Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Long Road to Mercy (An Atlee Pine Thriller, 1)
Skip to main content
.us
Hello Select your address
All
Select the department you want to search in
Hello, Sign in
Account & Lists
Returns & Orders
Cart
All
Disability Customer Support Best Sellers Amazon Basics New Releases Customer Service Today's Deals Prime Music Books Amazon Home Handmade Registry Fashion Kindle Books Gift Cards Toys & Games Automotive Coupons Sell Amazon Explore Luxury Stores Pharmacy Computers Home Improvement Shopper Toolkit Beauty & Personal Care Pet Supplies Video Games Smart Home Health & Household
Celebrate LGBTQIA+ voices

  • Long Road to Mercy (An Atlee Pine Thriller, 1)
  • ›
  • Customer reviews

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
18,475 global ratings
5 star
61%
4 star
24%
3 star
9%
2 star
3%
1 star
2%
Long Road to Mercy (An Atlee Pine Thriller, 1)

Long Road to Mercy (An Atlee Pine Thriller, 1)

byDavid Baldacci
Write a review
How customer reviews and ratings work

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
See All Buying Options

Top positive review

All positive reviews›
C Wm (Andy) Anderson
#1 HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 starsScarily Tough FLAWED Heroine - Taut, Intriguing Action-Adventure. MUST-READ
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2018
If I have a favorite genre, it would be either Action-Adventure or International Crime and Conspiracy. To my line of thinking, "Long Road to Mercy" is Action-Adventure, but I noticed it was billed as International Mystery and Crime. At any rate, I knew that it would be a good story, as I always enjoy books by this author.

In one sentence, I found Atlee Pine to be an authentic, Scarily Tough Heroine. "Long Road to Mercy" is a Must-Read.

Mind you, though, that the early chapters in which we learn much about our heroine did give me cause for concern. Why? It seemed eerily close to Silence of the Lambs, but the character by Jody Foster was a much more physically adapted character. A character who, by the way, felt much more authentic than your typical heroine.

Even though I don't think it would be a spoiler, I'm not going to explain the cause for her developing in such a direction, because that is the fresh take, early, regarding this character that makes these first few pages intriguing to read.

The second half of the novel is better than the first half. In fact, some two-thirds in, this becomes a great page-turner. I enjoyed the adventure in this part almost as much as the character.

BLUSH FACTOR Readers familiar with Baldacci will know that his characters are not the sort from the Wizard of Oz, so don't expect to be reading this to youngsters or with your prayer group. But, even if you have objections to the eff-word, this is a book worth reading. And, frankly, the profanity is somewhat sparing. It is used to good effect as a seasoning agent, rather than to an excess.

CHARACTER: My thoughts regarding Atlee Pine - At last, a female FBI agent who feels real and is not some Charlie's Angel or a model. This character has just enough flaws to make her intriguing.

POV: Third person.

EXCERPT:

I'm only posting the briefest possible tidbit, just so an informed judgment becomes possible.

'...After losing Mercy, she had been put into counseling. As a bereaved six-year-old, she had found it confusing, scary, and, ultimately, unhelpful.

Four years ago, she had tried it again. With the exact same result. She had sat in a group counseling session and had listened as the attendees went around the room discussing their most personal issues. When her turn had come, Pine, who had been shot, stabbed, and attacked multiple times in the line of duty, had started to sweat and taken the coward’s way out—she had passed on her turn and never gone back.

For some reason, all of this had made her averse to possessions. She wanted to go through life with as few as possible. These included people as well. Some shrinks might interpret that as her being fearful of another significant loss. And they might not be far off the mark. But Pine had never allowed herself the time or opportunity to dig deep enough into her psyche to prove that theory true or false.

She showered to take off the dirt and sweat of the Grand Canyon. She dressed in fresh clothes, sat down at her knotty pine kitchen table, which had come with the apartment and which also doubled as her home office, and checked her emails, phone messages, and texts.

There was one from her direct superior out of Flagstaff. He wanted to know

Baldacci, David. Long Road to Mercy (Atlee Pine) (pp. 45-46). Grand Central Publishing. Kindle Edition.

BOTTOM LINE

Although the trip to the prison to visit the serial killer felt a little too familiar, and raises other questions in the reader's minds, it was enough different and personal enough that it was not so similar to other stories in this genre. Further, the writing throughout "Long Road to Mercy" is taut with intrigue and suspense so much so that I could only, with much difficulty, put it down to take care of other pressing needs, such as make a pot of coffee and the like.

Five stars out of five.

I am striving to produce reviews that help you find books that you want, or avoid books that you wish to avoid. With your help, my improvement will help you and me improve book reviews on Amazon. Together, you and I can build a great customer review process that helps everybody. Will you join me? It is people such as you who have helped me improve over the years. I'm still learning, and I have a great deal yet to learn. With your help, I'll improve every day.

One request: Be respectful and courteous in your comments and emails to me. I will do likewise with you.

Thank you so much for indicating if this review helped you, or for your comment. for indicating if this review helped you, or for your comment.
Read more
372 people found this helpful

Top critical review

All critical reviews›
Suncoast
2.0 out of 5 starsBaldacci's worst - and I've read most of his books
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2018
There comes a time when one of your favourite authors stumbles because they have written so much and laboured so hard to meet the grueling annual publication timetable. This time the stumble is more like a fatal fall for me. Basically, while I really admire Baldacci's work and have given it so many stars over the years, IMHO this time he has lost the plot with a terrible plot (excuse the unintended pun).

The best thing about this book was that Baldacci was brave enough to introduce another major character, after the extremely strange bunch he has created over the years. Unfortunately, a female FBI agent with near Olympic weightlifting credentials who works on her own running the smallest FBI office near the Grand Canyon is not the kind of heroine that one normally barracks for. Also, almost single-handed she walks into and tries to solve one of the most complex and unbelievable plots of international corruption. I would like to give you a sample of the plot but that spoiler would only show up the sheer stupidity of the plot.

When I got more than halfway through the book I decided to plod on as the plot got more ridiculous but admit to skipping a lot to see if Baldacci could redeem himself at the end, but to no avail. I am especially concerned that a top rated reviewer said it was a must read. Maybe he lives in another universe to me (and at one time I was a Top 500 Reviewer).

Baldacci has a great reputation going back beyond the days of the Coffee Club. I hope that he can take a long break and come up with something worthwhile next time.
Read more
331 people found this helpful

Search
Sort by
Top reviews
Filter by
All reviewers
All stars
Text, image, video
18,475 total ratings, 3,550 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

C Wm (Andy) Anderson
#1 HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 stars Scarily Tough FLAWED Heroine - Taut, Intriguing Action-Adventure. MUST-READ
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
If I have a favorite genre, it would be either Action-Adventure or International Crime and Conspiracy. To my line of thinking, "Long Road to Mercy" is Action-Adventure, but I noticed it was billed as International Mystery and Crime. At any rate, I knew that it would be a good story, as I always enjoy books by this author.

In one sentence, I found Atlee Pine to be an authentic, Scarily Tough Heroine. "Long Road to Mercy" is a Must-Read.

Mind you, though, that the early chapters in which we learn much about our heroine did give me cause for concern. Why? It seemed eerily close to Silence of the Lambs, but the character by Jody Foster was a much more physically adapted character. A character who, by the way, felt much more authentic than your typical heroine.

Even though I don't think it would be a spoiler, I'm not going to explain the cause for her developing in such a direction, because that is the fresh take, early, regarding this character that makes these first few pages intriguing to read.

The second half of the novel is better than the first half. In fact, some two-thirds in, this becomes a great page-turner. I enjoyed the adventure in this part almost as much as the character.

BLUSH FACTOR Readers familiar with Baldacci will know that his characters are not the sort from the Wizard of Oz, so don't expect to be reading this to youngsters or with your prayer group. But, even if you have objections to the eff-word, this is a book worth reading. And, frankly, the profanity is somewhat sparing. It is used to good effect as a seasoning agent, rather than to an excess.

CHARACTER: My thoughts regarding Atlee Pine - At last, a female FBI agent who feels real and is not some Charlie's Angel or a model. This character has just enough flaws to make her intriguing.

POV: Third person.

EXCERPT:

I'm only posting the briefest possible tidbit, just so an informed judgment becomes possible.

'...After losing Mercy, she had been put into counseling. As a bereaved six-year-old, she had found it confusing, scary, and, ultimately, unhelpful.

Four years ago, she had tried it again. With the exact same result. She had sat in a group counseling session and had listened as the attendees went around the room discussing their most personal issues. When her turn had come, Pine, who had been shot, stabbed, and attacked multiple times in the line of duty, had started to sweat and taken the coward’s way out—she had passed on her turn and never gone back.

For some reason, all of this had made her averse to possessions. She wanted to go through life with as few as possible. These included people as well. Some shrinks might interpret that as her being fearful of another significant loss. And they might not be far off the mark. But Pine had never allowed herself the time or opportunity to dig deep enough into her psyche to prove that theory true or false.

She showered to take off the dirt and sweat of the Grand Canyon. She dressed in fresh clothes, sat down at her knotty pine kitchen table, which had come with the apartment and which also doubled as her home office, and checked her emails, phone messages, and texts.

There was one from her direct superior out of Flagstaff. He wanted to know

Baldacci, David. Long Road to Mercy (Atlee Pine) (pp. 45-46). Grand Central Publishing. Kindle Edition.

BOTTOM LINE

Although the trip to the prison to visit the serial killer felt a little too familiar, and raises other questions in the reader's minds, it was enough different and personal enough that it was not so similar to other stories in this genre. Further, the writing throughout "Long Road to Mercy" is taut with intrigue and suspense so much so that I could only, with much difficulty, put it down to take care of other pressing needs, such as make a pot of coffee and the like.

Five stars out of five.

I am striving to produce reviews that help you find books that you want, or avoid books that you wish to avoid. With your help, my improvement will help you and me improve book reviews on Amazon. Together, you and I can build a great customer review process that helps everybody. Will you join me? It is people such as you who have helped me improve over the years. I'm still learning, and I have a great deal yet to learn. With your help, I'll improve every day.

One request: Be respectful and courteous in your comments and emails to me. I will do likewise with you.

Thank you so much for indicating if this review helped you, or for your comment. for indicating if this review helped you, or for your comment.
372 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Suncoast
2.0 out of 5 stars Baldacci's worst - and I've read most of his books
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
There comes a time when one of your favourite authors stumbles because they have written so much and laboured so hard to meet the grueling annual publication timetable. This time the stumble is more like a fatal fall for me. Basically, while I really admire Baldacci's work and have given it so many stars over the years, IMHO this time he has lost the plot with a terrible plot (excuse the unintended pun).

The best thing about this book was that Baldacci was brave enough to introduce another major character, after the extremely strange bunch he has created over the years. Unfortunately, a female FBI agent with near Olympic weightlifting credentials who works on her own running the smallest FBI office near the Grand Canyon is not the kind of heroine that one normally barracks for. Also, almost single-handed she walks into and tries to solve one of the most complex and unbelievable plots of international corruption. I would like to give you a sample of the plot but that spoiler would only show up the sheer stupidity of the plot.

When I got more than halfway through the book I decided to plod on as the plot got more ridiculous but admit to skipping a lot to see if Baldacci could redeem himself at the end, but to no avail. I am especially concerned that a top rated reviewer said it was a must read. Maybe he lives in another universe to me (and at one time I was a Top 500 Reviewer).

Baldacci has a great reputation going back beyond the days of the Coffee Club. I hope that he can take a long break and come up with something worthwhile next time.
331 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Tim Tyrrell
1.0 out of 5 stars What did I just read?
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
Love Baldacci, read everyone of his books and have never been disappointed...this one NEVER lives up to his previous works. Heck, I should've know It was going to be bad when star of the book, FBI agent Atlee Pine is called to investigate a dead donkey in the middle of the Grand Canyon. Seemed like Baldacci was in a rush to meet his quota with the publisher and pumped out what arguably is his worst book..
165 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Joseph Karl.
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time.
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
Atlee Pine is about as believable as the Easter Bunny. This book is awful. Baldacci feels compelled to drag the reader into his political worldview. Total garbage.
215 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


John C. Watts
1.0 out of 5 stars Baldacci's Worst
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
A truly unbelievable story that should have been released as a superhero comic book. The author thinly disguises the far left's belief that Trump plans to take over the country and become dictator. I had to give up on this piece of rubbish at the 64% mark. I'll not waste time nor money on another Baldaci manifesto!
123 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


ARDTTop Contributor: Pets
1.0 out of 5 stars 1 STAR
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
I am a David Baldacci fan. I look forward to his new book releases. I pre-order my copy, mark my calendar, then devour the book the minute it drops into my library. Long Road to Mercy, with Atlee Pine, was very hard for me to get through. It finally sparked my interest at about 25% of the way through, but it took me days , not hours, to get to the finish line.

The new character, Atlee Pine, and her Secretary, Carol Blum, work out of the small FBI office in Arizona. It is just the two women in this office but they are very proper with each other, pretty much knowing nothing about the other. So, there was no real chemistry during their interactions. Atlee herself was a pretty bland character. She is extremely strong, works out, lifts weights....and? I don't know. I like to get an image in my mind of the characters I read about. I just kept seeing She-Hulk, but flesh colored. I think she might have dark hair, I can't remember.

Other characters introduced seemed very basic. I wasn't sure which ones were supposed to be important or vital to the story line. The setting was Arizona, the Grand Canyon, and there was road trip. It felt very 'blah'.

The 'bad guys'... I wasn't really sure who they were until the end. Every character seemed to be someone Atlee shouldn't trust, but she did. I was waiting for an *Aha! " moment when they would turn on her. And it wasn't a good, suspenseful not knowing who the bad guy was. I was just confused. And people are dying and disappearing, but nobody seems to be looking for them.

In the end, I just didn't feel the intrigue or suspense that I have come to expect and enjoy from Baldacci books. Something just felt off when the ending didn't feel like an ending.

I gave Long Road to Mercy only 1 Star. I was very disappointed.
174 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Gailsong
1.0 out of 5 stars So Very Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
I pre-ordered this book because I'm an avid Baldacci fan. I love Puller, and Robie, and Decker. I almost feel like I know them and their signature work. As I write this I had a difficult time remembering Pine's name. She is just so uninteresting and run of the mill. Not only am I not inspired by Pine, I am absolutely gob-smacked by the ridiculousness of the entire plot. What started off as an intense meeting with her sister's kidnapper, perhaps murderer, we slide a slippery slope into dead mules, (maybe a play on the whole espionage theme?), hidden mountain caverns, switched identities, deadly Russians, Chinese MMA fighters, multiple dead bodies and missing people and, wait for it, nuclear devices. All this is to be solved by one mal-adjusted FBI agent who, as a self-proclaimed loner has helpful friends all over the country but none of them in her chain of command, of course.
I think next time, I'll save my money and borrow the book from the library. I am sorry, Baldacci, but I am so very disappointed.
95 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Alan Weiss
1.0 out of 5 stars Too Long A Poor Road
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
I love Baldacci’s work, but this book is dreadful—implausible, stereotyped characters, ridiculous actions. It’s another conspiracy book, this time with—brace yourself—a nuke hidden in the grand canyon with Russians framing North Koreans who undermine the Americans who don’t trust the Russians—the plot is beyond stupid, it’s insulting. And three people get the nuke out of the canyon on almost impassable trails despite a chopper with heavily armed men searching for them.

And this is clearly the beginning of a series, with FBI Agent Pine in search of he long ago kidnapped sister Mercy (hence, the title).

I cannot believe that someone with these writing chops would pen such a superficial, unrealistic, trite dialogue book as this. Save your money. More importantly, don’t encourage him. Maybe he’ll return to the harder-to-write but more impressive works.

This isn’t just poor writing for Baldacci, it’s poor writing for a college freshman in a creative writing program. The grade here is F.
117 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Warren Shulman, author, The Lushan Addiction
1.0 out of 5 stars Substandard Baldacci
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
I've been a fan of Mr Baldacci for many years and have read and enjoyed most of his work. I also like the characters he has created for us to follow, including Atlee Pine who has many endearing qualities, but this tale lacked his usual pace and compelling plot. I found myself skipping over sections that were too boring to hold my attention. That is something that has never happened to me before with this fine writer. One has to wonder how this slipped past his editors and publisher. The Baldacci brand and his many superlative novels will get most of his numerous followers to purchase this book, but I for one feel like it was a waste of my money and time.

A writer of this stature is only as great as his last novel. Perhaps he can be forgiven one wounded duck because Long Road to Mercy will not in my humble opinion, ever fly.
40 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


carolrnjd
5.0 out of 5 stars Baldacci at the Top of His game!
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
I loved meeting this new character, Atlee Pine!! David Baldacci has introduced a brand new 1st person FBI heroine with a personality we can understand and appreciate. The plot was complicated and I could not see any way out for Atlee. The history and descriptions of the Grand Canyon were great fun and educational too. Her FBI secretary, Carol Blum, is a surprisingly strong and brave character and I hope we see more of her. She's an unexpected addition to the plot and a hoot to boot!! She and Atlee make a great pair. The ending tied almost everything up, but it took a number of pages to do it. I didn't mind because I hated to see it end. I don't know if Atlee will become my favorite Baldacci character (presently it's Amos decker (the "memory man"). Baldacci is at the top of his game.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


  • ←Previous page
  • Next page→

Need customer service? Click here
‹ See all details for Long Road to Mercy (An Atlee Pine Thriller, 1)

Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations
›
View or edit your browsing history
After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Back to top
Get to Know Us
  • Careers
  • Amazon Newsletter
  • About Amazon
  • Sustainability
  • Press Center
  • Investor Relations
  • Amazon Devices
  • Amazon Science
Make Money with Us
  • Sell products on Amazon
  • Sell apps on Amazon
  • Supply to Amazon
  • Become an Affiliate
  • Become a Delivery Driver
  • Start a package delivery business
  • Advertise Your Products
  • Self-Publish with Us
  • Host an Amazon Hub
  • ›See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Payment Products
  • Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Cards
  • Amazon Store Card
  • Amazon Secured Card
  • Amazon Business Card
  • Shop with Points
  • Credit Card Marketplace
  • Reload Your Balance
  • Amazon Currency Converter
Let Us Help You
  • Amazon and COVID-19
  • Your Account
  • Your Orders
  • Shipping Rates & Policies
  • Amazon Prime
  • Returns & Replacements
  • Manage Your Content and Devices
  • Amazon Assistant
  • Help
EnglishChoose a language for shopping.
United StatesChoose a country/region for shopping.
Amazon Music
Stream millions
of songs
Amazon Advertising
Find, attract, and
engage customers
Amazon Drive
Cloud storage
from Amazon
6pm
Score deals
on fashion brands
AbeBooks
Books, art
& collectibles
ACX
Audiobook Publishing
Made Easy
Alexa
Actionable Analytics
for the Web
 
Sell on Amazon
Start a Selling Account
Amazon Business
Everything For
Your Business
Amazon Fresh
Groceries & More
Right To Your Door
AmazonGlobal
Ship Orders
Internationally
Home Services
Experienced Pros
Happiness Guarantee
Amazon Ignite
Sell your original
Digital Educational
Resources
Amazon Web Services
Scalable Cloud
Computing Services
 
Audible
Listen to Books & Original
Audio Performances
Book Depository
Books With Free
Delivery Worldwide
Box Office Mojo
Find Movie
Box Office Data
ComiXology
Thousands of
Digital Comics
DPReview
Digital
Photography
Fabric
Sewing, Quilting
& Knitting
Goodreads
Book reviews
& recommendations
 
IMDb
Movies, TV
& Celebrities
IMDbPro
Get Info Entertainment
Professionals Need
Kindle Direct Publishing
Indie Digital & Print Publishing
Made Easy
Amazon Photos
Unlimited Photo Storage
Free With Prime
Prime Video Direct
Video Distribution
Made Easy
Shopbop
Designer
Fashion Brands
Amazon Warehouse
Great Deals on
Quality Used Products
 
Whole Foods Market
America’s Healthiest
Grocery Store
Woot!
Deals and
Shenanigans
Zappos
Shoes &
Clothing
Ring
Smart Home
Security Systems
eero WiFi
Stream 4K Video
in Every Room
Blink
Smart Security
for Every Home
Neighbors App
Real-Time Crime
& Safety Alerts
 
    Amazon Subscription Boxes
Top subscription boxes – right to your door
PillPack
Pharmacy Simplified
Amazon Renewed
Like-new products
you can trust
   
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2022, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates