A Matter of Mercy - Softcover

A richly detailed, intimate look at the struggles of love and hard work and hard choices. With wisdom and compassion, Lynne Hugo explores how we sometimes find our homes in the places and people we've left behind. This book draws you in and won't let you go. A Matter of Mercy is the kind of novel one longs to read - beautifully written, full of crooked fates, terrible loss and hard-won second chances.

--Laura Harrington, author of Alice Bliss and winner of the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction

Lynne Hugo's novel A MATTER OF MERCY is full of intrigue and heart, as gritty as the inside of a clamshell and tender as a beach sunset. You won't soon forget this story of two Cape Cod residents struggling against the tides for mercy and reaching out for each other despite the dark currents of their own pasts.

--Jenna Blum, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of THOSE WHO SAVE US, THE STORMCHASERS, and The Lucky One in GRAND CENTRAL.

"A universe so precise it sings of truth and so human it plucks at all the right strings."

--Kim Triedman, author of THE OTHER ROOM

"I could not put this book down. The author draws the reader into each character, and the character literally comes to life before our eyes. This is simply a splendid book."

--Susan Kaplan, NetGalley Reviewer

"Hugo tells a story that must be heard."

--Rosemary Smith, Librarian (NetGalley Review)

"A very enjoyable romantic fiction with more depth than most. A very interesting setting with lots of info about oyster farming, two strong lead characters and a complicated past makes for a good, enjoyable read."

--Doris Smith, Bookseller (NetGalley Review)

"Who would have thought a book dealing with oyster fishing in the remote community of Wellfleet could be so absorbing? But it is. This is a book to put at the top of your shopping list. Worth every dollar!"

--Nigel Masterton, NetGalley Reviewer

"A MATTER OF MERCY quickly grabs the reader in a death grip. Great descriptions, true to life and a compelling story make this a book you must not miss."

--Jay Williams, NetGalley Reviewer

"Ms. Hugo gives the reader a little mystery, a little love interest, and a little insight into New England oyster farming. I recommend A MATTER OF MERCY."

--Paula Schumm, NetGalley Reviewer

"A MATTER OF MERCY was a good read, an interesting story with lots of twists and turns. The book was quite enjoyable and I plan to read more by Lynne Hugo."

--Jan Gibson (Wick Communications)

Caroline Marcum thought she'd escaped the great mistake of her life by leaving Wellfleet harbor, but is forced to face it when she returns, reluctantly, to care for her dying mother. Ridley Neal put his past-and his prison term-behind him to return home to take over his father's oyster and clam beds. Casual acquaintances long ago, when a nor'easter hits the coast, Rid and Caroline's lives intersect once again. When Rid and two other sea farmers are sued by the wealthy owners of vacation homes who want to shut them down, and Caroline accidentally meets the person she most wronged, they each must learn to trust-and love. Inspired by a 1996 lawsuit, A Matter of Mercy is a riveting novel about treasuring the traditional way of life in the shallows of beautiful Cape Cod bay by discovering where forgiveness ends and where it begins.