As always with Jodi Picoult books, this story surrounds a crime and the subsequent courtcase but this is actually a relatively small part of this book so I wouldn't really class it as a courtroom drama or crime novel but most definitely a character driven drama. Whilst the main topic being explored is love and relationships, I find it to be far from a romance, so if you go into it expecting it to be one you could be disappointed. It's about love, yes, but it's more exploring the whole "it's not always rainbows and butterflies" aspect of things, and is about human nature and how people act and what drives us to do the things we do. Whilst book covers ...  Read the complete review

An increasingly familiar name to anyone who keeps even half an ear on literary matters, Jodi Picoult has published a number of novels that share a familiar format and focus on topical issues. In fact, Picoult is such a popular writer that I often feel I must be missing something when I reflect on my fairly negative feelings about her novels, so I decided to try one more to help me reach a fairer conclusion. I chose 'Mercy' because it covers a particularly interesting topical issue...and because it was on sale for 20p at the library! Would this be the novel that convinced me to change my opinion? The central idea is an engaging one: Jamie MacDonald suffocates ...  Read the complete review

After really enjoying the last 2 Jodi Picoult books I thought I was guaranteed a good read with Mercy. The book focuses on the life of Cameron and Allie MacDonald, Cameron is a police chief in the town of Wheelock and also the clan chief, which is a titled passed down through the generations and more of an honour than a real responsibility. Allie owns a flower shop and adores her husband to the point of making you feel sick at times. Jamie MacDonald a cousin of Cameron pulls up to the police station and admits to killing his wife, she is in his truck and this is where the real story begins. Why did Jamie kill his wife whom he loved so ...  Read the complete review

In The Name Of Love. I've read a few book reviews on dooyoo about Jodi Picoult's novels and when I saw this one in my favourite second-hand bookshop I decided to buy it. I know little about the author, and to be honest I find her website confusing with lots about forthcoming book tours and very little about the author and the themes she handles in her books. She's an American author and writes prolifically, with about fourteen books to her name. From reviews and some looking at her website, she writes about relationships, family and friends, love and loss, but mainly about those topics we prefer not to think about. I gather that she also writes about court ...  Read the complete review

'Mercy' is another book written by Jodi Picoult and I had a feeling that it was slightly different to her other works. I did, however, really enjoy reading it. Allie and Cam MacDonald live in a small town in Massachussets. She has always been madly in love with him and in this marriage, she obviously seems to be the one 'that loves more'. Cam has always been lead by duty and it isn't clear to me whether he loves Allie at all (or maybe I am a bit harsh on him). Cameron is the police chief and one day, when his cousin Jamie walks in and says that his wife is dead and he is the one to kill her, Cam doesn't hesitate to put him under arrest. Jamie ...  Read the complete review