The Mercy Oak: A Bay Tanner Mystery (Bay Tanner Mysteries) - Hardcover

Wall, Kathryn R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312375344 ISBN 13: 9780312375348

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2008

Synopsis

In the South, family is the one thing worth dying—or killing—for. . . .

Things are heating up between young widow Bay Tanner, sometime private investigator, and Red, local sheriff’s sergeant and her late husband’s brother. But a new case that strikes too close to home endangers more than just her love life.

An unexpected call from her housekeeper’s son hints that a recent hit-and-run may have been more than an accident. Roberto fears the victim, a local crusader for the rights of illegal immigrants, may have been silenced. But almost immediately it becomes clear that the dead girl was not the intended victim, and before Bay has a chance to launch an investigation, Roberto himself disappears.

Meanwhile, Red and the rest of the sheriff’s deputies are working overtime to solve a string of holdups terrorizing local businesses and banks. When Lavinia Smalls, longtime companion to Bay’s crippled father, is caught up in one of these robberies, Bay finds herself enmeshed in yet another mystery. What does Lavinia know about this gang of thieves, and why is she so reluctant to share her secret? What clues does her friend, the ancient black man with the intricately carved walking stick, carry in his muddled memory?

Then the strange phone calls begin, and Bay realizes someone desperately wants her off the case—but which one? Determined to protect those she regards as family, Bay struggles against the fear that she may be endangering the very people she’s come to love in order to bring a killer to justice. Almost too late, she discovers that tempers run hot and prejudices deep when it comes to the growing immigrant population of the sultry South Carolina Lowcountry.

In Kathryn Wall’s eighth captivating Southern mystery, Bay Tanner will pay a terrible price to uncover the secrets of the Mercy Oak.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Praise for the Novels of Kathryn R. Wall

Sanctuary Hill
“Wall once again delivers credible characters, a gripping plot, and pitch-perfect local color.”
—Publishers Weekly

“This is the seventh Bay Tanner mystery in seven years . . . and for my money, one of her best.”
—The Island Packet

Bishop’s Reach
“Oozing with Southern charm, this whodunit flows like hot molasses to a deliciously clever conclusion.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Curling up with a new Bay Tanner book feels just as it should—like settling in for tea with an interesting old friend, always familiar, yet always surprising.”
—Lowcountry Weekly

Resurrection Road
“Intricate and suspenseful.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“Resurrection Road should be part of your carry-on baggage on your next trip.”
—Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Kathryn R. Wall practiced accounting for twenty-five years in Ohio before retiring with her husband to Hilton Head, South Carolina.

About this edition

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0312375344
• ISBN 13: 9780312375348
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320