Book Review: This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash

When their mother dies suddenly, Easter and Ruby Quillby are all alone. Their father, Wade, left years ago, and their only grandparents live in Alaska, far from their home in North Carolina. They move into a foster home and 12-year-old Easter decides they will stay there until she turns 18 and can adopt her little sister herself. But it starts to look like they'll be shipped off to Alaska to live with grandparents they've never met. So when Wade shows up, they sneak away with him instead.

This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash is sort of a road-trip story, featuring a dad and his two girls getting to know each other again. But it's not all a sweet story. Wade stole some money from a powerful man. So it's not just the police looking for Wade and the girls. There's a very bad man with a very bad grudge looking for them as well.

I loved this book. The story flows smoothly. The characters are honest and realistic, especially Wade and the girls. We get to hear from several points of view throughout the story: Easter, the bad guy named Pruitt, and Brady Weller, the girls' guardian ad litem. The first time it changed to a new point of view, in chapter 5, I was confused. But once I figured out that it was a new character speaking, I found the different perspectives added a lot to the story.

This Dark Road to Mercy is a heartfelt story of family ties and the relationship between father and child. This theme runs not just within the relationship between Wade and his girls, but also with Brady and his daughter, and Pruitt and his father. The suspense of the chase makes this a quick read. I highly recommend it.

My Rating: 5/5

Visit the author's website, Facebook page, or Twitter page.

This review was written based on a copy of This Dark Road to Mercy that I received from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.