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Town Without Mercy

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Town Without Mercy

By: Joanne Simon Tailele
Narrated by: Cecilia Marie
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About this listen

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 Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Marriage

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All stars
Most relevant
Town Without Mercy is a highly recommended book! It took me a while before I was finally able to listen to this book. and when I started listening, oh boy, I just couldn't stop! The story just flowed so well that it took me right in the middle of it all. Of course, part of that was because of the powerful and emotional narration. Cecilia Marie is an outstanding narrator. And Joanne Simon Tailele is an author I would be always on the lookout for!

As a parent of teens, this is a truly eye-opening tale. The story made me take a look at my kids in different view. It made me realize that there are things that they could not be telling me and I have to be more sensitive to what they are feeling and going through.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Story Truly Deserving of Five Star Reviews

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This book was so well written. I love how the story was from the point of view of Adele who is the mother of Mercedes, a teenage girl who is the perpetrator in a mass shooting. Town Without Mercy dealt with hate and violence, and it was raw and emotional. I feel like it's a book everyone should read since tragic events like this happen so often in our society. This book had twists and turns and an ending I didn't expect. I very highly recommend this book. Cecilia Marie did an excellent job bringing this story and these characters to life. I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.


Emotional!

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I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this book, but it sounded interesting reading the summary, as this isn't normally the type of book I would choose. But WOW WOW WOW this story was amazingly written and narrated. I had to listen to this book in one go as it had me hooked and I needed to know what was going to happen.

It felt so true and while I was listening to it, it felt like I was there and actually apart of the story. I had goosebumps, and was also very emotional.

Amazing story!

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I must admit, this wasn’t the kind of audiobook I would usually choose to listen to. This is probably the reason why I started it quite hesitantly and probably had trouble getting into it for the first hour or so. This might have also been because of the narrator who made it a little hard for me to engage - I can’t exactly pinpoint why, it might simply be personal preference or/and the accent.

The book is quite heavy, a tough story and nothing “easy going” you would listen to to wind down in the evening or on your commute to work. In fact, I found myself so engrossed and consumed by the story, I had trouble after to focus on the task at hand (aka going to work) - so bear that in mind when listening to it.

That all being sad, it is a very unusual, sometimes breathtaking and incredible story that should be on everyone’s list!
I found the perspective and the way the story developed very interesting and inspiring. The twists had me gasping! How would you deal with picking up the pieces after your teenage daughter turns out to be a mass murderers that decided to shoot “innocent” people at a big event?

The way the story was told was incredible. It was completely believable and i absolutely felt for especially Adele and then the whole family who was simply trying to understand what happened. This alone would serve for a great story with so much depth, but what added the extra layer was the fact that the teenage girl grew up in a rainbow family which added extra layers, extra struggles and so much extra depth. The struggles the two women had to get through, seriously hurt my heart and I felt for them every minute of it.

I also loved the way the author told the story of how the two ladies found each other - it added so much to the story and made the characters so much deeper.

What I would have loved to see was a little more introduction. I felt the story could have done with a little more “setting up” before the big action began, which would have helped to care for and engage with the main characters sooner.

I don’t want to spoil the ending - but again it had me gasping and I can’t believe how well written it was!

Also - on a side note - great title! I love the double meaning.

All in all a great book, which could have done with a little more depth to start with, but caught itself very well. The characters were believable and the story incredibly touching. Definitely worth a listen just for the story alone!

** I have received a code in exchange for an honest review **

Quite a surprise!

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Joanne Simon Tailel wrote a deeply moving story of tragedy and love. The love of two mothers for their daughter and what was felt when tragedy hit their family. It showed how so many people can be closed minded about what they do not understand and how that can cause a teenage girl to go into depression.

Excellent job by Cecilia Marie in narrating the book and having the right tone as the situation changes.

It definitely left me thinking about what happens in the world and some of the reasons that we will never know.

Moving story which left me thinking

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