy families and more. At the heart of everything is the severity of mental-illness. It is an important message to get out there and one that I think needs to be discussed more often, like maybe at this month's book club meeting?
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