Unfortunately for me this book was completely and totally unbelievable. Mercy, Troy and their dogs were boring, the mystery of who done it was silly and I just could not enjoy their journey of solving a murder that was so darn ridiculous that it made me cringe. The 'skinning shack' was an abomination and the idea of it made me queasy. Obviously this book was just not for me. I think it was well written but the story was just plain insipid and not worth my time. I listened to the audio version and the narrator grated on my nerves with her rendition of the colonel and other older female characters. I understand that this book is part of a series but it reads fine as a stand alone, just not for this reader. 2 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for a chance to read/listen to an ARC version of this book. All opinions are my own.

Join Mercy and the rest of the crew in another suspenseful interesting mystery.
Mercy is trying to stay out of trouble while waiting for the birth of her baby.
that isnt't going to happen, their a missing hunter, wild boar missing friend and a murder..
Drama,suspense surprises twists.
Voluntarily reviewed.
Good narration and narrator

The latest installment of Mercy, Elvis, Troy and Susie Bear is filled with suspense. Mercy, as usual, can't resist mystery, murder and trouble and though she is 8 months pregnant she still involves herself in the latest investigation. Aiding the local police and her billionaire neighbor, Mercy once again, is deep in the crime. Everything turns out as planned despite a birth in the woods. Can't want to see what's next.

The Night Woods is book number 6 in Paula Munier’s Mercy Carr mystery series. Mercy is in her 36th week of pregnancy and antsy. She would much rather walk and map her woods or spend time playing scrabble with mountain hermit Homer Grant than help her mother with décor for the nursery and planning a baby shower. On one particular day when mud season is in full force but there is no rain, sleet, or snow, Mercy and Elvis make the hike to check on Homer. What Mercy finds instead is a dead stranger, a wrecked cabin, and a missing Homer with blood spatter left behind. Elvis tracks a wounded Homer and Mercy does almost impossible feats to get him to the ridge and airlifted out.

After such a taxing day, Mercy welcomes her mother and grandmother who bring food and comfort. But what she and her husband Troy do not welcome is the mysterious note found at their front door of a blue falcon, a military symbol of someone who betrayed you. Is this a message, a warning, or an omen?

Then, there is the missing billionaire Malcolm Chisolm. He has disappeared from the nearby Artemis Club, an elite hunting club for the extremely wealthy. Whether these incidents are connected to one another or not they are still too coincidental to not examine a connection.

Once again Ms. Munier has spun a perfectly plotted mystery that will grab fans of the series and new readers alike. Her depth of research is evident and appreciated. Her characters are rich and real. The settings are so well described that one can almost smell the forest, the mud, and the snow. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it! I also look forward to the net book in this series!

This was my first introduction to Mercy and Elvis. I didn’t realize it’s a while series. I will definitely have to pick up the others.
Very tame and relaxing book. Loved that there wasn’t an immense amount of gore, sex or cursing like a lot of other books.
Overall good story with great characters, especially the dogs. Interesting character backgrounds as well.

Great audiobook
Thank you NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the audiobook.


I loved everything about this book. The narrator was perfection. The story was fantastic. I haven't read any others in this series but that will change quick.

Record snow and sleet and rain are pummeling Vermont and a wild boar has escaped from an exclusive hunting club nearby—but that won’t stop a very pregnant and very bored Mercy Carr from hiking her beloved woods with her loyal dog Elvis. She stops by her friend and local hermit Homer’s cabin where she finds a body and no Homer. This sends her on a hunt for her friend in very precarious conditions.

I really enjoy Mercy! She is no nonsense and she definitely beats to her own drum. And have I mentioned….I really like her husband too. Then there is Tandie. She is the 16 year old daughter of Mercy’s cousin Ed. And she is a mess!

There are a lot of moving parts to this tale but the author does a good job weaving them together and keeping you entertained.

I have read another in this series, Home At Night . I liked it a bit more than this one. This one is good, it just seemed to move a bit slower (but it could be me!). It is not necessary that you read these in order. The author definitely keeps you in the loop

The narrator, Kathleen McInerney, is wonderful with the characters!

I received this novel from the publisher for an honest review.

The Night Woods by Paula Munier
Mercy Carr Mysteries, book 6
Narrator, Kathleen McInerny
I have read most books in this series and I liked the earlier books better honestly. This book was really too long for my preference in a mystery. I kept
putting it down and going back to it. I found it kind of annoying that Mercy seemed to completely disregard her pregnancy during her investigative actions. She flies off in a helicopter in dodgy weather the goes dashing off in a car during a storm. And Troy just agrees with whatever she wants to do.
There was a unexpected increase in Brody and decrease in Troy in this book. Dogs abound along with a young cousin who is supposed to be looking after Mercy. Epic fail in that regard.
And there is way too much discussion of remodeling Grackle Farm, the house that showed up in the last book, and where they live now. Home decorating ideas by Mercy’s mom take up a lot time too.
The secondary storyline is very loosely related to the main murder mystery. Also there is a third storyline and if it was related at all, I lost the thread.
Not my fave of the series. Mostly it just makes me worry about what Mercy will do with the baby in upcoming books. It’s not that I’m saying working women can’t be pregnant or have babies but this was a bit crazy.
Narration by Kathleen McInerny was excellent as always.

The Night Woods is the sixth mystery in the A Mercy Carr Mystery series. Close to her due date, the last thing she needs is another murder investigation to get involved in, but when she finds a friend of hers hurt and a dead man in his cabin she has no choice. Mercy knows her friend couldn’t have committed the murder and is determined to prove it. Not letting her pregnancy get in the way, Mercy does everything she can to search out the killer, even if it puts her in a dangerous situation. Will Mercy be able to unravel the case before the baby arrives?

I have enjoyed this series from the first book and I’m always excited to see what Mercy and Elvis are getting up to. This is more of a harder core mystery than I typically prefer, I’m a cozy mystery enthusiast, but I really do love this series. This book ties the Odyssey in a lot and I thought it was all done creatively and smoothly. Nothing in this mystery was forced, but it was definitely a unique mystery topic for me. The characters in this series are great and keep me coming back for more. The mystery in this book is fast paced, but there is a lot going on. I didn’t find myself getting lost, but there were definitely a lot of different things woven together in this mystery. I enjoyed this book from start to finish and was kept guessing with each twist and turn. If you are looking for a good mystery series with a strong female lead and her dog, this series is definitely worth checking out! I look forward to seeing if anything else comes from Mercy and Elvis in the future.

I absolutely loved this latest installment of the Mercy Carr series! All my favorite characters are back, and the addition of teenage Tandie brought out such an awesome side of Mercy. Paula Munier is a master at crafting gripping mysteries, and this one kept me hooked, especially with that intense ending. If you’re looking for your next mystery read, I can’t recommend the Mercy Carr series enough!

This is a great addition to the Mercy Carr series; although i found it a bit different from prior books - in a good way. I think this is due to two factors. First, the introduction of Mercy's young cousin, Tandie, is a delightful addition to the many loved and interesting characters in this series, and I do hope she will be a recurring character in future books. Second, Mercy's advanced pregnancy adds a new dimension and increased level of intensity to the challenging physical activities and potential dangers that come with her investigations, not to mention in her familial interactions. Nonetheless, Mercy and Troy are up to the demands they face, both professionally and personally.

I highly recommend this book, and if you are new to the series, I recommend that you begin with Book #1 and get to know these amazing characters by reading the books in order.

Kathleen McInerney does an excellent job of bringing these characters to life and creating the appropriate atmosphere, whether that is danger, exasperation, or joy.

I have not read the other books in this series but I received an advanced audiobook copy from NetGalley for my honest review so I jumped right in. I love that there is a strong female lead. It’s a very attention grabbing storyline with characters that enhance that. I will be reading her previous books in this series!

This is such a stupendous series! I particularly love the deep characterization that builds from book to book – and not just in Mercy but other characters as well. In fact, by this sixth book, she has accumulated a wonderful group of misfits who have become the best kind of found family.

I recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of character back stories and growth in relationships. Both Mercy and her dog, Elvis, are former military, have struggled to varying degrees with PTSD and are still adjusting to civilian life. Mercy has also made some significant life changes over the course of the series which makes me appreciate her all the more in ‘The Night Woods.’

And, mercy! (pun intended), what an incredible addition to the series. In a word; unputdownable! This mystery hits very close to home at a time when Mercy is most vulnerable. My heart was in my throat the entire read. A complex, twisty-turny plot kept me on edge right to very end. But it’s not all high-octane intensity because Munier brilliantly mixes action and suspense with more heartwarming scenes with family and friends which made for some very sweet (and sometimes funny) interludes.

A very satisfying and immersive ‘read’.

Well, ‘listen’ actually because I enjoyed the audio edition expertly narrated by Kathleen McInerney who gave Mercy just the right kind of edge and grit while creating distinctive voices for a multitude of secondary characters.. McInerney is one of my favourite voice actors, her name attached to a fave author’s screams ‘buy me’ and I usually do.

Of note: contains some mild language.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book..

The gangs all back: expectant parents, Mercy and Troy, and their adorable K9’s, Elvis and Susie Bear. Grandma Patience, the local veterinarian, is also back along with Mercy’s mom, Grace, who is still bugging the crap out of Mercy so much that she can barely stand being around her for very long. Amy and little Helena are back too, along with Brodie, who becomes a welcome addition to one of the storylines.

There’s a new addition to the cast, Tandie, the 16yr old daughter of Mercy’s cousin. Ed. Tandie has been expelled from school for the rest of the year and her mother has sent her to her father because she has decided it’s his turn to deal with their daughter. Single, working dad, Ed has convinced Mercy that if Tandie can stay with her and Troy, she can help when the baby comes, which is any day now. No worries, a very pregnant Mercy has no intention of letting this stop her from stumbling through the forest, with Elvis, where killer boars are loose, just so she can go play scrabble with a hermit. Good grief!!!

The book summary pretty much lays out all the different storylines of Mercy’s impending delivery date, Troy’s tracking of wild killer boars along with a missing hunter, Tandie’s arrival as well as Homer’s convalescing in Mercy and Troy’s home, along with his trusted companion, Argos, a bloodhound. Homer, a former Dartmouth literature professor, has spent 15yrs off-grid in the wilds of Vermont grieving the deaths of his wife and daughter. He was attacked and unconscious when Mercy and Elvis show up (to play scrabble), and his good friend, a Dartmouth professor and former colleague, lays dead.

There is a lot going on here, which keeps the story moving along at a really steady pace. The chapters transition well among all the different storylines and keep the flow of information coming at a pretty steady pace. Deep into the second half, the storylines begin to merge and there are some really intense scenes that had me up reading late because I could not go to sleep until I knew how it ended.

"Of all the soldiers, who came home to a place they could no longer recognize and could no longer navigate. A place they could no longer call home, no matter how hard they tried."

Mercy Carr

I mostly flipped back and forth between the book and the audiobook; I really like the narrator, Kathleen McInerney. She narrates another one of my fave series, so I enjoy her work. While I enjoyed the audiobook, I’m so glad I had the ebook too, for those nights that I needed a break from the other book I was reading, that was kind of boring me. The continuing character developed on the story’s MC’s as well as some of the ensemble characters was well done. The pacing was steady and the storyline very interesting. The writing was classic Munier, and I love the addition of doggies Argos and Monroe, making this installment a great addition to the series. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.2 that I’ll be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #TheNightWoods

To start off with the positives, this book is well written and the narrator (Kathleen McInerney) did a nice job with the audio. I just think this particular whodunit wasn’t for me at this stage of my life. I’ve been into graphic gory novels, which this is not. I felt like too much of the book was focused on events unrelated to the case. For those looking for a milder female protagonist whodunit involving heroic canines without gore or spicy content, this is for you! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of The Night Woods by Paula Munier in exchange for an honest review.