Review of WITHOUT MERCY by Lisa Jackson

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson has written another page-turner in her latest book, WITHOUT MERCY. The setting is fictional Blue Rock Academy, a school for wayward young adults located in an isolated mountain range in Oregon.

Julia "Jules" Farentino is divorced and an unemployed teacher, struggling to overcome the trauma of discovering her beloved father's bloody body. While her father's murder remains unsolved, Jules tries to pull her life together after losing him and her teaching job. Jules' younger half-sister Shaylee "Shay" has fared even worse. Shay, who has a different father than Jules, has acted out by using drugs and having run-ins with the law. And Edie, the girls' mother, is more concerned with appearances than mothering her daughters.

Following Shay's latest conviction, a judge orders her to attend Blue Rock Academy rather than go to prison. But to Shay, the isolated and ultra-strict academy is just as bad as prison, and she pleads for her sister's help. After doing some research, Jules discovers that Blue Rock has had its share of trouble recently, with a teacher being involved with students and one girl going missing. Although students are not permitted contact with the outside, Shay manages to get a desparate message to Jules asking for her help before a killer strikes again.

WITHOUT MERCY is a suspenseful page-turner with a touch of romance, and lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the end.

Stop by tomorrow to read my interview with author Lisa Jackson. Anyone who leaves a comment about the review or interview is eligible to win a copy of WITHOUT MERCY. Lisa will be giving away two copies of WITHOUT MERCY. At the end of the week names of two visitors will be selected at random, and the books will be mailed to those two lucky visitors. (Winners must be residents of the USA or Canada.)

IAC FTC guidelines, please note that while I received a complimentary review copy of WITHOUT MERCY, I was neither paid nor required to give a positive review of the novel.