Mercy continues the tale of Atlee Pine's search for her sister. From the deep south of state of GA, the mountains of Asheville, NC. to Colorado, the various locations serve as an intresting backdrop as Atlee tries to solve the mystery that has haunted her all her life. Baldacci packs a few twists and turns in the story to heighten the tension, leading to a surprising ending.

Baldacci at his best. This book has most the answers to the questions that readers have.

This FBI agent Atlee Pine thriller is a worthy edition to the series. Pine is still looking for her long-lost twin sister, who was kidnapped at age 6. Pine also wants to know why her parents abandoned her at a young age. Pine, along with her assistant Carol Blum, are following every lead they can find. They do not know if Mercy is still alive, but they won't give up.

It might be better to read the series in order, but if not, this is a fine thriller on it's own.

Mercy is book 4 in the Atlee Pine series by David Baldacci

“Atlee has discovered that her twin sister, Mercy, is alive. She goes in search of Mercy along with her assistant, Carol. But someone else is after Mercy…and the sisters may soon face their biggest challenge yet.”

This book was much better than the last Baldacci book. Atlee is a great character with an interesting backstory. And we get to meet Mercy, who is even tougher than Atlee.
There were a bunch of characters and storylines and at times it was confusing. But the final scene was explosive 🧨 and wild. Hope we get to see more of these characters from DB.

Mercy is another winner for David Baldacci. In Mercy we find answers to questions raised in his previous books. The reader travels through kidnapping, shoot outs, and hard times which kept me fully engaged in this fast paced book.

Mercy by David Baldacci is the fourth in the FBI agent Atlee Pine series, billed as the conclusion to Atlee’s involved search for her sister Mercy, who was kidnapped thirty years ago from their home as a six-year-old child. The novel features action galore, violence, a new villain to contend with, and well-written emotional connections.

Other than the four Pine novels, I have not read Baldacci’s work. This installment provided the closure a series reader expects. The Pine sisters and FBI assistant Carol Blum are somewhat believable and fully developed characters. Most of the supporting characters are less so, with a lot of author narration used to explain the characters’ backgrounds. Also, while some reviewers say the novel can be read as a standalone, that is only because of extensive re-telling summaries in the early chapters, and again to provide plot wrap-up at the end. I was glad to see Atlee’s search finally concluded, but the plot in this volume took a convoluted route to do so.

Readers who have followed Atlee Pine's long road to Mercy, the sister she has never stopped searching for, will not be disappointed with bestselling author David Baldacci's handling of the culmination of Atlee's quest. He provides the answers to questions about Mercy, as well as the Pine sisters' extended family, that have plagued Atlee and compelled her unrelenting search . . . and kept readers clamoring for the next installments in the series. The sisters' reunion comes after additional suspense, near-misses, danger, and potential heartbreak. Their first meeting in thirty years is believably fraught with emotion, confusion, trepidation, and, eventually, relief. They are no longer six-year-old little girls. Mercy has not carried the same memories of events as Atlee -- flashes of memory have always creeped into her consciousness from time to time, but she has never been able to piece together their meaning or significance -- or experienced the same propulsive need for reconciliation that Atlee has experienced. The sisters have to learn about each other's lives and to trust, which is not an easy proposition for Mercy. "In the Hollywood version it would be all smiles, hugs, and tears. In real life, it was far more nuanced. And complicated."

Baldacci unsparingly reveals what Mercy's life has been like since she was kidnapped from the bedroom in which she was sleeping with Atlee on that fateful night when the girls were only six years old. When he finally introduces Mercy to readers, he immediately endears her to them with his descriptions of how she was tortured and traumatized by the people to whom she was given by her kidnapper. "'They don't want you anymore,' the man had said that night to the little girl she used to be with the name and history she no longer remembered. As they sat in his car he had said, 'They sent me here to take one of you. Your mother and father told me to kill you. But I'm not going to do that. I'm taking you to another family that wants you. You'll be safe there.'" She wasn't. But, like Atlee, she proved to be resilient, intelligent, and determined to survive. She managed to escape but has never been able to settle down and lead what most people would deem a normal life. While Atlee continued her formal education and excelled as a competitive athlete before joining the FBI, Mercy educated herself, and learned to never rely upon or trust anyone but herself and her infallible instincts. She also developed her athletic prowess, competing as an amateur MMA fighter. She bears emotional and physical scars, "burn marks, lumps, painful knife cuts and other disfigurements . . . hand-tooled into her." But she is clever, savvy, and able to outsmart anyone who tries to take advantage of her. "I survived it all," she reminds herself. She has lived under the assumed name of Eloise Cain after escaping her imprisonment as Rebecca Atkins. Along the way, she has made enemies. One, in particular, wants to extract revenge. And when she realizes that the FBI is looking for her as a result of the fact that Atlee is closing in on locating her, she complicates matters by going on the run. She assumes the FBI wants her in connection with her escape, not realizing that her scattered recollections relate to a twin sister who has spent years looking for her.

Atlee, meanwhile, continues inching closer to her sister, aided by her assistant, Carol Blum, who has "become something of a surrogate mother to the federal agent, to some degree taking the place of the one who abandoned her." Baldacci notes the partnership between a woman in her 30's and a woman in her 60's is a unique one in contemporary fiction that he was eager to portray. He sees Carol as exactly the assistant Atlee needed. She has six grown children, but is estranged from most of them. Atlee's mother, as noted, disappeared from Atlee's life when she was a young woman. So each of the women benefits from the relationship. Carol strives to reel Atlee back when she is tempted to make impulsive decisions or engage in rash behavior. With Atlee in her life, Carol has someone she can mother, showering affection and guidance upon Atlee.

Baldacci has deservedly received praise for believably writing the books from a female viewpoint, but he doesn't find it particularly remarkable. He wryly notes that he has "never written about a damsel in distress" for one very specific reason: "I've never met one." He insists that he is comfortable penning the story from the perspectives of Atlee, Mercy, and to a lesser degree, Carol, simply because he grew up surrounded by strong women. Both of his grandmothers resided in the family home and he describes his mother as "a force of nature." His journalist sister and wife are also strong, independent women.

He relates that he always wanted to prominently feature a female FBI agent in his books and when he conceptualized Atlee, he knew she would have a sister. He didn't initially know that it would require four books to tell the sisters' story, but the title of the first volume, Long Road to Mercy, signalled that Atlee's quest for answers would be an arduous, all-consuming, and lengthy journey. Over the course of the books, Baldacci illustrates the ways in which Atlee is transformed by the pilgrimage. Atlee loves her career as an FBI agent, but has no interest in or patience for bureaucracy. She has no desire to promote within the agency and assume a managerial position. She finds the ministerial tasks associated with her job insufferable, and is devoted to conducting solid investigations and solving crimes. Moreover, she has always been a loner who, according to Baldacci, has perpetually felt she had to "live two lives -- her own and one for her sister." But as the series progresses, Baldacci compassionately allows Atlee to become more vulnerable and uncertain about herself -- even fragile, at times. Her efforts to find her sister cause her toughness to "fall by the wayside," which is why, as noted, she is fortunate to have Carol at her side. Eventually, Baldacci permits her to find "closure" . . . if not peace.

In true Baldacci style, there are kidnappings, dead bodies, and pulse-pounding adventure, culminating in a forced showdown that could easily leave one or both of the sisters dead before they have a chance to spend time getting to know each other.

What does Baldacci want readers to take away from the series? In addition to being entertained, he wants them to recognize that some careers, including that of FBI agent, continue to be male-dominated, but "it doesn't matter. I want readers to look at Atlee Pine as a possibility," he says. He hopes that serving as an FBI agent or entering other professions traditionally pursued by men might be a challenge that some female readers opt to take on, too.

A prolific writer, Baldacci, a former trial attorney, published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996. He has now penned more than forty novels for adults, all of which have been national and international bestsellers published in over 45 languages and more than 80 countries, as well as seven novels for younger readers. But he continues challenging himself. "A writer in fear is probably a really good writer," he says. "I like to scare myself to death," sharing that he enjoys feeling like he's drafting his first novel again.

Luckily for readers, the mystery surrounding Mercy may be solved, but Atlee Pine will return in future novels. Baldacci says he still has more stories featuring Atlee to tell. Hopefully, he'll be busy scaring himself into penning those tales soon.

I loved this title. I was hesitant to get into Atlee's saga with the first couple of books, but a binge reading session had me hooked. Baldacci keeps the tension high and the characters relatable as he weaves another great tale. This is a must read as a continuation in this story line.

Super engaging and loads of action. 4.5 STARS
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There’s nothing like a bad ass FBI agent doing their thing. But when said agent is female it certainly takes on a whole new dimension. Balducci sets the stage with a fantastic story with the search for a missing twin sister – the FBI agents sister.

In the story we gain intimate knowledge of both sets of twins on their own, but when they connect, that’s when the story really gets explosive.

I love the way the author has depicted these hard-core women. Take no prisoners and make no apologies, these women have led a hard life, especially Mercy, and we come to know them intimately for all of their flaws and goodness.

There is serious depth to this plot and he writes it in such a manner that there are multiple subplots revolving through continually until they all intersect.

The ending was fabulous, offering extreme detail throughout. Balducci gives us edge of your seat action, and unexpected plot twists, then beautifully wrapped everything up. Engaging and exciting with every page turn!

I’m a huge fan of all Mr. Baldacci’s books, but I must say, this latest seems half-baked and lazy. It’s a ridiculous plot, and everything feels forced and cartoony. Really didn’t enjoy it

This was a great installment, hopefully not a conclusion, if the Atlee and Mercy Pine series. In this book, FBI agent Atlee takes a leave to look for her kidnapped sister and the man she thought was their father.

I started this book and didn't want to put it down. The characters were well-written and the book was taut, without extraneous side-plots that bog things down without adding to the story.

I have read the series and would rate this the best one yet.

Mercy, by author David Baldacci, is the fourth and final installment in the authors Atlee Pine series. Summary: 30 years ago, FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine's twin sister Mercy was kidnapped, and Atlee was left for dead. Mercy’s disappearance left behind a damaged family that later shattered beyond repair when Atlee’s mother inexplicably abandoned her. Thanks to Jack Lineberry, Atlee discovered not only the reason behind her parents’ abandonment and Mercy’s kidnapping, but also the most promising breakthrough yet: proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors many years ago.

Atlee has spent years searching for clues as to what happened and why which has led her across the country back to Georgia. She's taken a leave of absence from the FBI along with her friend and FBI administrative assistant Carol Blum who always seems to be the voice of reason. Thanks to clues she found in Georgia, as well as help from John Puller, Atlee now knows that Mercy left at least one dead body behind before fleeing her captors years before. Atlee's search for Mercy will bring her face to face with four people who each had a hand in what happened to Mercy.

While Atlee is tantalizingly close to finding her sister, we are finally introduced to the woman who has been missing from Atlee's life for 30 years; Mercy. I will call her Eloise. Eloise was kidnapped, tortured, brutalized, told that her family wanted her dead, found a way to escape her captivity, learned MMA, inevitably was used by others who take advantage of her, fell into poor relationships and the partaking of drugs, and has been working odd jobs trying to stay off radar. She's also very tall and phenomenally strong which tends to scare people off.

She's also a loner, but helps others when she has money, and lives in insecure poor accommodations not knowing where she will lay her head down next. When she see's a PSA about a woman that the FBI is looking for, she believes they are looking for her because of her actions from when she escaped captivity. Never could she imagine that her own twin sister is working for the FBI and hasn't forgotten her even after 30 years. After she confronts a wicked drug addled loser beating his alleged girlfriend, a particular nasty and dangerous villain makes it his mission to find her and pay her back.

Now, for the first time in this series, Atlee is that much closer to finding Mercy, but instead finds herself in a dangerous situation. Thanks to the villains hatred of the Federal government for what they did to his family (think Waco), he finds that he has the perfect outlet to vent his anger; Twin sisters Atlee and Mercy Pine. Atlee & Eloise will face the greatest danger yet of their lives which will gather up Carol Blum it its wake, and may very well cost her everything.

For Atlee, the road to uncovering the truth has been tough and she has encountered lies, greed, fear and revenge along the way. There are lots of answers that are finally cleared up to what happened and why. Even Atlee isn't aware of some of these answers but Mercy needed to hear them to understand that she wasn't abandoned. Once again, Carol Blum is a delight as she is almost motherly but also very smart, intuitive and efficient. People underestimate her at their peril.

In one way, I think the author may have been in a rush to finish writing this series to work on something else. The ending war between Atlee, Mercy, Carol and another woman who comes to her senses and helps the sisters against the villain of the story was all over the place. I also find it highly unacceptable that the alleged FBI would be eager to actually listen to Atlee as she spins a fantastic story. Happens when you have too many fingers in the cookie jar. I think the ending works. I can't see it happening any other way than how it did.

This is the fourth and final Book in this series. FBI agent Attlee Pine has been looking for her twin sister Mercy. Mercy was kidnapped at age 6. Mercy is found but she has been through a lot of abuse There was violence that I just skimmed through as I did not like that part of the book

I think I am just about over Baldacci….his stories more and more strain credibility and I am not one for fantasy. From the very beginning, Atlee connecting with her biological father who offers his private jet, Porsche SUV, and unlimited credit card in her search for Mercy (also his biological daughter) was a bit much for me….and then it got worse!

This is a fast read. Some parts were VERY fast for me as descriptions of two women cage fighting and other violence are not at all appealing to me and I skipped more than skimmed over it.

There is brutality and incredulity. Despite that, Baldacci does spin an intriguing tale and I couldn’t put the book down!

If you are OK with the aforementioned traits and like Baldacci or action packed novels, you will like this.

In book #4 of the Atlee Pine series, Atlee has finally discovered not only the reason behind her parents’ abandonment and Mercy’s kidnapping, but also the most promising breakthrough yet...proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors many years ago. As Atlee finally makes it to the end of her journey in the quest to find her long-lost sister, Atlee Pine will face the greatest danger yet, and it may well cost her everything.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this journey with Atlee, and this book was a non-stop thrill ride. It kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen. Atlee and Mercy are both kick-butt women that you want to root for. Mercy had such a horrible life after being kidnapped, and you learn a lot more about the torture she was subjected to. I definitely recommend reading all of these in order, but this is definitely a series you should read if you enjoy a good thriller.

A fabulous story with a fascinating new character. This story is action-packed and just complicated enough to keep you turning the page. Great read!

FBI Agent Atlee Pine has never gotten over her twin sister Mercy being kidnapped from their bedroom when they were 6. She has been trying to find her for years, not knowing if she is alive or dead. It now appears she may have some new information that could help her find Mercy. We see the story from 2 main characters perspective, Mercy and Atlee. There is plenty of suspense along with heartbreak. The details of what Mercy has been thru are raw and disturbing. This is part of a series but could be read as a stand alone. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is book #4 in Baldacci's series about FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine and her personal search to find her twin sister Mercy who was abducted from their bedroom when they were six. It can be read as a standalone as Baldacci recaps the pertinent details of the previous books in the first chapter but I do highly recommend reading the entire series for the enjoyment.

So we finally get to meet Mercy in this novel and learn the horrid details of what happened to her after her kidnapping. The story is filled with sadness, bitterness and remorse but there is also lots of excitement, adventure and danger. The author makes sure to answer all the questions and tie up the loose ends but I sure do hope we will see more of these characters in future books. After all, Mercy and Atlee have a lot of catching up to do!

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

I had no clue how David Baldacci was going to write his way out of the increasingly convoluted overarching storyline in his Atlee Pine novels. Mercy, the fourth and final book in the series is all set to finally give readers the payoff they’ve been waiting for ever since 2018’s Long Road to Mercy. Turns out that Baldacci had very little clue either as he frantically stitches together all the loose threads and barely writes himself out of the corner he’d put himself in.

Baldacci is always over the top. At his best, he reads like a Stallone movie or a Fast and Furious. At his worst, he reads like if Days of Our Lives was for sixty-year-old men. Mercy threads the line somewhere between. Don’t look too close or think too hard and you’ll never notice how flimsy the plot is. Movies have the advantage of being visual to cover up a paper-thin plot. Books are inherently cerebral. It’s harder to let things go.

No fewer than five times, Baldacci has various characters rehash the plot to the current point. If you have to remind your reader that often of the storyline, that’s not a good sign. He also veers off course in having a large majority of the novel not written in Atlee’s perspective. We get a good deal from Mercy’s viewpoint and a fair amount from the villain, but you know what’s missing in this Atlee Pine novel? Atlee Pine.

Baldacci also seems to realize that he’s run out tension for the chase to find Mercy. Now, somewhat randomly and haphazardly, a new villain is introduced. Buckley wants Mercy dead because Mercy killed his brother. This is not connected to the previous story in any way, despite literally everything else in this story being interconnected somehow. It’s an unnecessary plot that drives the third act (possibly introducing Baldacci’s next big protagonist? If so, I called it.) and is as laughably over the top as an old Bond or Batman villain.

Despite all this…I read the whole thing and I enjoyed it. But I enjoyed it on the strength of the previous books in the series. Carol Blum finally getting the spotlight and rocking it was the book’s highlight for me and I’m glad I read the series just for that. Mercy’s background puts focus on the types of moral issues that Baldacci likes to raise in his novels and was a good read with a compelling character. The actual storyline of Mercy wasn’t bad, it just had a difficult time fitting into the overarching story thus far. The plot would have made more sense stripped down as a standalone novel. Being an Atlee Pine book makes it less of a good book, which is unfortunate because it’s the culmination of the Atlee/Mercy storyline.

In the end, it just left me sort of ambivalent. I’m glad to have resolution, but the resolution wasn’t the most exciting and Baldacci just sort of glosses over the emotional aspects of being reunited after thirty years apart. I wondered if Baldacci lost interest in this series (or if he thought fans had) when he introduced John Puller into Daylight (book three). That seems almost confirmed for me here. It’s a fun book, but falls short of what it could have been.

⭐⭐⭐. 4
Awww we finally know what happened to Mercy!

This is book #4 in the Altee Pine series. I have read the other three; however, when I started with “A Long Road to Mercy” I wasn’t sure if I was going to be an Altee fan. I have read nearly thirty Baldacci’s novels and love John Puller as well as Amos Decker. In Book #1~ I got bored with Altee’s fights and I certainly didn’t like her nasty language. Since I am a Baldacci fan I did read Book #2.
Yep! I became a fan as the next two stories were great.
I especially liked Book #3. In that story, FBI Special Agent Altee Pine continues her search for her twin sister Mercy, who was kidnapped when they were and Altee was left for dead. When the kidnapper was trying to decided which twin to take, he recited this nursey rhyme
Eeny Meeny Miny Moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
Eeny Meeny Miny Moe
My mother told me to pick the very best one and that is you.
Atlee often wondered what the best was ~ being taking or left for dead.

Altee seems to find new troubles while tracking down leads. In this case, the Army is involved. I am delighted that one of my favorite characters John Puller teamed up to help!
I really like the Atlee and Puller connection. However, it was what Atlee and her partner Carol Blum uncover about Mercy’s disappearance that had me on the edge of my chair!!

So went into this the last in the series not sure what to expect.
Wait a minute ~ I am not positive this is the end of the Pine Sister~ I have a feeling Baldacci will do some follow-up perhaps a prequel!

This series was like a sandwich for me. I didn’t love Book #1, I did like Book #2 and Book #3 was the Best, Book #4 completes the sandwich with I didn’t love it. Although I was expecting the worst possible things happened to Mercy ~ it was still disturbing to read.


Want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing ~ for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 16, 2021

Mercy by David Baldacci is the long-awaited conclusion to the four-book search for FBI agent Atlee Pine’s twin sister who was kidnapped when the pair was six years old from their home in Andersonville, Georgia. Atlee does not know that her sister Mercy has survived kidnapping and torture, creating a new life for herself as Eloise Cain because she cannot recall anything but fragments of her life before the abduction 30 years ago.

On the bookshelves November 16, 2021, this thriller leads Atlee to Asheville, North Carolina, where she is on the trail of psychopath Desiree Atkins, who gave Mercy the name Rebecca and held her captive for 10 years, making her a slave in the household and abusing her with cigarette burns, knife carvings, and pin stabs before Rebecca escaped the shack in which she was imprisoned.

Atlee caught a break in her search for Mercy in Book 3 when she learned the identity of Mercy’s kidnapper, and she is on leave from her job and following that lead with her assistant Carol Blum. Meanwhile, Eloise has been surviving by her wits and brawn as she has been moving around the country taking any job she can get from truck-lift operator to security guard to a mixed martial arts challenger.

When Mercy-turned-Rebecca-turned Eloise hears on the radio that Rebecca Atkins is an FBI person of interest, Eloise begins to double down on her efforts to disappear because she fears that she will be arrested for the murder of Atkins’ husband who she knocked out while escaping her chamber of horrors. Little does Eloise know that along the way she has made another enemy who puts a plan into action to take her out because she killed his brother while defending a woman during a domestic dispute.

Those who have followed this long road to Mercy with Atlee through the three previous novels will not be able to put this volume down until they learn the outcome of Atlee’s quest to find out what happened to her sister.

David Baldacci’s debut novel, Absolute Power in 1996, became a popular movie starring Clint Eastwood. A former lawyer, Baldacci has published more than 40 novels for grownups over the last 25 years.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting November 4, 2021.

I would like to thank Hatchette Book Group, Grand Central Publishing. and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.