Book 4), Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson

I loved that Stefan had a fairly large part in this book. He’s one of my favorite characters in the series. I didn’t like some of what happened to him, but at least some of it wasn’t permanent. I’m really almost hating Marsilia. I totally get why she did what she did, but I don’t like her.

Mercy was raped in the last book, and she’s still working through her issues with that. And with the fact that she has finally done what we all knew she would be doing since book 1: Become Adam’s mate. She tried to push things a little too fast/too soon, but Adam helped keep her grounded and said he would wait until she was actually ready.

I liked Chad. He was an adorable little boy, and I kept imagining Mercy taking him back home with her. Not that she really needs another child in her life, or more complications. But, I liked how they interacted.

I love what a smart-mouth Mercy can be, and there were some really good lines in this book. There also weren’t any slow spots. Something was happening on every page, but some of that was explanations about what was going on in the life of such-and-such a character. That can be slow or boring in other series’, but it was done really well in this book. I didn’t have any moments of wanting to skip ahead because I was bored.

If you haven’t read this series yet, you should. And if you are reading this series, you need to pick up this book.

Wow!!! The series picks up right where the last one left off; a sin-sational page turner. We see the fragile side of Mercy maybe not as lost as in Iron Kissed but still she is so raw and written so well you take the emotional journey with Mercy. On a positive note things in Mercy and Adams relationship shift and starts to heat up!

Among some of my favorites. Outstanding literary work. The characters are well developed, interesting. The liked characters are likable and the hated are unlikable. The writing is captivating enough to keep you interested until the end and leave you wanting more. It has a fairly original or uniquely well-developed plot. The pretense and romance was well balanced and done with properly distributed amounts of hints, behaviors and chemistry. Not so much predictable if at all. Overall, loved it, I recommend reading!!

This installment picks up right where the last one left off and by right I'm talking like one split second later. Well, let's just say that things don't go quite as I had envisioned them. In Bone Crossed Mercy is still recovering from what went down in Iron Kissed so she's not her usual spunky self and unfortunately for her, things aren't really looking all that up either. In book 4 Briggs finally sheds a bit of light on one very important unanswered question and seriously, Adam Hauptman is just SO freaking awesome in this installment!

Bone Crossed has a much darker tone than its predecessors and it also felt like a stepping stone to the next phase of this series. Mercy's finally solved her relationship dilemma but instead of running into her beloved's arms she's trying not to scream every time someone touches her. I felt so horrible for Thompson in this installment; she's hurting bad and unfortunately for her, the only cure is time. In other news, the reason why vamps are so afraid of walkers is finally becoming clearer and Thompson takes her newfound powers for a test drive. I've been anxiously waiting for this aspect of the story line to develop and I can't wait to see how much more butt Mercy is going to kick in Silver Borne!

I really liked Chad, Amber's son. He's a brave kid who's similar to Thompson in a lot of ways and I loved their interactions. The child challenged her at every turn and I liked that Mercy treated him as an adult and also worked at earning his trust. Stefan lost a few points with me in this book; I found his behavior to be a little suspect and now I'm kind of glad that he was never a real contender for Mercy's affections. Better the devil you know... unless they are a vampire!

The romance between Adam and Thomson is tender and sweet which was not at all what I expected from an alpha werewolf! Hauptman is so incredibly patient and understanding of Mercy's needs; it just made me love him even more! I've enjoyed watching their relationship grow and change over the past four books and hope that they'll get a bit of a break in the next novel because they need time to reconnect. And, ya know, I also need some Adam sexy time!

After finishing Bone Crossed my only thought is: thank goodness book 5 is already waiting for me on my shelves!

This book should have been advertised for what it was...a cartoon. It was alright for a very short story and nothing more and definetely not woth the price. If I had known it was primarily cartoons I would not have bought it.

To read more reviews like this one, check out Obsessive Book Nerd!

Liked that we got to explore Mercy's ability to see ghosts in Bone Crossed. We got to meet a couple ghosts, granted they weren't very friendly, but the book felt a bit more spooky at times.

I thought Chad was a great supporting character in the book. His and Mercy's bond was strong and I hope we get to see him again. And Stefan, his character surprised me. I liked him a lot more after this book. His quick connection with Chad, was pleasantly surprising. I also liked how it became obvious that Mercy was very important to him and he could be trusted.

The romantic in me also liked that Adam and Mercy's bond keeps growing stronger. Lastly, I like how Mercy was able to get herself out of the mess without the help of her standard go-to heroes. I think It was very important for us to see her as the heroin she is and that she isn't always in need of being saved.

Bone Crossed is the fourth book in the Mercy Thompson series. After the emotional events of the last installment, I wasn't sure what to expect. Patricia Briggs delivered another great story that features a strong woman (Mercy) and her mate, Adam, who is slowly becoming one of my favorite alphas. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he rivals and, in some instances, surpasses Curran. He treats Mercy with respect and allows her to be herself without compromise.

"Personally, I figured it was up to me to keep me safe." Mercy has a lot of friends and will accept help when she needs it. But, she depends on herself first and foremost. Her coyote form may not be the strongest physically but she makes up for it with her intelligence and general wiliness.

Samuel, Stefan, Warren and all the other werewolves are present. This book primarily focuses on the vampires and fallout from Mercy's decisions in book two. That worked just fine for me. Stefan is a great character and I want to know more about what makes him tick. He clearly cares for Mercy but I know there is more to the story.

Trying not to spoil anything because there is major movement forward in the overall series storyline. There was one paragraph, though, that I specifically marked as I thought it captured Mercy so well:

"Adam was conducting what was rapidly developing into a full pack meeting in his living room upstairs. He'd looked relieved when I'd excused myself to see Stefan - I thought he was worried someone would say something that might hurt my feelings. In that he underestimated the thickness of my hide. People I cared about could hurt my feelings, but almost complete strangers? I could care less about what they thought."

5/5 stars for another great book from Patricia Briggs. Already looking forward to the next one.

This book continues with the last few pages of the previous book, so no time has elapsed between them at all. Mercy is still suffering from the shock of being raped, and has accepted Adam as his mate. But he doesn’t want sex from her yet, he can wait until after she has had some counselling. Even if it is from her own mother who suddenly appears on her doorstep …
And she is not the only surprise visitor that evening …

Apparently Marsilia, the local vampire Queen, has found out that Mercy killed her loyal vampire André as they were planning to create more sorcerer-vampires. She could not let them do such an atrocity. And now Marsilia has punished Stefan for keeping it secret from her, and aiding Mercy. She has tortured and starved him, and sent him into Mercy’s home in the expectation he will kill Mercy as he is ravenous. But Mercy was not alone when it happened, and Stefan fed from Adam and some pack members instead. He tells Mercy to run.
And suddenly, an old schoolfriend visits Mercy. Amber tells Mercy she read about her ordeal in the paper, and as she remember Mercy once told her she could see ghosts, she asks for her help. Her house and especially her young son is being haunted, and her husband doesn’t believe it and wants to send the boy to some kind of boarding school.

Mercy does think something is fishy about this sudden invitation, and is not planning on going to Spokane at all. That is the territory of one very scary old vampire, who has been holding the city against all other vampires and supernatural creatures for decades. But when Marsilia starts targeting her friends and associates, almost killing one of their werewolves, she has no choice. As Stefan is kicked out of the Seethe, he decides to go with her, to try to keep her safe. There is no reason Mercy should attract the attention of The Monster, James Blackwood. But of course, the very first evening of her stay with Amber and her family, “Jim” is an important visitor. And when Mercy wakes up the next morning with bite marks on her neck, she doesn’t know what happened. Was it Stefan who fed of her, or Blackwood?

The little boy, Chad, is deaf and Mercy doesn’t know any sign language, but they still communicate well together. There really is a ghost in the house and he is targeting Chad. Mercy’s presence seems to make it worse though, and finally Amber’s husband, Corbin, takes his family to a hotel while they search for a priest to exorcise the ghost. And Mercy goes home, as her work in Spokane is done. The werewolves and the vampire Queen are negotiating some kind of peace treaty, and they are no longer in danger. Of course that is not all there is to it.
Some of Marsilia’s vampires are unhappy with her rule, and they want Stefan to help them dethrone her. But even though he has been broken and abandoned by her, he cannot go against his Mistress. Will there be a war between the vampires?

And of course, Blackwood does not give up on Mercy that easily, he takes her back as he has plans for her, long term plans …

This book certainly had some creepy elements in it. But I loved Mercy. Even though she suffers from panic attacks, and the dislike of some members of the pack who don’t like a coyote being made pack and as their alpha’s mate, above them in status, she is strong. She fights, she is loyal, and she wins. I love how she handles the men in her life, how she keeps a level head and protects her friends.
A nice mixture of vampires, werewolves and Fae in this book, and ghosts. Yes the creepy part had ghosts, and even a zombie.

A strong series, with great characters, both the main ones and the secondary ones. I never know what will happen next (of course I do, as I am re-reading this series) but I still am surprised at things I did not notice the first time.

10 stars.

~4/5

I love this series. I love this series rather a lot. It's just so good. It's been a while since I read the last book, probably a month or two, and now I've gotten right back into it. As in, as soon as I finish this review, I will be starting book five, since I have it already. And I'm so excited. (I'm also very excited to read the second book in the Alpha and Omega series, but I don't have that one yet.)

After what happened to Mercy in the last volume, she's still having a hard time getting through things, particularly when it comes to Adam, but she's getting better. Also, Adam and her are officially together now, which is just awesome. I like Adam, a lot, and I'm liking their interactions even more. I know that Briggs doesn't really do very romantic scenes, but I've also noticed that there isn't really a whole lot of swoon between them. I mean, we get the insight into Mercy's head, but I've found that the reader is (at least, I am) kept at a bit of a distance. There's still some, though. And I'm still looking forward to more.

Quite a bit happened with the vampires in this book. I don't mind Stefan, but I don't like Marsilia. At all. I'm honestly quite ready for her to go away, officially, and was hoping that's what would happen in this book. It didn't. Maybe (hopefully?) it'll happen in the future.

Also, quite a bit happened with how Mercy can see ghosts, and we got a few hints as to her Walker abilities. That whole thing is interesting to me, and I hope we get to find out more, or that more of her abilities are used, in the next books.

Something else happened with a different vampire in this book, and it was quite interesting. I also quite liked the way that Mercy took care of most of it herself. She can handle herself in difficult situations, and I like that. She's smart, can be calm, and she's pretty good at handling things when they need handling. Which I really like. More heroines (and heroes) should be like that.

We met a person from Mercy's past, a girl she went to college with, and I was a bit surprised by what happened with her. I particularly liked her son, though, this sweet, deaf ten-year-old. And I liked what happened between the woman's son and husband. I doubt we're going to see any more of them, but I would like to. Maybe we'll get a glimpse or something in the next book. One can hope, anyway.

Oh, Bran also showed up in this book. Very briefly, but still. I rather like him. His appearances are usually important, short, but leave some sort of impact. I just like him, I suppose, and find his relationship with Mercy (and Samuel) nice.

I don't want to talk too in-depth about what happened in this book, and I don't think I have much else to say. I'm really looking forward to the next book, and seeing more of Mercy and Adam together, and possibly Mercy and Jesse getting closer, and just general character-relationship development. And now, I get to start that book.

[This review is also available on my blog, among many others.]

Summary: 5 stars. A story full of plot twists.

The plot of Bone Crossed is really superb. It is full of twists and turns and builds on the stories of the previous books. You see those past events in a new light.

The story is very focused on Mercy and the aftermath of what happened to her Book 3. So there’s a lot more internal reflection in this one. It’s fun to watch her growing relationship with Adam play out, and any scene with Adam’s teenage daughter Jesse is pretty hilarious.

In this book Mercy starts to really struggle with what it means to be a part of something bigger (family, pack, mate). Trust is not easy for this former loner, but her journey is worth following and she proves again and again that the underdog (coyote) can save the day.

A great installment in this urban fantasy series. It balances a twisty turny mystery with a story of character growth.

Despite a few quibbles (listed last) Bone Crossed is tied with Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson, Book 5) for BEST in the series, in my opinion. On the first read I gave Bone Crossed only 4 stars, but it improved after reading it a second time, after reading books 5-7. In my view, it is better than the hot new release, Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson, Book 7), because the plot is tighter.

Favorite Parts (vague):

★ Mercy and Adam together: the laughs, the banter, the tender healing, when Adam gets scared and possessive and consequently does something MAJOR and UNEXPECTED (and kinda gross) while kissing Mercy, the ♥-scene

★ When Bran came to check on Mercy (loved the joking around, especially when Samuel and Stefan joined in)

★ Mercy's interactions with Chad, the courageous deaf boy who is haunted by a ghost (well done!)

★ Scenes with Donnell Greenleaf, the fae classified as an oakman (and his gift)

★ Lugh's powerful walking stick. That staff loves Mercy! ツ

★ Stefan and Mercy!! Sexy Stefan, so honorable, so doomed ツ

★ Mercy's courage in recovering from what happened at the end of book 3, and in confronting The Monster (Blackwood)

★ Relationship stuff, like Mercy's compassionate concern for Stefan, Samuel, Chad, Amber, Corban (even Mary Jo - the B! -- in dire straights at Uncle Mike's tavern).

Quibbles in content and quality:

Content:

I've got no BONES with the content, just a few minor quibbles. For example, the opening scene happens at 11pm, and then later Samuel says it's daytime and then he says it's night again, time to go to sleep.

Also, in this book, Mercy says Charles taught her how to drive and fix a car (the Porsche discussion with Bran and Samuel) but in book 1, Moon Called, Mercy says Zee taught her everything she knows about fixing cars.

Also, Charles is younger than Samuel, but in this book, Charles is described as Bran's eldest son (page 100).

Editing quality:

A few GHOSTS in the e-book. Sometimes Donnell Greenleaf's self-named fae classification is formatted "the Oakman" (capital O) and other times it's "the oakman" (lower case). I saw different formatting of this on the same page and throughout the book. In comparison, "snow elf" always appears in lower case.

Also, several chapters begin with a typo, where two sentences run together without a period (in kindle version).

I'm loving this series! This time Mercy is asked by an old college friend to investigate the ghost that is disturbing her home in Spokane, and she ends up catching the notice of a very powerful and frightening vampire. Meanwhile at home, her vampire friend Stefan has some problems that Mercy is drawn into, she's trying to figure out her place in Adam's life and his pack, and someone has vandalized her shop by painting graffiti all over it. There's never a dull moment in Mercy's life, she just can't keep herself out of trouble, no matter what she does. But she's up to the tasks at hand, and she'll figure it all out in the end. I can't wait to read more books in Mercy Thompson's world, this is such a great series.

This one is the best yet in the series. It is quickly turning into one of my favorite series and I can hardly wait to buy and read the next one.

Marsilia, the evil vampire queen, returns with a vengeance. She's learned that Mercy is the one who murdered two of her favorites and not even Stefan can keep Mercy safe. Out of the blue, an old college friend shows up asking for help. She thinks a ghost is haunting her son and since Mercy can see ghosts, she is well-suited to the task. Plus, it will get Mercy out of town for a few days so that Adam and Marsilia can work out some type of truce. Maybe she can also sort out her feelings for Adam. Mercy's romance with Adam is heating up and Mercy can no longer deny those feelings.

What Mercy finds is not simply a haunting--the home reeks of fear, death...and vampires. How is she supposed to leave a helpless little boy to sort this out? When Mercy steps in trouble, she's in up to her eyeballs! That's why these books are so fun--the danger, the intrigue, the hot romance. And, honestly, the plot developments come out of nowhere and sock you in the jaw. What an incredible imagination Briggs has!

One ting I like about Mercy is that she doesn't take shortcuts and she doesn't rely on her powers or associations to get her out of trouble. She relies entirely on herself and her own wits. A true heroine's heroine. I also love how Mercy has real (kind of) problems and there are no neat endings.

After the way in which the last book ended with Mercy being attacked I was on pins and needles to see what would happen next. Not disappointingly Briggs brings us a new part of her story where she's bruised but by no means beaten. Despite everything that's thrown at her she keeps getting up.

Now just as she and uber-alpha werewolf Adam are about to seal being mates a decrepit vampire husk- her missing friend Stefan- drops between them. As the ravenously hungry vampire warns Mercy that Marsilia the head vampire knows that she killed Andre two books ago, a strange presence from her past comes to make her an off she can't refuse. Oh, and Mercy's mom shows up since she's just read about her daughters rape in the newspaper.

Drawn fully into the pack through Adams actions to protect his mate, mercy now has to help head off a full scale war between the werewolves and the vampires, make sure none of her human friends are helpless victims, deal with her strange bonds to Stefan, get over the panic intimacy with Adam brings, and clear up the strangeness going on to her old friend in Spokane...A mechanics work is never done!

This isn't really the book to dive into head first if you're new to the series. Trust me- go back to the beginning of the first book it's worth it as even I who have eaten up all these books got a bit confused at past references. There was a little disjointedness between the Tri-cities and the Spokane sections of this book but heck Mercy could sit and read the phone book for 400 pages and I'd still love it! Adam's character seemed more lighthearted in this book as if Mercy's struggles have changed his character too, which I liked. Good character evolution.

The Series in Order:
Moon Called
Blood Bound
Iron Kissed
Bone Crossed

Alpha & Omega related series:
Short story in On the Prowl Anthology
Cry Wolf
Hunting Ground ( coming July 2009)

In Bone Crossed, Mercy struggles to cope with the terrible sexual assault she suffered at the hands of a power-hungry murderer. She is plagued by terrifying panic attacks and flashbacks that leave her gasping for air. But life continues to move on and past actions have repercussions.

Marsilia, Mistress of the local vampire seethe, knows that Mercy killed her left hand man, Andre. And she's out for blood. But with Mercy's protection guaranteed from the local werewolf alpha and his pack, it's Mercy's friends who are the targets.

To give Adam a chance to negotiate with Marsilia and to take some time away for herself, Mercy goes to Spokane to help an old college acquaintance with a ghost haunting her house. But in escaping one vampire, Mercy lands right in the path of another, aptly nicknamed The Monster.

Mercy will have to fight mentally, emotionally, and physically to make it home in one piece.

Is it just me or does it seem like lately Mercy is the target of victimization? In the previous book, she is attacked and sexually assaulted, and now in Bone Crossed she has her shop vandalized with derogatory words and images, and she's attacked again in her sleep by The Monster! She leaves the memory of one attack behind in the Tri-Cities and walks right into another in Spokane. It's one thing after another and I'm wondering how much Mercy will be able to take before she breaks. She's tough, but there is only so much one person can take.

Adam and Mercy really start coming together in this book. After Adam comes to understand what Mercy was feeling after her attack, he tried to help Mercy work through it. Now that Mercy has accepted Adam's mate claim, he's been able to relax some and is more patient than before. Adam doesn't walk on eggshells around her, but he exudes a gentleness that let's Mercy know that he's there if she needs him, but he also knows she can take care of herself. I'd say that this is the real beginning for Adam and Mercy, and I can't wait to see how their relationship continues to grow.

There was a great quote said by Adam about who Mercy belongs to that further shows how much he understand her that I really liked:

"Like a coyote, Mercy is adaptable. She belongs to whom she decides. She belongs everywhere she wants to, for just as long as she wants to." (Page 212)

I love Bran! I mean, who doesn't? You can really tell how much he cares about Mercy when he visits her in this book. He may not voice it, but his actions speak louder than his words ever could. Mercy may not be Bran's biological daughter, but her definitely sees her as if she were. Bran is one of my favorite fictional fathers. I can't help but love him!

We get a look at the power struggle within the vampire seethe when both Estelle and Bernard approach Stefan to join them in their rebellion. Estelle basically just wants power, where Bernard really seems to have the seethe's well-being in mind. But Stefan shows unwavering loyalty to Marsilia when he refuses them both, even though she hurt him. He truly is a Soldier at heart, and like a good soldier, the good of the whole outweighs the good of one.

Though Mercy's trouble with the vampires is resolved, there is no hatred lost between her and Marsilia. The next book, Silver Borne, brings us back to the fae and someone really wants the book Mercy borrowed when trying to free Zee in Iron Kissed. The adventures continues and they are bound to be even more exciting that the last.

Bone Crossed the fourth installment in the Mercy Thompson series was my favorite thus far. In this action packed novel, Mercy manages to get herself in some predicaments. I consumed this in a few hours and loved every minute of it.

The tale picks up right where the last one left off. Finally it looks like, Adam and Mercy might share an intimate moment; NOT. Mercy's Mom shows up to check on Mercy, and an old friend from college seeking Mercy's help with a ghost. Complete chaos right? Not even close, because Mercy's vampire friend Stephan shows up and he`s starving. Marsilia knows about Mercy killing the second vampire and wants her dead. Mercy's shop is vandalized and an attack occurs against one of the pack. Mercy now has a death threat on her head; she's trying to deal with panic attacks caused by the rape, and accept Adam as her mate. It's decided that Mercy will head out of town and help her friend with her ghost problem. Adam will try and negotiate with the vampire queen to save Mercy and prevent anymore of his pack from being injured. Sounds simple right? Not when your name is Mercy. The tale that unfolds has Mercy in peril as she attempts to save a little boy and his family from much more than a ghost.

We learn a lot more in this novel and I love how Brigg's explains Stephan's absence. Marsilia is shaping up to be a very complex character, which surprisingly I am beginning to like. Mercy begins to realize that Adam truly loves her, and that it's ok to depend on someone. The other characters old and new bring a sense of believability to the tale. The suspenseful predicament that Mercy finds herself in, had me complete engrossed. The supernatural creatures she encountered along the way were delightful, horrifying, and had me fearing for Mercy's life.

Reviewed at Another Look Book Reviews

I continue to love this book series. I am immensely enjoying the Mercy Thompson Novels. Every speck of free time I have I am picking up my current Mercy read and sneaking in a chapter wherever I can. As I wait for a meeting to start while at work, I have my book open and I ignore my colleagues in the conference room. At my kids sports practice if you look over at me chances are you'll see my eyes are glued to the pages.

Bones Crossed was simply excellent. It had everything I enjoy in a story. Mild angst, romance, mystery, pulling at my heart strings, cheering for the good guys, wincing at the bad guys and a move forward with the main plot. A perfect package.

My favourite part of the book is Mercy's movement within the werewolf pack. Without giving spoilers, let me just say, "YES!" As Bone Crossed is book 4, I feel I have been patient and once again, I am so happy that I read these stories back to back instead of waiting for new publications between books.

My only complaint about Bone Crossed (and the series as a whole) is the heat level. I'd love to read Adam and Mercy's intimate scenes to be more adult. Not erotica but their love scenes are very underwhelming. I wonder if Mercy and Adam had more scenes together I wouldn't miss it as much as I do. I wish they were together more.

Mercy is such an excellent heroine. As she continues to learn more about what her special powers are and with her limitless dedication to her friends, each story becomes more and more involved. (and the reader more addicted)

A new vampire villain James Blackwood was introduced. He was nasty but some how charismatic. He wasn't written with the same cruelty that the Queen Vampire Marsilia was, yet there's this underlying viscous impression that is deeply menacing about him. His story line added more information about the vampire abilities and it was such a great read.

There was also a new child character, Chad, that was brought into the story. He is deaf with no special powers yet Patrica Briggs writes him with such care that I would be interested in reading a spin off series of him when he is more mature. I believe big things would come from Chad as his young life has been changed forever with this story. I want to know what happens to him.

I can't wait to read the next book, Silver Borne.

Bone Crossed is the fourth and unfortunately last (for now) installment in the Mercy Thompson series. As with books 2 and 3, I loved every page and read the entire book within 24 hours!!

Bone Crossed picks up immediately where Iron Kissed left off. We find Mercy still healing from the brutal attack she suffered at the end of the last book, and settling into her new role as mate to Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the area pack of werewolves. Before long, Mercy gets three simultaneous visitors - a starved and tortured vampire Stefan, her mother and an old college friend, Amber - all of whom bring danger in some form. Her mom comes after hearing of Mercy's rape from a newspaper and forces Mercy to begin the painful healing process. Stefan has been flayed and starved by the vampire Mistress Marsilia, and comes to warn Mercy that the mistress is seeking revenge for the murder of her right hand man, Andre, killed by Mercy in the last book. Amber comes requesting Mercy's help with her son, who is being terrorized by an angry ghost. Of course, Mercy jumps right in to help Stefan and Amber and that leads to some truly chilling moments with the vampire seethe and a very old, very powerful vampire in Spokane, Washington. In addition to all of the action, there are plenty of tender moments with both Adam and Stefan.

As usual, Briggs has crafted a magical, but realistic tale that includes plenty of danger, suspense and even a crazed snow elf! There is a lot going on in this story, but Briggs handles it well and once I started it, I just couldn't put it down. The character development and emotional depth was amazing, especially concerning Mercy's feelings about her rape, which lead to panic attacks and an aversion to being touched. Mercy is also learning to lean on her new mate, Adam, as well as her new position within the pack. Briggs deals deftly with these issues and manages to throw in a little humor as well. I was pleased to learn even more about the werewolf society, vampire politics and the mysterious relationship between Stefan and Mercy. I hope that Briggs is already working on book five because I can't wait to read more!!!

I'll admit it. I felt robbed at the end of Iron Kissed. Fans of Mercy Thompson waited through three books to see her choose between suitors Samuel and Adam. And when our big payoff moment came, the author faded to black. BUT she picked up exactly where she left off at the beginning of this book. Of course, we still didn't really get the payoff... at least not right away... but I digress.

With the book picking up precisely on the heels of its predecessor, Mercy is only two or three days past her rape, and she is still experiencing the fallout. She is suffering panic attacks and trying to return to some semblance of her life. Things are hard enough, when her vampire friend Stefan is dropped into her home, after being tortured and starved by the head vampire queen, Marisilia. The wolves give blood to Stefan to keep him from feeding on Mercy. And as he recovers, he reveals that Marisilia has learned Mercy killed one of her vampires (in Blood Bound) and now Mercy is a target.

To get away from the danger, Mercy goes to the home of an old college friend, who has a haunted house. She works to solve the mystery of the ghost, but is drawn to trouble like a magnet. Essentially, she becomes trapped in a quagmire of vampire politics and is targeted by a master vamp from out-of-town.

A lot is going on in this book. Most of it focuses on the vampires, but we learn more about what it means for Mercy to be a "walker." We see her relationship grow with Adam and the pack... and with Stefan as well. It was a solid installment, maybe not quite as strong as Iron Kissed, but still quite good. I just wish there was a little bit of on-page action between Mercy and her man. My imagination is good --but actually reading the action is better. 4 1/2 stars.

In Bone Crossed, Mercy Thompson is back, still suffering the aftereffects of the events of the last novel but trying to get on with her life. Unfortunately, Marsilia, the mistress of the local vampire seethe, has discovered the truth of what happened to her vampire Quinn, and she's not pleased. To prove the point, Marsilia has tortured Mercy's vamp friend Stefan almost to the point of death, and then sent him to Mercy, thinking Stefan will kill Mercy. But Stefan's will is stronger than Marsilia counted on, and Mercy, given the directive to run, does so--and finds herself entangled with yet another vampire, a zombie, and several ghosts. Will Mercy be able to extricate herself from both Marsilia's revenge and the new threat posed by a rival vampire?

I plunged head first into Bone Crossed, reading quickly and enjoying myself immensely. Mercy, usually strong and forthright, finds herself tempered by panic attacks brought on by her experiences in Iron Kissed, though her refusal to give in to them reinforces my positive opinion of her ability to heal. The relationship between Adam and Mercy also takes a major step in Bone Crossed, and not with entirely good results. And as always, Mercy's sympathetic nature for others leads her, for good or for ill, to forge ahead, knowing the worst may happen but unable to let things go.

Bone Crossed is, as usual for the Mercy Thompson novels, action-packed and filled with all the characters we've come to know over the course of the first three books. The relationship between Stefan and Mercy becomes very complicated; I was intrigued enough to wonder what might happen next between the two while still rooting for Adam and Mercy to be together. Certainly Ms. Briggs has developed the relationships so well that no matter what, I'll be looking forward eagerly to the next installment. With characters as strong as these, it's impossible not to be hooked. Recommended!

Mercy Thompson can't catch a break. As BONE CROSSED BEGINS, her rape (in IRON KISSED) is just a few weeks in the past. The rapist is dead, but video of the man being torn apart by werewolf boyfriend Adam has been seen nationally, making Mercy's suffering very public. Now, not only has the rapist's cousin sprayed obscene graffiti all over Mercy's place of business, but someone has also indelibly marked her garage with crossed bones -- a vampiric declaration of vendetta. The latter -- along with the torture of Mercy's vampire friend Stefan -- appears to be fallout from Mercy's last run-in with vampire diva Marsilia (in BLOOD BOUND). When Mercy takes a trip to Spokane to do a favor for a college acquaintance, hoping to leave her troubles behind, she predictably runs afoul of the only (supernatural) bloodsucker in town. On top of all that, she's feeling pressure to accept Adam as her official mate both publicly (to him and the wolf pack) and, um, privately -- probably not the kind of pressure a recent rape victim needs.

There's a lot going on in BONE CROSSED, and though none of it is boring, most of it is not very exciting, novel, or deeply involving either. In other words, this is an OK novel, but just an OK novel. Here's hoping that its successor, due out in a few months, is more satisfying.

One of the things I like most about Briggs' books is that she's willing to take risks & attempts to go against cliches. Her main character's personality is remarkably similar to other heroines out there, yet at the same time Briggs tries to make her a separate entity from so many angst-ridden gutsy heroines. She's put Mercy in a job that is atypical for the usual fantasy heroine. Most heroine jobs involve death, blood, or some sort of glamorous position- Mercy is a mechanic in her own garage that she barely keeps afloat. (Another thing Briggs does differently- Mercy is broke & is usually always just above water, unlike other heroines out there.) Then there's the subject matter. While rape isn't unheard of in the UF genre, Briggs is one of the few authors out there who chooses not to let it define her heroine- and tries to portray it realistically. I applaud her for that.

This entry in the Mercy series has our heroine still reeling from her brutal rape in the previous book. Not only that, but she must also deal with the "celebrity" that has come about from it- tapes of her attack have surfaced in the media. Since Mercy is known for dating Adam, the head of the local werewolf group & the public face of lycanthropy, it's given top priority in the news. When an old college friend shows up on her doorstep begging for help with a ghost problem because she saw the news reports, Mercy isn't initially inclined to help. It's only when the local vampire leader begins to make threats towards not only Mercy but also those she holds dear, that Mercy decides to face down the ghost. Unfortunately very little is every what it appears when it comes to things concerning Mercy, & this "small" ghost problem ends up being anything but easy. '

Like I said above, I really appreciate how Briggs attempts to make her heroine realistic & not the typical UF girl. That is the one thing that she manages to accomplish perfectly in this book for the most part. My only true complaint is that the book sort of felt like it was two different stories & the connection between the two felt a little forced & too overly complicated. It's not that it was hard to understand, it just felt like at times Briggs was trying a little too hard. Either plot element (the ghost or Marsilla) could have made a fine book in its own right & I just wish that one or the other had taken precedence over the other.

Still, this is one of the better books that has come out lately in the Mercy series. The previous book (Ironkissed) was good, but this really makes me hunger for the next book in the series!

In book 4 of the Mercy Thompson series, the focus is on the vampires in her life. The Vampire Queen, Marsilia, is out to kill Mercy, but since she can't do that outright without starting a war with the werewolves, she's taking it out on Mercy's friends. Then Mercy's old college friend shows up and asks Mercy to help her with a ghost that's been stalking her son. Mercy takes off to help and get away from the vampire troubles that are brewing, but she finds that trouble seems to follow her anywhere.

The plot didn't always flow and fit together and felt disjointed in places. There were times that things happened that were just too convenient and it felt like they were thrown in to move things forward in a certain direction or to explain away something. Overall though, it still had everything I've come to expect in the series; action, romance, and intrigue with a sprinkling of humor, but didn't rate it the 5 stars the previous books have earned.

Mercy finally made her decision at the end of the last book, that Adam, Alpha of the local werewolf pack, was the man for her, so it was nice to see their relationship start to develop in this book. Mercy is still independent, but she's willing to bend a little to make things work with him. The characters are growing and evolving with each book.

I love the ever-evolving world Mercy lives in, as we learn more and more about the "things that go bump in the night" with each book. This one focuses on the vampires and the reader gets to delve deeper into Stefan's life. I really enjoyed those portions of the book, it's the secondary plot going on, with Mercy's friend Amber, that felt like it was just thrown in to add an additional story line. Still a good read and I can't wait for the next installment.

I won't go into as much detail as I normally do because there are a ton of reviews on here that have summed everything up. I have to add that its been a very long time since I read the third installment and it has remained fresh with me, despite how many books I have read in between these. That alone speaks for an author and her story. Briggs doesn't fail to disappoint as an author although I do prefer this series over her Alpha and Omega series, but at two books in maybe that series just hasn't hit its stride yet. Here is what you can count on in a Mercy book: 1) a well thought out and developed story. Even here where there were actually two main plots and a lot of pages left detailing Mercy's rape aftermath. But I found myself wanting to read everything written because I wanted to see her grief, her healing, and her hope. 2)Decent writing without a lot of repetition or aimless wanderings. The book isn't quite 300 pages but it was a lot more enjoyable to read then books that drag on for twice as long. 3) Side characters with, um, character. Stephen the vampire, her werewolf beau Adam, Samuel, and all the others are there for Mercy, provide supernatural intrigue, and keep things lighthearted now and then. 4) This is the big one. Mercy is so darn likeable. Even after being raped, she is in full protect those who can't protect themselves mode. I loved her scenes in this book with deaf 10 year old Chad. She is someone you would want to be friends with. She is funny, sarcastic, and more comfortable with grease under her nails then wearing a dress. So many series lose the character of their heroine, and forget to write consistantly so their actions and thoughts are believeable. Briggs and Mercy are both solidly unique. If you are a fan of this genre, and there is some odd chance you haven't picked up this series, you absolutely must. It is easily in my top three urban fantasy series. There are a lot of unknowns still in this book; I find myself eager to find out more about whats going on with Stephen and how Mercy being one with the pack is going to change things. I also think there is more to come from the characters at her dojo, as well as more from Stephen's vampire maker Marcilia.

I loved this book! I don't know how she does it but each book has been totally different and characters developed more in depth. New characters added and some likely to return. I have no clue where this series will go but I can't wait to find out. I particularly like that each book is stand alone in that she answers all the questions and doesn't leave u feeling like it should end in "to be continued" rather than The End. It is not stand alone in u need a lot of the information from the previous books to keep characters straight and follow the relationships and how hey relate or have interacted with Mercy in both good and bad ways. Overall series leaves u feeling like ur listening to old friends or at least people u know and you want to know what happens next. I guess that is the mastery Ms. Briggs has in she makes u care about her characters as if her fantasy world were real and her characters r people u know and like or maybe don't like. I try to never give her plots away so u can appreciate her work for ur self and interpret her story in ur own way.

Well I still enjoy the Mercy Thompson series, this book feels like the quality of the plots, story and development are starting to slip.

Mainly, Mercy's mother is introduced early on, but she then seems to go away, like there's a subplot there that's been dropped. Or maybe Brigg's intends to follow up on it in the next book.

Other minor characters like Mary Jo get introduced, but not really developed as members of Adam's pack.

Erotica was finally introduced with Mercy and Adam doing foreplay... not something I cared for, but I supposed it worked to show Mercy trying to over come trauma from Tim and develope the relationship between Mercy and Adam.

The parts with Stephan were good. There was good character development and seeing more of him. Especially as he's trying to protect Mercy from this other vampire, The Monster with a possible Lesser of Two Evils.

The book feels like two major plots in one. The first being Marsilia doing a convoluted way of finding the traitors in her seethe, her targetting Mercy when discovering that Mercy killed one of her own vampires, not just the one she was supposed to kill in Blood Bound and then convincing Stephan his "flock" had been killed and he was no longer part of the seethe.

I dunno Vampire Politics there... there were some heavy twists and turns there and frankly if it was me, not being part of their world, I'd want to go torch them all.

As for the plot with The Monster, that was riviting and it felt for a moment, that was going to be dropped in favor of wrapping up Marsilia's little mind games and intrigue to do a convoluted reveal the traitors. But when Brigg's pulled back on track to the Monster's plot... that was good.

The story was still good. I just didn't get into it about half way with the whole yeah! This is great! There was just too much trying to include several things into the book, that you're not sure which is for characterization, to see how events of past books effect the current and too many subplots.

When it comes to Paranormal Romance admittedly I prefer those that tie in the erotica, I mean its half the fun. But, this book is all fun even though there is no intense love scenes like in JR Ward, Laura Adrian, Kresley Cole, and Feehan's novels.

I highly enjoyed this book though, so much in fact it didn't matter that it was not the first in the series. I got this one not knowing it was even a series, but it was relatively easy to follow, and the characters were relatable. It reminded me of a really good TV "who-done-it" series, tune in next week kind of thing and you know I will. I'm getting all the others.

If you do follow paranormal series I would compare this to "Some Girls Bite" or "Blood Memories"; more about the characters arch and murder mystery then about sex and romance.

In this installment Mercy (the heroine) is recovering from a brutal attack where she was raped by a man named Tim which has met his maker since. Mercy (a shape shifter - coyote) is a mechanic who has a degree in history and planned to teach, but fixing cars won in the end. She lives in the Tri-city area (WA) and next door to a pack of werewolves. One of which, Adam the alpha. Mercy also has a odd collection of friends and foes that include Vampires and Fea (Elves and Fairies). Mercy is a tom boy, highly likable, and besides the fanciful story line seems pretty down to earth.

One of her closest Vampire friends appears in her living room one evening, tutored and starved near to death. Turns out that Mercy has made enemies of the Vampires because of a botched Vampire staking mission from the previous book. In this novel. Stefan, the starved and tutored Vamp is supposedly being punished for his help in the incident and for his loyalty to Mercy. Meanwhile, a old college friend of Mercy's shows up on her door step with some far fetched story about a ghost haunting her house and asks Mercy for help. Mercy ends up agreeing to her friends request in order to get out of dodge for while (i.e. the blood hungry Vamps who want her dead). When Mercy leaves town she gets into a whole heap of trouble with some ghosts and a Vampire named the "Monster". In the end all is explained or resolved with no shortage of murder and mayhem.

Highly enjoyable and defiantly recommended.

Mercy Thompson had to kill a man. It was self defense and after a brutal assault, but still, not everyone sees it that way. The least of it is that the dead guy's cousin paints Mercy's garage with hateful graffitti. The worst, the local vampire seethe does the same. The crossed bones are a clear warning to Mercy and anyone who wants to help her.

Marsilia, the head of the local vampire seethe, wants to kill Mercy and that's effecting diplomatic relations with the local werewolf pack. This is particularly problematic since Adam, the head of the local werewolf pack, wants to make Mercy his mate and alpha female.

When Amber, an old college friend of Mercy's, shows up begging Mercy for help with a ghost, the opportunity to get out of town for a short while is too good to pass up. Only one warning, stay away from James Blackwood, the sole local vampire.

But, guess who's coming to dinner? You got it. Blackwood is a client of Amber's husband. Mercy's about ready to head home, but the house really is haunted and Amber's 10 year old deaf son is the ghost's chief victim.

In the hands of other fantasy authors, this story could have devolved into brutality. Briggs has a fine hand. She can show bad things happening to good people without wallowing in the despair and agony. She also depicts a victim's recovery with compassion and wisdom.

"Bone Crossed" kept me reading long into the night. The characters engender compassion, the plot keeps your attention. You can read this story on its own, but I'd recommend that you read the whole Mercy Thompson series. She is one of the best heroines in fantasy.

Rebecca Kyle, March 2009

In the 1st book in the series, Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) the author introduces Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson. In the 2nd book, Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2) Stefan Uccello, a vampire and friend, called in on a favor. Things turn bad and soon Mercy gets involved in a hunt for a vampire-sorcerer. Several of her friends are kidnapped and held hostage by Cory Littleton, the vampire-sorcerer. She comes to the resources and kills Cory, and his maker, Andre, using items that Zee and Uncle Mike provided. Because of the Fae's help in the 3rd book, Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3) Siebold Adelbertsmiter "Zee", her former gremlin boss and mentor, calls in on his favor. He wants her to help sniff out a killer. Mercy identifies O'Donnell, a BFA agent, to Zee and Uncle Mike. She can help but it puts her in danger and suffers both emotional and physical trama from O'Donnell's killer - but in the end she exonerates Zee. However, Mercy does decide between Adam and Samuel. Now in the 4th book, Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4) an old enemy is after her and using Stefan to get to her. Stefan arrives almost dead in Mercy living room and tells her that Marsilia knows that she killed Andre - warning that Mercy's life is in danger. Then Amber Wharton, asked Mercy to come to Spokane and help her with a ghost - this leads her into James Blackwood's territory. Of course this lead to trouble...and she ends up binding herself to Stefan. Does Adam have a new revival for his mates affection - ? I hope so...cuz' I love angry dominant Adam. This would also unnerve Samual, the seethe, and probably many others. Maybe we will find out in the next book, Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson) coming March 2010.

Mercy was pulled in a lot of directions in this book. I was happy that the vampires were back in this book but this time I missed the Fae - I like when all of the group must work together to assist Mercy in whatever trouble she has gotten herself into. You could read this book alone without read the other 3 that came before it but, I recommend reading them all - in order.

Book four in the Mercedes Thompson series finds our shifter, Mercy, at the mercy of an angry seethe of vampires.

This book was a huge improvement from #3. Because Briggs refocused on the were/vamp communities, I was hooked on the plot (I'm as keen on the fae). I also have enjoyed Stefan's character, so it was nice to have a book that centered more on him. And after the bad taste in my mouth from book #3, I was finally able to forgive Adam and move on.

One thing that I don't like as well about Brigg's books, however, is that they can become very chatty. Characters spend a lot of time speculating over one or another scenario, or they converse in great length about things. Many times, I'd rather watch the drama unfold. Briggs also has a remarkably complex overarching plot that crosses over her books, and because I didn't read them back-to-back, I can get confused.

However, there is a great deal that I enjoy about her series. The characters are wonderful, the action (when it does get started) is very good, and the mystery is always intriguing.

Four books into this series and I'm still basically enjoying it. However, this one played heavily on Mercy's status as a recent victim and it seriously compromised her previous impression as a strong, unflappable character. (Someone please tell me why it's required that so many UF/PNR heroines have to be traumatised at some point? I don't get it.) I disliked this and just plain got tired of it. I understand she can't be expected to have healed instantly, but half the book was dedicated to the aftereffects and her response to being attacked in the last book. IMO, not fun, not fun at all. Writing is still good. Editing is still good. The rest of the characters are still fun. I did find the frequent recaps of previous books repetitive and distracting. Plus, the challenge to overcome was both diluted by virtue of being two-fold and I felt overcome too easily. All in all however still a good book.

I enjoyed this book just as much as I joined the previous three in the series. Briggs can be depended upon for maintaining an exciting plot and unique characters, and this book was no exception.
This book gave me a more detailed look into the politics of the vampire culture of Mercy's world, as well as more development of the character of Stefan. Stefan does not seem to talk much, but his body language seems to say that he loves Mercy, even if he knows she will never love him back, especially with the scene on the last few pages. The discoveries that Mercy makes regarding her abilities as a Walker are interesting and can hold lots of promise for future books in the series. I also enjoy being introduced to other lesser characters in the books that often help Mercy in some small way, such as the oakman. These characters give a more well-rounded picture of Mercy's world. Mercy's panic attacks, resulting from her rape in the previous book, were very realistic and made her more believeable as a character, since they gave her a weakness and a way to be related to. Superheroes always seem to be better at their "jobs" when they have a weakness that allows them to relate to the "common man." I'm also glad that Mercy was finally inducted into Adam's pack officially, although I found the method somewhat gross and cannibalistic. I still don't understand how Mercy can be "pack" to both Adam and his pack, as well as to Samuel, without any sort of backlash in the "animal kingdom", but hopefully that will be either explained or absolved with future books.

I love the Mercy Thompson series and this book is no exception. However, I do have some complaints and I want to get those out of the way first. Not enough Adam or Samuel, or any of the secondary characters we came to love (Warren, Kyle, Zee). I love Samuel, but I love Adam for Mercy and this story left the relationship between Mercy and Adam a little flat. I could understand the awkwardness that another reviewer mentioned. I mean hello she'd just been raped, but I wanted to see more development between Adam and Mercy as a couple. I wanted PB to delve more into their relationship and instead it seemed more like a side note instead of a main focus. I understand that this isn't a romance novel however, after all the buildup in the previous novels and the history the two have together I was a little disappointed. My second complaint is that the story line did sometimes seem a little disjointed. The flow from the previous novels just wasn't there. It seemed like alot of filler and referencing back. Ok, now for the good parts. Mercy Thompson. I sympathized with her and I totally understood her panic attacks and struggle to gain her life back. What I really liked was that she didn't whine and cry throughout the novel about how unfair life is blah blah blah like so many other heroines. I didn't think that she achieved superwoman status. I think she is a good woman with good friends. She gets her butt handed to her sometimes, but she's a fighter and that's what I like about Mercy. She's not the best fighter, she's not the smartest and she's not the prettiest, but she knows who she is and what she cares about and you gotta admire that. Now, in BC we see a reappearance of Stefan and the Seethe. We learn more about seethe politics and get a little more info on vamps. This novel really didn't advance the story too much, we get some closure about the Andre thing, but it was interesting nonetheless.

What fun it is to get back to Mercy, my favorite were-coyote. This book starts where Iron Kissed ended. Definitely a series you need to read in order, because Briggs does not waste time rehashing information. She does remind us periodically and briefly of things that have gone on before, but does not waste pages on a synopsis.

In this book, Mercy finally makes a decision about her relationship with Adam and what the next step will be. I think this may be one of my favorites in the series. It continues to show a strong woman, but realistically shows her becoming more open to letting others in to help her and love her. She doesn't become helpless, whiney or weak, but understandably does show how Mercy's rape affects her mentally. There is a brief appearance by Bran and it is great Briggs solidifies the relationship of Mercy with those who cares about her. Mercy doesn't seem to be able to get a break from stress and adventure though. This book starts of with a request from a former friend to look into a ghost haunting at her house in Spokane, WA. She thinks this may be a good time to get away since Masilia, the vampire is after her. Stephen, Adam and Samuel play a major role in this book and of course, bigger and badder things are in store for Mercy, including Masilia, the vampire maker of Stephen. Briggs is a great paranormal writer and everything she writes is totally believable. The dialogue is spot on and realistic. The only negative was the ending seemed just a little rushed, but I definitely loved the book. There is a lot of action, more details about Mercy's abilities and a new scary villain.

I give it 4.75 stars. If it's been a while since you read Iron Kissed, you may want to read it again.

3.5 stars - Bone Crossed, the fourth installment in the Mercy Thompson series, brought a big change to the series, and I'm not talking about the plot line. This was the first one in which the mystery was not the main aspect of the story, or at least not a single mystery, and it also isn't a stand alone book. It seems that instead of bringing a whole new plot into the mix, Briggs decided to review the previous ones and complete what had happened, specially regarding the vampires, which are the main theme of the second book.

Since the end of Blood Bound, Mercy is worried about the consequences of having killed a vampire. In this one Marsilia, mistress of the vampire's seethe (lair), declares open season on Mercy for betrayal and our heroine has to find a way of stopping the vampires from killing anyone involved with her. The perfect opportunity of leaving the threat behind shows up in her doorstep when an old friend comes to ask her help with getting rid of a ghost who's been terrorizing her ten-year-old son.

Though the mystery is weak and this was definitely not my favorite book so far, we get the chance to 'meet' Mercy's mother, who's an interesting character even if she makes a very short appearance. We get more of Stefan and learn why he's been gone from the story for a while. Adam and Mercy work through their problems. Mercy starts to understand a little bit more about her relationship with Bran, among other little details that complete certain (until now) unexplored aspects of the series.

It felt more like an in-between book but with very important details that anyone reading the series needs to know in order to continue to the next story. It's not a bad book but compared to the previous ones it left too much to be desired.

I have to add I was very conflicted about the way Briggs conducted Mercy's relationship with Adam. After endlessly building it up, she finally puts them together and how it was written was too anti-climax for my tastes (no pun intended). At the same time, I have to admit I was awed by the companionship the gave each other, specially on Adam's part. If it weren't for the "Stephanie Meyer's technique of avoiding a sex scene", it would have been perfect.

Bone Crossed happens a day or two after the traumatic events from book three, so Mercy is still all shaky when the vampires find out her naughty secret from the end of book two. The primary antagonist is a new vampire given the nickname 'The Monster' and Mercy runs afoul of his wrath.

Plot-wise, this was a 'loose ends' type of novel where a bunch of stuff previously left unresolved gets dealt with. None of the big series goals are advanced, no relationships progress, and overall this is a book you could easily skip. It does explore Stephan's character, but he does not have very much page count. I sort of wish Briggs had skipped it, like how she had the werewolves 'go public' between books one and two.

Instead, book four is Mercy dealing with past consequences. 'Bone Crossed' refers to a pair of human femur bones painted on the door of Mercy's shop, the standard penalty for betraying the trust of a vampire seethe. It's decent, but not really the type of book I wanted to read for book four. Mercy herself (and the werewolves) are straight-forward, and the vampire maneuvering takes place largely off-screen and is downplayed. If Briggs went a little farther in that direction, it would have made for a stronger novel.

Summary: Car mechanic and sometime shape-shifter Mercy Thompson has learned - the hard way - why her race was almost exterminated. When European vampires emigrated to North America, they found Mercy's people had a hidden talent for vampire slaying. Unfortunately for Mercy, the queen of the local vampire seethe has discovered her true identity.

The undead queen is also furious when she learns Mercy has crossed her and killed one of her own. Mercy may be protected from direct reprisals by the werewolf pack (and her interesting relationship with its Alpha), but that just means Marsilia will come after Mercy some other way. So Mercy had better prepare to watch her back.

I was a bit disappointed with this book. After the amazing and awe-inspiring third book in this series, I expected this one to be a home run, or well, a grand slam - if I am using baseball analogies. It seemed like the whole climax of the story was rushed through, I would have loved to have a better description of what went on when Adam and Mercy finished bonding, and also more about the mysteries stick that keeps following Mercy around, although it finally comes in handy in this book. I did like that we learned a bit more about Mercy's powers, and met some new and different characters. I am also still completely in shock and awe of what the mistress did the poor abused Stephan, that was just messed up. This book is a good read to hopefully bridge for a better book in the 5th installment of this series.We shall see.

I love the Mercy Thompson series so much this is my second time reading it. I stumbled onto this series trying to fill a void after I finished Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series and I have to say in my opinion it's just as good. The world Briggs builds is diverse and complex and hard to put down. My second time though I'm picking up Ina lot more foreshadowing that I originally missed showing how Briggs has thoughtfully laid the story line out years in advance. I love how details from once series might come back to haunt Mercy two or three books later. You feel as if the character is evolving but not a completely different person as sometimes happens with these types of series (sorry Sookie but at book 13 I barely know you anymore). Anyone who enjoys Sookie Stackhouse, Rachel Morgan, Kate Daniels or any of the urban fantasy strong women stories you will love this series.

In her fourth installment, Bone Crossed, Patricia Briggs continues to build the fantastic world in which werewolves have come out of the closet, people know that fairies exist, and vampires are trying to continue to live their lives in the shadows. And rubbing elbows with them all is Mercedes Thompson, a "walker" who can shift into a coyote, can talk to (and we soon learn, control) ghosts and is the new mate of the local werewolf pack's alpha.

Mercy spends a lot of this book not only dealing with the politics of the preternatural community, but with her own personal demons, too. She's recovering from a trauma she experienced at the end of book three (Iron Kissed) with a lot of realism, and it flavors every experience the herione has in Bone Crossed. Mercedes is a different person in this book, and I thought Briggs did a great job of allowing her character to grow and change.

In a nutshell, his book follows Mercy as she plays ghosthunter for an old college friend, bumps heads with a powerful new vampire known as The Monster, and tries to find her place in her relationship with alpha Adam and his pack. The writing is great, the characters continue to grow more and more endearing and the action is riveting to the point of distraction -- I have a hard time wanting to do anything else when I have an unread Mercedes Thompson on the shelf. My only disappointment is having to wait until 2010 to read the next book in the series, Silver Borne.

Wow. I'm not usually inspired to write reviews but I have written one for each on of these books so far. The story was well written and picked right up where the last book left off, but what I was most impressed with was the character development. I love the way Mercy keeps collecting friends an how she strives not to be a victim of her past or her circumstances. Briggs gives Mercy such a realistic feel that I can't help but follow her and believer in her. Mercy isn't perfect as some authors like to make their lead characters. She is flawed but always finds her way out of a tight spot usually with the help of some great and sometimes unexpected friends. I look forward to the next one and though this book is great on its on I urge you to start from the beginning so you can truly appreciate Mercy Thompson

Short and to the point: still worth reading, absolutely. Probably weakest book of series, only because it tries to cram in too much.

Good stuff: Resolved love triangle--yippee! Took us through Mercy's on-going healing in a sensitive and realistic fashion. Developed wolf mythology and wolf characters more, making them practically real. Absolutely loved getting to know more about the pack. The vampires are also developed, but still enigmatic.

But Why????:
Introduced mom for no apparent reason, and then dropped her. Mom also goes from being more-or-less typical suburban mom to pink-pistol-packing, but easily bamboozled Mam-o-jama. Huh? Distracting and unnecessary New Nemesis is discovered and deleted waaaay too neatly. Would've preferred his introduction only, and adventure another day. Wanted story focused on danger of Crossed Bones. Instead wonderful potential device of evil gets like three lines in entire story, and never solidifies as an actual threat.

Still enjoyed it, but I left feeling like I read three short stories blended together instead of one cohesive novel.

Boned Crossed, brings Mecry Thomson into her fourth novel, and Briggs continues to develop what one day will be an good series in its own right.

I don't want to dwell too long on previous complaints of how derivative this series it, but Damn! Already did.

OK despite Mercy being the same tough, yet ultimately snivelly all-girl action hero, Briggs pens a good action novel, this time focussing on vampire intrigue as our subplot. She brings some interesting ideas into the novel, themes on loyalty and manipulation and writes some pretty little love scenes for our leading lady.

Unfortunately I am reading these books one after the other so I notice all the typical patterns, i.e. hero gets captured by bad guy at end, is saving my a magical walking stick, etc etc. Bone Crossed also has a clunky start as the plot is hot-wired by having a bunch of characters turn up at Mercy's doorstep with their various problems and its only halfway through the story that Mercy actually does something of her own violition.

And now: Silver Borne

I liked that we got some more detailed insight into the inner workings of the pack magic. The way it works together. Also more stuff on vampires. Super scary and still mysterious. But I liked the progressions of some of the relationships with Stefan and even the creepy one with Marsilia. That is one scary vampire.

Just never know where it goes.

Sometimes Mercy has some tendencies of TSTL. Not sure if those were always there or have crept up a bit more because of the insecurities she has. And of course the trauma she constantly has to go through. Thankfully those tendencies were very vague and went away.

I swear, if there is trouble to be found anywhere, Mercy will find it and double it every time. :). Still love the little coyote.

** read April 2013

Bone Crossed, the 4th book in Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series, was by far my favorite in the series. It was full of surprises and suspense - I couldn't put it down! This book features creepy creatures, ghosts, zombies, and an array of new, intriguing characters. I particularly enjoyed the way Briggs brings you deeper into the culture of the local vampire seethe as well as werewolf pack politics.

I truly love the characters in this book. After somewhat concealing her shape-shifter identity from others for so long, Mercy finally begins to accept who she is rather than hiding from herself. She welcomes and embraces the gifts of being a walker in attempts to resolve dangerous, complex events but soon learns that her efforts create more and more conflicts and puts herself and the ones she loves in grave danger. Mercy is definitely one of a kind. Briggs also did a beautiful job in the developing Adam's character as well as his and Mercy's relationship. I also found myself appreciating several of the other characters including Stefan, Ben, Warren, and Samuel-each has his own unique, unexpected story.
I give this book a 5/5. It is a must read!

The Mercy Thompson series continues in its greatness with "Bone Crossed." Her world is being fleshed out further with each book, as are the good cast of characters, be they weres, vamps or fae. Mercy contends here with not just the situation at hand, but the aftereffects of the horrific assault that she suffered in "Iron Kissed." This makes her more and more interesting, a multi-faceted character. Very interesting series to read and the tension is always palpable as poor little coyote shapeshifter Mercy takes on big problems and people more powerful than she... but she never, ever stops. Great underdog character.

Mercy is not only unique in that she is the only coyote shapechanger she knows, but that she has some very unique friends and relationships. Not only is she attempting to create a relationship with the local werewolf alpha, but she's also trying to help out an old friend with a ghost, survive the local head of the vampires, and protect her vampire friend.

Briggs really hit big with this series. The characters are so well-rounded and the situations (regardless of the fact that this is urban fantasy) is realistic enough for readers to relate. The character of Mercy Thompson is true to a "normal" woman. She suffers from self-depreciation (she doesn't think she's attractive), worry (over her relationship, friends, mother), and money problems (after all if she doesn't work, she doesn't get paid). Most of all, she's extremely likable! It's easy to understand why the alpha male of the wolf pack or her vampire friend would want to have a deeper relationship with her.

Wonderful series! I recommend new readers start at the beginning.

Mercy has an incredible ability to put herself in trouble with insane ease. Marsilia knows our walker killed Andre, and trying to save her friends from the vampire's reprisal, Mercy gets herself in even more trouble.

How can it be worst then a vampire queen wanting your death? How other 2 powerful vampires wanting your death?

On top of imminent, and not negligible, death treats. Mercedes finds herself between a rock and a hard place when Stefan and Adam find themselves fighting for her attention.

Bone Crossed was another great book written by Patricia Briggs. Characters are well thread, and some of them are very edgy. You never quite know what to expect from them, which makes the story much more interesting!

Her plotting skills are awesome and you can't really figure out which way the action is heading.

It's gonna be real hard to wait until march for Silver Born to release, and have you seen how gorgeous is the cover? The clothing is kinda off though, can't imagine Mercy wearing that hehe.

I was thrilled when I found out this series was breaking out into hardcover. Not thrilled about the expense, but happy her work has spread so far as to deserve the honor.

Mercy Thompson, coyote shapeshifter and mechanic, is still recovering mentally and physically from the brutal rape she sustained in book 3, Iron Kissed. Local Were Alpha Adam has declared Mercy his mate and she wants to be his mate, but her spirit is still recovering from her brutal attack.

So when an old college friend appears on Mercy's doorstep asking for help with a ghost, Mercy feels the space may do her some good. It will give her time to think, even if she isn't a ghost buster. When Mercy meets up with the ghost though, something isn't right. And the local Vampire Master showing up the moment Mercy does seems too coincidental.

Briggs has set the bar for urban fantasy in my opinion. She has taken leaps and bounds into territory some fear. She does it with wit, humor, and sensitivity. I absolutely love this series and just wish Briggs wrote faster.

The Fourth Installment in the Mercy Thompson series is a direct follow-up to Briggs well-written Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3). Mercy is still dealing with the many problems in her life and trying to recover from a horrific assault that was the climax of the previous book. The situation is ripe with opportunities for the author to wave a magic wand and make things all better, but Briggs doesn't and my respect for her writing climbs as a result.

Mercy is coping and dealing with her new role as the mate of the local Werewolf pack. She is still suffering side-effects of previous events, but that doesn't mean that she's giving up. Briggs does a great job of keeping the story moving, introducing the next elements of the story and mixing in how the recent changes in her life require Mercy to re-evaluate and adjust. It's wonderful because too many authors don't bother to address these issues. Many authors in this genre let change happen and everything magically work out with any real effort by the main character.

Life keeps giving us problems even when we might wish otherwise and Briggs doesn't let Mercy rest. New issues continue to creep into the story and past choices by supporting characters come back to haunt Mercy and her friends. It's neat to see an author who is willing to let the Main Character actually cope with the second and third order effects of having broken with tradition and made enemies in previous stories. It's not like Mercy is just on a non-stop wheel of pain, it's just that Briggs doesn't let her just skip through life without paying the bill for being the agent of change that she often has been.

The story is not terribly long and Briggs doesn't cover tons of new ground, but there is still plenty to absorb. Complications between inter-species conflicts remain a central theme of Mercy's life and her relationship challenges don't simply fade away. Again, this effort by Briggs to keep a certain ethic of reality enforcement really deserves high marks because it increases the level of realism in a genre not known for it. Briggs deserves a lot of credit for keeping both feet on the ground while leading us on another exciting chase through an Urban Fantasy world that is as well-developed as any I have read.

In the fourth book of the Mercy Thompson Series Mercy is once again up against bad vampires including an old enemy Marsilia.This is a great series I love Mercy she is such a strong independent woman.She takes care of herself even though she has all these Alpha Males/Werewolves on her side ,She fights for who she cares about and she fights for herself and tries her best not to become a "victim".What I really like about this book was that after the awful trauma she went through in the last book it wasn't just oh that story is over she's all better,no she deals with post traumatic stress and panic attacks.I like that she is relatable even in a fantasy world.
I also appreciate the fact that the writer of this book Patricia Briggs doesn't need to go into the long drawn out sex/love scene her writing reminds me of the old movies where you got to see the build-up and then the couple closing the bedroom door.
I will definitely keep reading about Mercy ,and recommending this book.5*****

Book 1 Werewolves
Book 2 Vampires
Book 3 The Fae
Book 4 Ghosts

The terrifying action, death, rape, kidnapping, murder weeks keep coming for Mercy. This book continues to reveal Mercy's powers, ties up most of the fallout from book 2, and starts on Mercy's healing from the events of Book 3. All while Mercy investigates and haunting and ends up courting far more danger than she expected.

Patricia Briggs has hit her stride with Mercy Thompson in this book. The characters are fully formed, with well-developed backstories and consistent treatment. It's annoying in a series when a character behaves, well, out of character, but Briggs' characters stay true. As a result, the plot flows without any bothersome character dissonance. Best of all, Briggs actually resolves some ongoing story lines, unlike some series authors who have so little faith in the ability of their characters and plots to hold readers from one book to the next that they resort to cheap cliffhangers. In this book, the reader is not left hanging at the end of the book, feeling frustrated by unresolved relationships or plot questions. We are left wanting to know more about Mercy etc. without feeling unfulfilled. Hooray!

My only complaint about this book is Briggs' treatment of a deaf child in a traumatic situation. The plot requires the child to be left alone during traumatic events so that Mercy can intervene, but it's really too unbelievable that the kid's parents would behave as they do. Even in fantasy, people must be expected to behave like people, and while Briggs carries the fantasy elements of this story to perfection, some of the reality elements stretch credibility.

I really enjoyed Bone Crossed. I thought it was probably the best book in the series. With the previous titles I felt like there was bits and pieces not connected, lines left dangling. This was the complete package.

I also really appreciated how the rape was dealt with. I thought that was handled very sensitively and realistically. I also liked how being an outsider was handled. Not only the coyote aspect but the being gay and being black aspects. When Adam talks about sharing pack feelings he talks about another character not wanting to share his feelings toward a gay character. But he doesn't want to share his dislike because he knows Adam will be angry, not because he thinks it's wrong to hate someone just because they're gay.

The yellow car thing was weird - good but weird. I also really liked the introduction of Mercy's mom.

A+ effort = sensitive subject matter and a good solid story line

Bone Crossed (2009) is the fourth urban Fantasy novel in the Mercy Thompson series, following Iron Kissed. The initial volume in this sequence is Moon Called.

In the previous volume, Mercy was visiting with Warren and Kyle for Friday Night at the Movies. This evening, they were watching Queen of the Damned, a flick selected by Kyle. Despite its name, the film had more half naked men than women.

They were laughing at a shirtless vampire in the movie. So many things were wrong about the presentation and the dialogue was inane. When Kyle went into the kitchen for drinks, Warren brought up Mercy's love life.

Then Mercy's phone played "The Baby Elephant Walk". Zee was calling to ask Mercy to go with him to the reservation at Walla Walla. Mercy owed him a favor, so she told him where to pick her up.

A guard at the fae reservation got officious. O'Donnel took Mercy's driver license and walked back to the guard shack. Then he returned her license and said that they had to be out within two hours.

In this novel, Mercedes Athena Thompson is an automotive mechanic and a walker. She can change to a coyote. Mercy owns a garage in Kennewick and a single-wide trailer in the Finley neighborhood next door to Adam.

Margaret Thompson is Mercy's mother. Mercy inherited her walker genes from her deceased father, but her perseverance comes from her mother. Margi is now married to a dentist, who is a very understanding person.

Tony Montenegro is an undercover cop for the Kennewick Police Department. He is half Italian and half Venezuelan, so his dark skin color allows him to pose as anything from Mexican to Afro-American. He is a chameleon, using different body languages to change how he is seen.

Michael McNellis is a fae. He owns Uncle Mike's tavern, a fae hangout.

Siebolt Adelbertsmiter is a Metallzauber fae. Zee likes to call himself a gremlin.

Adam Hauptman is the Alpha of the local Werewolf pack. He is divorced and has one human daughter, Jesse. He lives next door to Mercy. He names her as his mate.

Darryl is second in command of the local Werewolf pack. He really hates vampires.

Warren is third in command of the local Werewolf pack. He is gay and in love with Kyle, a local divorce attorney.

Ben is an English Werewolf. He came to America because of the police suspected him of raping women. He is a misogynist, but was not the rapist.

Bran Cornick is the Marrok -- King -- of the North American werewolf packs. He has two sons, Samuel and Charles. He is at least several centuries old.

Marsilia is a vampire and the head of the local seethe. She was exiled to the New World a couple of centuries ago and wants to return to Milan.

Stefan is a vampire, but is not traditional. He drives a VW Vanagon painted like the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine. His menagerie has a low death rate and is loyal to him. He eases them into new vampires on a regular basis.

Amber Wharton is a friend of Mercy from her college days. She now lives in Spokane and is married to Corban. They have a son, Chad.

James Blackwood is the only vampire within Spokane. He has run the rest out of town.

In this story, Mercy has two stitches in her chin and a large bruise on her shoulder. The fae monster had also slammed Ben into Adam's Explorer. Ben is OK, but the car has a big dent. Mercy thinks that it is all her fault.

Adam has just returned to the Tri-Cities from the national's capitol. A cop had leaked an edited video of Adan shredding a serial killer. The full video showed the preceding use of a fae goblet to seduce Mercy and her subsequent killing of the man as he is raping her.

Mercy kids Adam about the walking stick that precedes her everywhere she goes. Adam says that the stick is on her bed. She sees rings under his eyes from lack of sleep and says he looks horrible.

Adam hasn't had a chance to talk to Mercy for days. He holds her and exudes a sense of warmth and comfort. They are just beginning to talk about the rape when someone rings the doorbell.

Mercy is naked with her clothes all over the floor. She is very neat at the shop, but home neatness is low priority. While she is frantically looking for clothes, Adam stands outside her door.

Margi tells him to get out of the way. Mercy shouts at her mother that she is getting dressed. After a frantic effort, she open the bedroom door and lets in her mother.

Of course, Margi has seen parts of the video of her rape. She is very concerned about her daughter with good reasons. Mercy is blocking her emotions about the rape and needs some counseling.

A burned crisp of Stefan lands in Mercy's living room between Margi and Adam. He grabs Mercy's wrist and pulls. Adam keeps him from biting her, but offers her arm to Stefan. Stefan starts feeding.

More Werewolves are called in. Warren offers his arm when Adam starts turning white. Then Ben offers his blood. Gradually, Stefan begins to recover.

Stefan has told Mercy to run. Apparently Marsilia has discovered the death of Andre and wants Mercy dead. Adam starts negotiating with the local seethe.

Stefan also says that they are all dead. Mercy learns that he has been informed that Marsilia has killed everybody in his menagerie. Stefan is very upset about that, but is more angry at her treatment of Mercy.

This tale takes Mercy to Spokane to investigate the haunting of Amber's house. She is also getting out of town while the Werewolves are talking to Marsilia. She meets Chad and learns that he is deaf. She is impressed by his courage, but is not impressed by Corban.

One afternoon, she meets Blackwood. He is a client of Corban's law firm. Mercy doesn't understand how a vampire can venture into the sunlight.

The local vamps mark her door and a cousin of the rapist spray paints graffiti on her garage. The next installment in this sequence is Silver Borne.

Highly recommended for Briggs fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of preternatural creatures, paranormal politics, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

After her brutal attack at the end of book three, Mercy has been having problems with panic attacks. Despite her anxiety, Mercy continues to work at her shop, until one night a stranger paints a skull and cross bones on the front door. A person from her past asks her for help with an unhappy ghost, and Mercy gladly leaves town to help her. However, leaving town doesn't keep her out of danger. Mercy has to keep a young deaf child safe and face a vampire who is not afraid of daylight. This book has a big twist that is hard to see coming.

The reader learns more about Stephan and about the relationship between Adam and Mercy. Adam is protective over Mercy, yet he has faith in her that she can take of herself to a degree. He does not hover over her. I think that this is the best book so far in the series. It has a lot of exciting action along with good character development.

In the field of paranormal romance there are always just a few writers ahead of the rest of the pack (heh heh). I will buy anything Briggs has written.

A big plus is that the story is not based around endless sex scenes. I am getting sooooo bored by the current trend. So many are lazily written porn masquerading as a novel. For example, I still read the Anita Blake books because I am fond of the characters but sheesh, if you took the bump and grind out of them there'd be nothing left. This is a real story, with - gasp - a plot and character development. And it's fun too.

It has more of Stefan and vampire business and not so much pack. If you are more keen on the pack this book has several scenes important in the next book in the series plus a little Bran to lighten the heart.

Badass Mercy Thompson goes up against not only whacked out, vampire mistress, Marisilia but makes mincemeat of psycho, vampire Blackwood. Oy vey! The scrapes my girl and her trusty friends get into. Of course, there is also all the relationship stuff Mercy has to deal with in addition to just trying to stay alive and not become vampire food. So glad Mercy and Adam finally mated up but I do find Stephan's attraction to her interesting as well as the white hot jealousy that Marisilia has over it too. Cant't wait to see what happens next???

I love Patricia Briggs and the Mercedes Thompson series. It was my first introduction to the urban fantasy genre and I've just fallen in love with her writing style and the worlds she creates. This series is super entertaining and full of great characters, kick-butt action, and great twists and turns. I can’t wait for her to write more books!

Mercy Thompson #4: Bone Crossed, by Patricia Briggs

Mercy's back, and it's time for her to sort through the jumble of trouble she's gotten into in the first 3 books. She's trying to deal with the sexual assault she endured in "Iron Kissed;" getting ready to mate with Adam, the Alpha of the Tri-Cities werewolf pack; hiding from the local vampire seethe after killing one of their vampires; and more. Mercy made some enemies in her previous adventures, and they aren't the kind to forget about it easily.

The start of the book feels a little too much to me - while she and Adam are making out, Mercy's mother shows up suddenly, brought to town by the nationwide publicity of her daughter's rape. About ten minutes later, a tortured Stefan lands in her living room. Next, an old friend from college shows up, to ask Mercy if she can help her with a ghost in her house. There's a lot of action in too short of a time, even for the mischievous coyote.

Briggs settles down soon though, and launches the reader into yet another excellent installment in the Mercy Thompson series. Mercy heads off to Spokane to help her college friend while Adam tries to make a truce with the vampire seethe to prevent any more attacks on Mercy's life. But of course, Mercy has the amazing luck of meeting the one and only vampire in Spokane, which at first seems like a coincidence...but quickly turns out to be the start of yet another very dangerous adventure for the trouble-prone mechanic. The action is a little rushed sometimes, but it usually works.

In "Bone Crossed," we get an in-depth look at vampire politics - and they're just as nasty as you'd expect. The leader of the Tri-Cities vampire seethe is not very happy with Mercy for killing one of her vampires...and she'll go to great lengths to get back at Mercy. Then the vampire in Spokane is especially a nasty piece of work; he's someone that no supernatural being wants to cross. He has the whole city to himself.

Mercy and Adam are finally ready to embark on a relationship together, but will all of the wolves in Adam's pack welcome a coyote as their Alpha's mate? The two also have to deal with intimacy issues left from Mercy's rape; and then there's a bump when Stefan claims Mercy as his own via blood.

I was pretty glued to this book, putting it down only to finish homework. Briggs is good with expanding on concepts she's introduced previously and building on them; for example, Mercy's ability to talk to ghosts. If you enjoyed the previous books in this series, or are looking for a good paranormal series, give the Mercy Thompson books a try. She's not your typical heroine - she's gutsy, impulsive, and not one to shake in her shoes when the action starts. And although she's struggling with the panic attacks her rape brings on, she's able to fight through those feelings to do what she needs to do. As I often say with Briggs, her characters feel real, and Mercy feels like flesh-and-blood to me after reading the series.

4/5.

The previous three books were absolutely wonderful. This one was not quite so good. I think that Briggs succumbed the problem many series have. Once the main love interests actually get together the story fizzles a little. I am happy Mercy and Adam have finally gotten together and accepted their relationship but I hope the next story has the old zing back. It felt like two different stories and neither one of them was very spellbinding. I found Marcilia very annoying. I don't find her scary just annoying. It felt like the two major plots of the book were disjointed and had nothing to do with each other. I think that Briggs has a very strong series here and while this was a good book, it didn't meet the standard she has set by her previous books in Mercy Thompson's world. Hopefully she will get back into stride with her next one.

I was pleased to finally be reading the next Mercy Thompson book, but found it to be less edgy than the others that I had enjoyed.

I suppose that's to be expected. Mercy is still having panic attacks after her last adventure and is definitely a tad gun-shy about putting any of her friends in danger. As usual though, Mercy attracts trouble as easily as she attracts hot men...

Nonetheless when Stefan is dropped nearly dead (again?) in her living room she puts on a brave face to help. Similarly when an old college friend drops by to see if Mercy can solve her ghost problem, Mercy tackles it head-on.

One of the things I really like about Mercy is her ability to reach out to the 'outcast' members of society (Samuel, the loner, Chad, the deaf boy, fae, werewolves, vampires...) and bring them together around her even as she gives off a no nonsense, stick-it-to-the-man vibe. Her ability to be abrasive as well as protective, scared and still brave is what makes her such a kick-butt heroine. That 'live in the now' sense where she buries her fear makes her human and her attributes attainable and likeable.

This book feels like a bridge. Much DID happen in terms of action, but it also felt like there was much more of an emotional journey to this one than any of the last three (well, excepting perhaps the third - that was plenty emotional).

I'm VERY excited for the next Mercy Thompson (which the store lists will be available approximately six months from this review) and can't wait to see what Ms. Briggs has in mind for our Mercy next.

In the fourth book of the Mercy Thompson Series Mercy is once again up against bad vampires including an old enemy Marsilia.This is a great series I love Mercy she is such a strong independent woman.She takes care of herself even though she has all these Alpha Males/Werewolves on her side ,She fights for who she cares about and she fights for herself and tries her best not to become a "victim".What I really like about this book was that after the awful trauma she went through in the last book it wasn't just oh that story is over she's all better,no she deals with post traumatic stress and panic attacks.I like that she is relatable even in a fantasy world.
I also appreciate the fact that the writer of this book Patricia Briggs doesn't need to go into the long drawn out sex/love scene her writing reminds me of the old movies where you got to see the build-up and then the couple closing the bedroom door.
I will definitely keep reading about Mercy ,and recommending this book.5*****

Book 1 Werewolves
Book 2 Vampires
Book 3 The Fae
Book 4 Ghosts

The terrifying action, death, rape, kidnapping, murder weeks keep coming for Mercy. This book continues to reveal Mercy's powers, ties up most of the fallout from book 2, and starts on Mercy's healing from the events of Book 3. All while Mercy investigates and haunting and ends up courting far more danger than she expected.

Patricia Briggs has hit her stride with Mercy Thompson in this book. The characters are fully formed, with well-developed backstories and consistent treatment. It's annoying in a series when a character behaves, well, out of character, but Briggs' characters stay true. As a result, the plot flows without any bothersome character dissonance. Best of all, Briggs actually resolves some ongoing story lines, unlike some series authors who have so little faith in the ability of their characters and plots to hold readers from one book to the next that they resort to cheap cliffhangers. In this book, the reader is not left hanging at the end of the book, feeling frustrated by unresolved relationships or plot questions. We are left wanting to know more about Mercy etc. without feeling unfulfilled. Hooray!

My only complaint about this book is Briggs' treatment of a deaf child in a traumatic situation. The plot requires the child to be left alone during traumatic events so that Mercy can intervene, but it's really too unbelievable that the kid's parents would behave as they do. Even in fantasy, people must be expected to behave like people, and while Briggs carries the fantasy elements of this story to perfection, some of the reality elements stretch credibility.

I really enjoyed Bone Crossed. I thought it was probably the best book in the series. With the previous titles I felt like there was bits and pieces not connected, lines left dangling. This was the complete package.

I also really appreciated how the rape was dealt with. I thought that was handled very sensitively and realistically. I also liked how being an outsider was handled. Not only the coyote aspect but the being gay and being black aspects. When Adam talks about sharing pack feelings he talks about another character not wanting to share his feelings toward a gay character. But he doesn't want to share his dislike because he knows Adam will be angry, not because he thinks it's wrong to hate someone just because they're gay.

The yellow car thing was weird - good but weird. I also really liked the introduction of Mercy's mom.

A+ effort = sensitive subject matter and a good solid story line

Bone Crossed (2009) is the fourth urban Fantasy novel in the Mercy Thompson series, following Iron Kissed. The initial volume in this sequence is Moon Called.

In the previous volume, Mercy was visiting with Warren and Kyle for Friday Night at the Movies. This evening, they were watching Queen of the Damned, a flick selected by Kyle. Despite its name, the film had more half naked men than women.

They were laughing at a shirtless vampire in the movie. So many things were wrong about the presentation and the dialogue was inane. When Kyle went into the kitchen for drinks, Warren brought up Mercy's love life.

Then Mercy's phone played "The Baby Elephant Walk". Zee was calling to ask Mercy to go with him to the reservation at Walla Walla. Mercy owed him a favor, so she told him where to pick her up.

A guard at the fae reservation got officious. O'Donnel took Mercy's driver license and walked back to the guard shack. Then he returned her license and said that they had to be out within two hours.

In this novel, Mercedes Athena Thompson is an automotive mechanic and a walker. She can change to a coyote. Mercy owns a garage in Kennewick and a single-wide trailer in the Finley neighborhood next door to Adam.

Margaret Thompson is Mercy's mother. Mercy inherited her walker genes from her deceased father, but her perseverance comes from her mother. Margi is now married to a dentist, who is a very understanding person.

Tony Montenegro is an undercover cop for the Kennewick Police Department. He is half Italian and half Venezuelan, so his dark skin color allows him to pose as anything from Mexican to Afro-American. He is a chameleon, using different body languages to change how he is seen.

Michael McNellis is a fae. He owns Uncle Mike's tavern, a fae hangout.

Siebolt Adelbertsmiter is a Metallzauber fae. Zee likes to call himself a gremlin.

Adam Hauptman is the Alpha of the local Werewolf pack. He is divorced and has one human daughter, Jesse. He lives next door to Mercy. He names her as his mate.

Darryl is second in command of the local Werewolf pack. He really hates vampires.

Warren is third in command of the local Werewolf pack. He is gay and in love with Kyle, a local divorce attorney.

Ben is an English Werewolf. He came to America because of the police suspected him of raping women. He is a misogynist, but was not the rapist.

Bran Cornick is the Marrok -- King -- of the North American werewolf packs. He has two sons, Samuel and Charles. He is at least several centuries old.

Marsilia is a vampire and the head of the local seethe. She was exiled to the New World a couple of centuries ago and wants to return to Milan.

Stefan is a vampire, but is not traditional. He drives a VW Vanagon painted like the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine. His menagerie has a low death rate and is loyal to him. He eases them into new vampires on a regular basis.

Amber Wharton is a friend of Mercy from her college days. She now lives in Spokane and is married to Corban. They have a son, Chad.

James Blackwood is the only vampire within Spokane. He has run the rest out of town.

In this story, Mercy has two stitches in her chin and a large bruise on her shoulder. The fae monster had also slammed Ben into Adam's Explorer. Ben is OK, but the car has a big dent. Mercy thinks that it is all her fault.

Adam has just returned to the Tri-Cities from the national's capitol. A cop had leaked an edited video of Adan shredding a serial killer. The full video showed the preceding use of a fae goblet to seduce Mercy and her subsequent killing of the man as he is raping her.

Mercy kids Adam about the walking stick that precedes her everywhere she goes. Adam says that the stick is on her bed. She sees rings under his eyes from lack of sleep and says he looks horrible.

Adam hasn't had a chance to talk to Mercy for days. He holds her and exudes a sense of warmth and comfort. They are just beginning to talk about the rape when someone rings the doorbell.

Mercy is naked with her clothes all over the floor. She is very neat at the shop, but home neatness is low priority. While she is frantically looking for clothes, Adam stands outside her door.

Margi tells him to get out of the way. Mercy shouts at her mother that she is getting dressed. After a frantic effort, she open the bedroom door and lets in her mother.

Of course, Margi has seen parts of the video of her rape. She is very concerned about her daughter with good reasons. Mercy is blocking her emotions about the rape and needs some counseling.

A burned crisp of Stefan lands in Mercy's living room between Margi and Adam. He grabs Mercy's wrist and pulls. Adam keeps him from biting her, but offers her arm to Stefan. Stefan starts feeding.

More Werewolves are called in. Warren offers his arm when Adam starts turning white. Then Ben offers his blood. Gradually, Stefan begins to recover.

Stefan has told Mercy to run. Apparently Marsilia has discovered the death of Andre and wants Mercy dead. Adam starts negotiating with the local seethe.

Stefan also says that they are all dead. Mercy learns that he has been informed that Marsilia has killed everybody in his menagerie. Stefan is very upset about that, but is more angry at her treatment of Mercy.

This tale takes Mercy to Spokane to investigate the haunting of Amber's house. She is also getting out of town while the Werewolves are talking to Marsilia. She meets Chad and learns that he is deaf. She is impressed by his courage, but is not impressed by Corban.

One afternoon, she meets Blackwood. He is a client of Corban's law firm. Mercy doesn't understand how a vampire can venture into the sunlight.

The local vamps mark her door and a cousin of the rapist spray paints graffiti on her garage. The next installment in this sequence is Silver Borne.

Highly recommended for Briggs fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of preternatural creatures, paranormal politics, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

After her brutal attack at the end of book three, Mercy has been having problems with panic attacks. Despite her anxiety, Mercy continues to work at her shop, until one night a stranger paints a skull and cross bones on the front door. A person from her past asks her for help with an unhappy ghost, and Mercy gladly leaves town to help her. However, leaving town doesn't keep her out of danger. Mercy has to keep a young deaf child safe and face a vampire who is not afraid of daylight. This book has a big twist that is hard to see coming.

The reader learns more about Stephan and about the relationship between Adam and Mercy. Adam is protective over Mercy, yet he has faith in her that she can take of herself to a degree. He does not hover over her. I think that this is the best book so far in the series. It has a lot of exciting action along with good character development.

In the field of paranormal romance there are always just a few writers ahead of the rest of the pack (heh heh). I will buy anything Briggs has written.

A big plus is that the story is not based around endless sex scenes. I am getting sooooo bored by the current trend. So many are lazily written porn masquerading as a novel. For example, I still read the Anita Blake books because I am fond of the characters but sheesh, if you took the bump and grind out of them there'd be nothing left. This is a real story, with - gasp - a plot and character development. And it's fun too.

It has more of Stefan and vampire business and not so much pack. If you are more keen on the pack this book has several scenes important in the next book in the series plus a little Bran to lighten the heart.

Badass Mercy Thompson goes up against not only whacked out, vampire mistress, Marisilia but makes mincemeat of psycho, vampire Blackwood. Oy vey! The scrapes my girl and her trusty friends get into. Of course, there is also all the relationship stuff Mercy has to deal with in addition to just trying to stay alive and not become vampire food. So glad Mercy and Adam finally mated up but I do find Stephan's attraction to her interesting as well as the white hot jealousy that Marisilia has over it too. Cant't wait to see what happens next???

I love Patricia Briggs and the Mercedes Thompson series. It was my first introduction to the urban fantasy genre and I've just fallen in love with her writing style and the worlds she creates. This series is super entertaining and full of great characters, kick-butt action, and great twists and turns. I can’t wait for her to write more books!

Mercy Thompson #4: Bone Crossed, by Patricia Briggs

Mercy's back, and it's time for her to sort through the jumble of trouble she's gotten into in the first 3 books. She's trying to deal with the sexual assault she endured in "Iron Kissed;" getting ready to mate with Adam, the Alpha of the Tri-Cities werewolf pack; hiding from the local vampire seethe after killing one of their vampires; and more. Mercy made some enemies in her previous adventures, and they aren't the kind to forget about it easily.

The start of the book feels a little too much to me - while she and Adam are making out, Mercy's mother shows up suddenly, brought to town by the nationwide publicity of her daughter's rape. About ten minutes later, a tortured Stefan lands in her living room. Next, an old friend from college shows up, to ask Mercy if she can help her with a ghost in her house. There's a lot of action in too short of a time, even for the mischievous coyote.

Briggs settles down soon though, and launches the reader into yet another excellent installment in the Mercy Thompson series. Mercy heads off to Spokane to help her college friend while Adam tries to make a truce with the vampire seethe to prevent any more attacks on Mercy's life. But of course, Mercy has the amazing luck of meeting the one and only vampire in Spokane, which at first seems like a coincidence...but quickly turns out to be the start of yet another very dangerous adventure for the trouble-prone mechanic. The action is a little rushed sometimes, but it usually works.

In "Bone Crossed," we get an in-depth look at vampire politics - and they're just as nasty as you'd expect. The leader of the Tri-Cities vampire seethe is not very happy with Mercy for killing one of her vampires...and she'll go to great lengths to get back at Mercy. Then the vampire in Spokane is especially a nasty piece of work; he's someone that no supernatural being wants to cross. He has the whole city to himself.

Mercy and Adam are finally ready to embark on a relationship together, but will all of the wolves in Adam's pack welcome a coyote as their Alpha's mate? The two also have to deal with intimacy issues left from Mercy's rape; and then there's a bump when Stefan claims Mercy as his own via blood.

I was pretty glued to this book, putting it down only to finish homework. Briggs is good with expanding on concepts she's introduced previously and building on them; for example, Mercy's ability to talk to ghosts. If you enjoyed the previous books in this series, or are looking for a good paranormal series, give the Mercy Thompson books a try. She's not your typical heroine - she's gutsy, impulsive, and not one to shake in her shoes when the action starts. And although she's struggling with the panic attacks her rape brings on, she's able to fight through those feelings to do what she needs to do. As I often say with Briggs, her characters feel real, and Mercy feels like flesh-and-blood to me after reading the series.

4/5.

The previous three books were absolutely wonderful. This one was not quite so good. I think that Briggs succumbed the problem many series have. Once the main love interests actually get together the story fizzles a little. I am happy Mercy and Adam have finally gotten together and accepted their relationship but I hope the next story has the old zing back. It felt like two different stories and neither one of them was very spellbinding. I found Marcilia very annoying. I don't find her scary just annoying. It felt like the two major plots of the book were disjointed and had nothing to do with each other. I think that Briggs has a very strong series here and while this was a good book, it didn't meet the standard she has set by her previous books in Mercy Thompson's world. Hopefully she will get back into stride with her next one.

I was pleased to finally be reading the next Mercy Thompson book, but found it to be less edgy than the others that I had enjoyed.

I suppose that's to be expected. Mercy is still having panic attacks after her last adventure and is definitely a tad gun-shy about putting any of her friends in danger. As usual though, Mercy attracts trouble as easily as she attracts hot men...

Nonetheless when Stefan is dropped nearly dead (again?) in her living room she puts on a brave face to help. Similarly when an old college friend drops by to see if Mercy can solve her ghost problem, Mercy tackles it head-on.

One of the things I really like about Mercy is her ability to reach out to the 'outcast' members of society (Samuel, the loner, Chad, the deaf boy, fae, werewolves, vampires...) and bring them together around her even as she gives off a no nonsense, stick-it-to-the-man vibe. Her ability to be abrasive as well as protective, scared and still brave is what makes her such a kick-butt heroine. That 'live in the now' sense where she buries her fear makes her human and her attributes attainable and likeable.

This book feels like a bridge. Much DID happen in terms of action, but it also felt like there was much more of an emotional journey to this one than any of the last three (well, excepting perhaps the third - that was plenty emotional).

I'm VERY excited for the next Mercy Thompson (which the store lists will be available approximately six months from this review) and can't wait to see what Ms. Briggs has in mind for our Mercy next.

Mercy is on the mend emotionally and physically. She's trying so hard to let Adam get close to her, but events leading up to their mating have made it difficult and have made Mercy flinch at a surprising touch or have a panic attack if something brings back memories of the events in book three. She's able to take her mind off this for a bit when Stefan shows up at her trailer mostly dead (well, as dead as a vampire can get) and nearly at the same time a surprise visit from her mother and and then a friend from college, Amber. Stefan has been starved and banished from the local vampire seethe by the Mistress, Marsilia, for his past actions and protecting Mercy. Mercy, Adam, and Samuel decide that by starving Stefan and then kicking him out, the queen was hoping Stefan would head straight to Mercy and kill her.

Amber claims to have seen an article about Mercy and everything that happened to her, and says she has a ghost in her house and she needs Mercy's help. But Mercy thinks this is strange as she hasn't seen or heard from Amber in years. To get Marsilia off of Mercy's back and to negotiate with her, Adam and Samuel think sending Mercy out of town to help Amber is a good idea. Stefan agrees to go with since there is a vampire called The Monster that has taken up residence there. Little do Mercy and friends know The Monster plays a bigger part in Mercy's visit than they realize.

There is a lot going on in this book, but none of it seemed rushed. I do find that sometimes the endings drag on for about 10 pages too long, but what's 10 pages hurt? Mercy is in a world of trouble in this book. Not only are the vampires after her in her own town, but there is a ghost haunting her friend Amber's son...haunting almost to the point of killing the child. There is also Blackwood, the vampire called The Monster, who has his eye on Mercy and has had his eye on her for a very long time.

There are a lot of interesting revelations in this book. Mercy comes to understand her powers better. She also understands more about vampire politics. And finally knows she's meant to be with Adam and for the long haul. She still worries for Samuel's well-being and hopes that it won't hurt him too much if she ends up leaving and staying in Adam's home. The wolf pack is not very happy about Mercy joining them. She's not really one of them, and having her be above them in the pecking order pisses some of them off. There are a few who are Mercy's friends and are okay with it though.

I felt really bad for Stefan in this one. He goes through so much and loses so much that it's hard to imagine he will make it through the book. He really does care for Mercy, but I'm not sure if it's just as a friend or more. This whole scenario kind of freaks me out, because I'm scared there will be another girl/wolf/vampire triangle and then the series will go the way of LKH's Anita Blake. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't! Stefan seems to respect Adam enough and doesn't seem to want to step in between what Mercy and him share.

I purchased this book.

Mercy Thompson book 3

This review contains spoilers for earlier books in the series.

Last time, Mercy was kidnapped, magically drugged and brutally raped. Bone Crossed picks up only a week later with Mercy still struggling to deal with her trauma, her newly exposed feelings for pack alpha Adam and now with area vampire queen Marsilia, who knows Mercy killed one of her own, decidedly pissed off at her. Though Mercy knows little of her own kind, being the only skinwalker (natural coyote shifter rather than an attack survivor like most other weres) currently known of, Marsilia knows what the walkers are, having been part of the Frontier-Era war between walker natives and European vampires.

Apparently nothing can kill vampires like a walker, so decades ago the vampires eradicated them. Once willing to let Mercy live as long as she wasn't killing vampires and she remained useful, Marsillia now has declared war on Mercy, because Mercy was the one who fouled up Marsilia's plans to make more demon-possessed vampires. But Mercy's new position in the pack as Adam's mate complicates things, so instead of attacking Mercy directly Marsilia goes after her friends and allies.

When Stefan, Mercy's friend and Marsilia's vampire, shows up, near dead and nearly mad with hunger Mercy is sure Marsilia sent him to kill her. Struggling to fight panic attacks and trying to form a healthy relationship with people around her Mercy also finds herself having to face down people who not only want to victimize her again, but who are willing to use her's friend to re-victimize her.

Bone Crossed is full of emotional realism, even if it's also full of vampires, fairies, ghosts and shape shifters. Characters who were already real before now deepen from fleshy and familiar to true friends of readers traveling with them.

The emotional turmoil is also balanced with action, manipulation and a complicated enough plot to prevent the book from coming off as sheer emotional angst over past events. Mercy is the definition of the plucky survivor, tough, but not immortal, snarky and defiant, but not suffering from Mary Sue Syndrome.

Bone Crossed is a good read, definitely not the place in the series to start, but a satisfying addition to the series. This series continues to deliver, creating a more complex world, but not one muddled by world rules violations, or mid stream changes in style or personality. Bone Crossed will both sate readers and keep them looking for more.

I am a big fan of paranormal/fantasy and typically like a good bit of action and suspense as well as a little romance. The Mercy Thompson series is all of that! It's one of my all time favorite series. I couldn't put them down and I even liked them enough to re-read them. The main characters are compelling and interesting and plotlines engrossing. The books include shapeshifters, vamps, witches and the Fae.

I loved the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series and have been on the hunt for books similiar to those. The new Chicagoland Vampire series by Chloe Neill has the same sort of style...strong, likable female lead, good plotline, lots of paranormal action and suspense and a little romance. Give them a try after reading Biggs.

Some Girls Bite: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel

I read this straight through, I couldn't put it down. The characters are so alive (even the dead ones) that I was completely caught up in the story. Ms. Briggs is assuredly on my favorite author list ;)

Mercy is in a huge amount of trouble. Marsilia, the local Queen of the Vampires has learned of Mercy's action in the slaying of one of her vampires (see earlier books) and even with Adam and his wolf pack protecting the shape shifter the Queen wants her pound of flesh. Or liter of blood - however you wish to put it. But the plot is more twisted than you think. For this is a book of politics - both vampire and werewolf - and things are not as simple as they seem. They never are.
Very, VERY solid plot, lots of action, and the "comforty" Chair - kind of. Lots of good character interaction and lots of supernatural history. I would say this was the strongest book of the series so far. Get it, read it, enjoy it.

I thought all of the books in this series I've read so far, 1-4, were GREAT. Plenty of interesting characters, action, drama, suspense, all thrown into one book. Overall, very enjoyable reads! However, I'm a sucker for romance, and was disappointed with the way the romance between Mercy and her love interests was played out. Very, very subtle and seemed to fizzle out no sooner did I think she'd finally get some love! I'm an avid Sookie Stackhouse reader, so that may have given me a prejudice in that sense, but I like good romance thrown into paranormal books! :)

I'd still suggest these books without any doubt, and I genuinely enjoyed ALL of the books thus far!

Just MY opinion, not speaking on behalf of any of the other readers!!!

I honestly have just started to read these novels, and have made it through all four in about a week. The previous three were very good and I liked the depth in the plot. But this book has major key elements missing it. The character development is just not there. We do get a bigger peak at Stefan and what makes him tick. But him being brought in as a possibly other love interest just irks me. I do not know why novels feel the need to add more than one lover into a book. First it was Sam, then Adam, when fighting the Demon/Vampire we realize that Stefan has feelings for Mercy. She seems to like the push and pull of relationships and has a tendency to do inappropriate things at the wrong times with the other men in her life. I can understand the need for closure with Sam but leaning against Stefan while he kisses her head? Either the author needs to 1. make her and Adam's relationship less important and monumental in the pack's well being; or 2. stop the interest in Stefan all together. I personally would like to have seen something come of Mercy and Stefan if only for a moment so they could see if there was any feelings there. But her moral beliefs that Vampires are all Evil is to hasty for my taste which in subsequent novels I am sure we will find out Stefan cares for her and is not Evil. Blah blah blah. I am sure I would not think this if for ONCE the author would give an intimate scene. I am tired of there not being any erotic texts in the book. The heat between Adam and Mercy is undeniable and should be written out for the readers. I am not asking for lush scenes that are vulgar, but a little something would be nice. I have difficulty picturing what their relationship entails besides for the need to run away from Mercy and the need to be overprotective from Adam. There are moments in the book where I think I can get a peak into their love life, such as when Adam sees her playing with her dress and wants to rip it off of her. Does this mean hes dominate in the bedroom? or her? Mercy is not the kind of person to let things go or take orders but with Adam that tends to change. So it has me wanting more description so I know whats going on with them. Anyway! the ending of the book threw me off and put a bad taste in my mouth. The plot was barely built on and it seemed as if in the end the author simply wanted to the book to be over. The whole book is basically them tying up loose ends and what ifs.

Bone Crossed is the fourth book in the Mercy Thompson series and what another great installment it is. I absolutely love Mercy and seeing her stumble her way through life. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I've read many books in this series and each book is worth reading again--and again. Good intentions, clear thinking without accepting limits make her strong, clever & triumphant. I love this series because of its wonderful characters. Mercy Thompson is my favorite heroine.

Following from Iron Kissed, independent Mercy has come to a decision about her complicated relationships. She opts for Werewolf Alpha Adam instead of Sam, but is hampered from consummating the union by the phobias caused by her harrowing experiences in Iron Kissed. I would have been disappointed if Mercy was able to dismiss her problems and leap into bed with Adam, but Patricia Briggs' heroine, as well as being a walker, an Alpha werewolf's mate and the vampire's enemy, is also only human, and not even her determination to overcome these obstacles in her relationship can help her. Mercy needs time, and Adam understands, even though this puts pressure on him, and on Mercy, from werewolf pack.

In the meantime, a pair off crossed bones is painted on the garage door, a sign from the local vampires that they regard Mercy as a traitor. Then Mercy's mother arrives for an unannounced visit and almost-dead vampire Stefan reappears in her life. Mercy answers a cry for help from an old friend and ends up investigating a haunted house, only to discover that the woman is being controlled by a powerful Master Vampire.

There are so many subplots here that you might expect to find yourself confused, or left hanging, but Briggs handles all with aplomb. By the end of the book Mercy has solved several mysteries, leaving the reader gratified and wanting more. Through it all Mercy continues to grow and develop as a character you feel you have to know more about.

I have enjoyed Ms. Brigg's books since reading When Demons Walk and each is better than the last. Mercy is a strong, well-defined character with a good supporting cast. I impatiently await the next episode of her story.

This book picks up immediately from the previous book in the series. Mercy is trying to find a way to deal with the terrible ordeal she experienced and Adam is doing his best to help her. The other shoe has dropped concerning Mercy killing the evil vampire Andre, a favorite of Marsilia, the vampire Mistress of the Tri-Cities. Stefan, Mercy's vamp friend, is mis-used by Marsilia to get her venegence and settle a score. An old college nemesis, Amber, shows up asking for Mercy's help concerning a ghost that is haunting her house.

All of this happens before the end of the first chapter and the pacing of the story never stumbles. Nothing is as it seems and the twists and turns are plentiful. The reader learns much more about the world Ms. Briggs has created concerning vampires and fae. Mercy fears those she cares about will become victims because of her and it drives a lot of her decisions.

The one drawback I had is a perception of not feeling enough of the kind of connection I would have expected between Adam and Mercy. The scenes between them lack something, maybe a certain passion or quiet, intense devotion. I actually connected more with a scene between Mercy, Bran and Samuel (and eventually Stefan). Bran had come to check on Mercy and the three of them talk about her various dilemmas. She even confides in them a detail she would not tell Adam because she worried about his reaction. Bran advises and teases her and Sam defends her. There was not one word from either about loving her, but it is there, loud and clear. Maybe it is the long history she has these men that is resonating with me.

Overall, Ms. Briggs has done it again. She is a great story teller and very much deserves moving up to hard back status. Her next book can't come out too soon for this reader.

"My soul was a lot more battered than my body, but I couldn't see it in the mirror. Hopefully nobody else could either."

Patricia Briggs put her werecoyote heroine Mercy Thompson through the grinder in the past, complete with a brutal rape. "Bone Crossed" has Mercy dealing with a slew of new personal problems -- plus some very nasty vampire politics. It's a pretty busy story, but Briggs juggles the subplots -- and Mercy's internal troubles -- with unusual deftness.

A week after Tim's death, Mercy and Adam are trying to hash out the whole Alpha-mate situation, when a couple of unexpected guests arrive -- her mother, and a tortured, starved Stefan. Mercy destroyed Marsilia's right-hand man Andre, and the vampire has retaliated by almost killing Stefan and by roundabout attacks at the wolf pack (including a crazed snow elf).

To make matters worse, Mercy investigates a haunting at her old college buddy Amber's house... and discovers that the freakishly powerful vampire called the Monster is manipulating Amber. Stefan decides to take some drastic action to protect Mercy from other vampires... but it may not be enough to keep her safe from her new enemy.

Patricia Briggs has always had a knack for giving a unique spin to the staples of a genre, and fortunately "Bone Crossed" shows no diminishing of that. Instead, Briggs ties a bunch of subplots into a complicated knot, and slowly unravels it as Mercy discovers the answers to all the various mysteries. All through it, she continues to juggle the subplots without dropping them.

And Briggs' smooth, detailed style is well-suited to Mercy's world, which is described with mellow humor. Lots of chilling moments (including a claustrophobic climax with Blackwood), but also some warmer moments with Adam and Stefan. And she never lets a tense plot get in the way of some tongue-in-cheek humour ("what kind of stupid person puts white carpet in a house frequented by werewolves?").

Having dropped a big trauma on Mercy, Briggs also devotes some time to exploring how this has affected her heroine -- panic attacks, unease with touch, and the new way people regard her. But fortunately Merry never becomes an emo victim, nor does she just "get over it" out of sheer determination. She works on this gradually, and Briggs does it with utmost sensitivity.

Adam serves as the rock to cling to, since he is trying to support and heal Mercy in her time of need, although he goes overboard on the protectiveness early on. And poor abused Stefan goes through the wringer both physically and mentally -- although he has some lighter moments, such as debating the merits of Scooby-Doo vs. Dragonball Z with a deaf boy.

"Bone Crossed" is a pretty brilliant urban-fantasy/mystery, with plenty of chills, humour and a likably down-to-earth heroine. Patricia Briggs does it right.

I just can't get over how great this series is. The characters are developing exactly how I would like to see characters develop. It isn't predictable, but the growth that a person or character normally goes through you find in the Mercy Thompson series.

It seems like each of these books has a center villain. A vampire or wolf that is causing problems that always seems to find Mercy. In this book Mercy is forced to help a college friend and ends up in the snare of a vampire that she nearly can't escape from. Mercy is working hard to fit in with the wolves, stay friends with the vampires and keep a watchful eye on the fae. You wont regret reading this novel!

I like this series, and gave earlier books five stars. While I like the relationships that have been established for this heroine, I am having difficulty with the times that the character is struggling with powerlessness and attacks. I would like for her to truly regain her strength. I will read the next book in the series. This is not a stand alone book. The motivations and issues often stem from events that happened in previous books.

The fourth book in the Mercy Thompson series captivates and haunts, no pun intended. Well maybe a little. In this story Mercy feels the repercussions from her actions in Iron Kissed in more ways than one: panic attacks, vampires and ghosts Oh My! All while accepting Adam as her mate and Alpha in the shadows of her humiliation. The subtlety of Briggs writing is what hooks me. Engrossed in the story, I'll suddenly run across a sentence that sends shivers down my spine. I think she's a master at hiding the outcome, which happily keeps me in the dark, even if I do get scared! Mercy is an unassuming heroine, which is why trouble follows her. I love this series and can't wait for the next one.

This is _extremely_ convoluted, and I don't do convoluted well. It revolves almost exclusively around vampire court intrigue. If that's your thing, you'll love this book. I certainly didn't hate it, and it contains Briggs' typical superb writing and characterization, just a different sort of plot that's not her normal good vs. evil clash.

I was loaned this series of books and I can honestly say I have enjoyed them. I bought Shifting Shadows which is suppose to tie into the series.Night Broken Is the eighth book and I bought it. After having read Karen Monings Highlander and Fever series I thought that this series couldn't be on the same level "Wrong". Light and fast moving. I love Mercy and Adam.

Extremely enjoyable.

Okay, I saw a complaint that there was no mystery in this book. I had to disagree. I have read all the Mercy Thompson books. But it's obvious to me I must of slept therough a couple of them because this book refered to incidents I do not remember in the previous books.

I will now have to find the other books again to re-read them. This story was just as good as her previous books. I recently won a contest on another authors web site. What person alive or dead would you like to meet. My answer was Mercy Thompson, a unique persona in urban fantasy, first skinwalker I had every read about. A true american supernatural. Prize was $[...] the store gift certificate. I use it to buy that authors newest book. lol

[...]

The beauty of Ms Brigg's stories for this series is that she makes you feel it IS indeed a series! This is an author who develops her characters lovingly and consistently; characters whose lives are told linearly and whose stories gently intertwine with other books she has written that are part of this universe she created without compromising the readability of a single book. It is the commitment to the personas of her protagonists and rich secondary characters that make these readings a re-visitation that is a complex pleasure for the reader. You can sit down with your drink of choice and comfort food because Merry and her troop will be there, familiar, exciting and coherent.There are no sudden possessions by voodoo queens that are 93847 miles away, transforming the character into a mimicry of herself, and making her act as if she were auditioning for the next Exorcist B-Movie version. Kudos to Ms Briggs who brings a delicate flavor to an action-filled paranormal world that almost makes us wish it were real.

4th in the "Mercy Thompson" series and just as good as the previous ones. Briggs just knows how to make the reader care for her characters. All of them are three-dimensional and well-rounded, the good guys just like the baddies. I loved the new characters, especially Chad, and John's fate made me actually cry (it's strange but every one of Mercy's adventures somehow makes me cry in the end). And then there was Adam, Samuel, Bran, Stefan, Warren and Kyle, the fae and the weres, the crazy vamp Wulf, the dojo master... And Mercy herself - she's my favorite paranormal heroine and her world is simply amazing. Another fantastic book by Patricia Briggs!

This book is about Marsilia finding out that Mercy killed the vampire she wasn't suppose to kill. And a whole lot more.
Mercy and Adam progress in their relationship. Things with Sam are still strange. And Mercy is still having people come from her past to help her get past the stuff that happened to her when she tried to help her Fae friend Zee.

This one wasn't as good as the one before it. But it was still really good. I can not wait to read more. I really love this series!

Let me start by saying that I very much enjoyed reading the first four books in this series and would strongly recommend them to anyone who likes this genre. Now to my quibbles...

Cover Art: yes, it's a trivial detail, but have you noticed that Mercy's tattoos change radically from book to book? Werewolves, Vamps, Shifters, Fae, all those I'll accept easily. Changing ink? No.

Length of novel: Not that I want to come off as a size queen, but I'm feeling a bit cheated by the paltry page count. We're starting to approach novella territory with this series while most other series I've read are doing the opposite. Publishers trying to squeeze more money out with quantity? Out of time on publishing deadlines? Whatever the cause, could we please get to a decent length of story? 300 pages is a snack, and not a very filling one.

Small quibbles, but annoying nonetheless. Love the writing, the characters, the pacing. Love how Mercy is not invinceable, especially in her own mind. She does seem to squeak out of some situations that the author has described as 99% fatal, but the books's good parts vastly outweigh the bad. Except for my quibbles. Those she should fix right away! :-)

Bone Crossed is not on my top favorites list in this series. Actually, it is probably my least favorite.

Mercy's mother pays an unexpected visit due to the rape and murder from the previous book. Ben, as weird and revealing as his character proved in the last book .. had a warm reaction to her presence.

That was the only highlight from this book. I found it quite uninteresting. Mercy struggles with the trauma of being raped. Adam is patient. Understanding the fragile situation, he helps Mercy through her panic attacks.

An old friend of Mercy's, Amber, invites Mercy to visit her home. A ghost is haunting her son and her arrogant and stubborn husband believes that she and her son, Chad is making it up.

That's basically the jest of the book. There are some sweet moments. I could go into them without spoiling anything .. but they are unworthy of typing

I dislike giving negative reviews, especially those pertaining to my favorite authors. Nonetheless .. Bleh.

I recommend this book only to mature adults who are reading this series. It would be confusing and boring to others. Mild violence and implied sexual content without description.

When I first discovered Patricia Briggs and the Mercy Thompson series I was thrilled that such a kick-ass heroine existed in the sci-fi/fantasy world that was extremely earthy. Mercy could very well be the mechanic next door and if you are an independent minded woman who resents the male intrusion just because you are a woman and nothing else then you could find Mercy even more appealing. She makes no apologies for who she is and that is good. Mercy's abilities as a fighter and a solid thinker also make her a good fan-boy favorite. However, although this installment ties up some loose ends while continuing with other threads of previous story lines (which are artfully interwoven and told) there remains some tones of the story line(s) that were scattered throughout the book that irked me from time to time. Now, don't get me wrong--Briggs is a great writer-- but her half Native-American heroine is very euro-centric to the point of disrespect to her Native heritage. Maybe, Mercy is indicative of some individuals that may have crossed the author's path from time to time and Briggs chose to incorporate this contempt into her character but,from this reader's point of view that type of disregard for someone's Native heritage has never been my experience. So, in all fairness I know that is why it rubbed me a bit raw. My hope is that this aspect of Mercy's character is just a sub-plot and will eventually be woven into further character development for our heroine. Such as learning more about her shape-shifting abilities which would most likely require Mercy to embrace her Native-American heritage.

As for the Mercy, Samuel and Adam trinity I am glad that Briggs chose to bring that to a close. It dragged a little more than necessary in this book even though Mercy makes her choice. The so-called casual banter between the three can be a little hard to get through. It felt stilted but, I suppose given the nature of the trio's involvements that could be expected.

Then, there are the fight scenes. In previous reads, the techniques were given a matter of fact explanation which, I enjoyed more. In this installment it seemed Briggs needed to prove that she as a female author knows just as much about combat--and combat writing--as much as any male author who writes in the same vein. Such over explanation is not really necessary and almost begs the more critical reader to pick the scene apart.

Overall, the book is good and I did enjoy it.

Thanks!

Ms. Briggs has done it again! I can't tell you how much I enjoy these books. Actually, I would even venture to say they're on my all time favorite's short list. Briggs has such a seamless and smooth transitional writing style that I find myself reading for hours upon hours before I even realize it. I can't put them down! Mercy is the most wonderful literary female character I've come across in ages. Totally unpretentious and completely competent are qualities that most main female characters lack these days.

The storylines themselves are fast paced, uncomplicated and very tastefully done. Something you don't always find in the Paranormal Romance genre. The characters a likable and very believable, in fact, they are just plain wonderful. If you are looking for a new PR series or if you're on the fence about starting these books, let me tell you this: you won't be disappointed.

My only question for Ms. Briggs is "Are you leaving any doors open to start writing a new series with Samuel as the main character?" I would be very excited about that!

Bravo...!

Bone Crossed picks up right where Iron Kissed left off, and deals mostly with the consequences of the major events in that book.

It is good to see that the aftermath of previous events aren't treated lightly or erased. Too often a main character just bounces right back from one trauma and near death experience after another. Mercy is progressing, but not turning into an invincible super being who needs a more apocalyptic villain to face each time. Which is a good thing, since some of her familiar foes seem likely to hang around for a while.

What you'll find here is a focus on vampire politics and on Mercy's own personal development as she tries to juggle friendships and priorities. One weakness is that a significant storyline is about Mercy's changing relationship with the local werewolf pack, and not enough time is really spent with those characters. Big things happen that involve them, but they are kept very much on the periphery of the story for now.

Still, this is great progression for the series, with all the humor, realism, and originality that have made the preceding books so strong. It is book 4 of 7 and doesn't have quite the full steam ahead momentum of the past books, but Bone Crossed holds up in comparison to the previous books, clears the way for what's to come, and gives you an entertaining story in its own right.

I think Patricia Briggs is wonderful: in that she knows that there are stereotypes in the paranormal/supernatural sub-genre. She acknowledges them, and sometimes takes advantage of them. The personable characters let you respond positively to any feeling of sameness, because it's incorporated into creating a familiar and "real" setting. Overall, Patricia Briggs creates interesting story lines by using her main character's limited "powers" in new and creative ways. You'll be left with the feeling that the character is relatable and understandable: Mercedes is doing the best she can with what she has.

What I like best about the series? Mercedes Thompson is the woman-friend you'd most like to have: she's had time to grow into her personality, is independent, smart without needing to prove anything, and has an endearing loyalty to the oddest assortment of misfits that imagination could produce. She might be a bit grubby and occasionally awkward, she's not going to apologize for being who she is, and won't complain if you aren't carbon-copy-friends.

I get so excited when my favorite authors break into hardcover. In fact, I'm pleased as punch to shell out the bigger bucks because it means that the awesome I've been basking in for awhile now has finally caught on and is being recognized on a wider scale. So it was, in a word, thrilling to open up the package from Penguin and see the words "#1 New York TimesBestselling Author" atop Patricia Briggs' shiny new hardcover BONE CROSSED.

Mercy Thompson starts her fourth adventure staring herself down in the mirror trying to decide where to go from here. The closing events of Iron Kissed left our favorite VW mechanic feeling, at best, very conflicted. She managed to make several key decisions, but can't quite seem to outrun her demons. Of course occupying the place of honor as lone walker, Alpha's declared mate, and vampire public enemy #1 doesn't help. She doesn't have long to fret, though, when an old acquaintance shows up on her doorstep convinced Mercy can banish a ghost for her. Meanwhile, a pair of crossed bones show up on the door of her shop branding her traitor, her place in the pack is still perilously unclear, and her mother drops in unannounced. On the positive side, Stefan plays a much larger role in this one. In fact, Stefan really stole the show for me and it was good to have him back after his rather conspicuous, though necessary, absence in Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3). His friendship with Mercy remains a highlight of the series for me.

If you haven't guessed by now, these books are hands down my favorite urban fantasy series out there. I am ridiculously fond of them. And a big reason why is the nimble way Ms. Briggs walks that infinitesimally fine line between keeping things interesting and staying true to her characters. Beset on all sides by the supernatural, the macabre, and the horrific, her characters continue to feel so real to me. Like I could step into their world and accept it lock, stock, and barrel because Mercy's there in her garage. And what could be more normal than that? BONE CROSSED had the same gritty feel that Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) had, as well as the dry humor and breathtaking timing of Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2). Being the fourth installment, these characters know each other pretty well by now and so the interpersonal issues swirl around the arc of the mystery, lending it a richness you'll want to sink your teeth into. This series has it all. Good guys worth fighting for. Bad guys worth having nightmares over. And a heroine who can handle them all. More. Please.

I absolutely adored this series up until this installment, and against my better judgement I bought the next book and it only proved to further rip out my heart and stomp all over it. Everything up until this story that made Mercy the strong, unique, independent female role I loved this series for suddenly changed. Mercy is now an annoying lovesick, borderline stalker obsessed, completely dependant whiny 15 year old with severe self image and self confidence problems that she only finds the strength to overcome when buried thighs deep in a man. And if that sounds harsh, read book 5...

At this point, I am starting to think my enjoyment of Blood Bound was a complete fluke and that this series is just bad. My problem with this book is the same problem I had with Iron Kissed, only it got worse in this novel. The characters and writing style were fine but the plot of Bone Crossed was a mess.

The vampire queen finds out that Mercy killed one of her vampires, so Mercy takes off from the city to go visit a friend who just happens to call her with a little problem. The friend's house is haunted. So Mercy heads off to the friend's house, with Stefan the vampire in tow, and proceeds to become a midnight snack for a totally different vampire. Oh, and the vampire that is snacking on Mercy is somehow related to the ghosts.

What??? It was so confusing and not even interesting! Ugh! I was so frustrated with this book! It was so disappointing. I am going to try one more Mercy Thompson book and if things do not improve then I am done with this series. I don't enjoy feeling like I am wasting my reading time.

I'm on Book 5 now. I really love this series and enjoy all of the characters. There's always a bit of a mystery to every book which keeps the storyline refreshing and interesting. I like that Mercy has chosen Adam and that it's not some horrid love triangle like most stories end-up. I can't name just one book, so far, that I like better because each have been just as well written and interesting as the other. I plan on reading the next 2 and then trying some of her other series.

Others have done the précis of this novel, so I offer only a comment about continuity. Most egregious is indicating Charles is the elder brother rather than younger by several centuries, and since it came early in the book, I spent the rest of the novel figuratively looking over my shoulder waiting for others. [Continuity is difficult; I read an remark by author Sharon Shinn commented on the huge number of notes she kept for the Mystic and Rider series to ensure she committed at the least very few.] The book is readable, yet, for me it somehow misses the spark, the verve, of her other publications. So if this is the first book of her's that you have read, you are sincerely in for a treat when you get to her earlier books.

This series just keeps getting better. Enjoyed the scenes with Adam and Mercy and Mercy's joining of the pack. I also enjoyed the development of Stefan. I like how vulnerable Mercy is and that she isn't perfect. I hope we get to know more members of the pack and see further interactions between Mercy and them. Glad I finally got around to reading this series.

I inhaled the first three Mercy Thompson books but to be perfectly honest, this one is the worst in the series. If I picked this book up by chance and hadn't read the first three installments, I wouldn't bother checking them out at all.

To me, the Mercy books always had the right balance of romantic tension and action. Now that Mercy and Adam are together, all the passion seems to have fizzled away. Adam, one of my favorite characters in the series, is just flat and other minor characters whom I enjoyed like Honey and Warren really don't have much of a role in this story.

Even the return of Stefan didn't do much to rev up my interest in this meandering story line which has Mercy leaving town to ghost hunt in Spokane. I was literally half way through the book and STILL waiting for the story to take off. By the time it eventually did get going, I was losing interest fast. I never in my life thought that I would skim parts of a Mercy book but towards the end of this one, skimming it or just putting it down all together were my only options.

I will definitely read the next installment (I'm in line for it at the library) but unless the story regains some of that originality that made me love the characters in the first place, this will never again be a series that I rush out to buy as soon as it's published. It seems to me like Briggs doesn't know where to go with these characters at this point.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Book 5.

I really loved this book. I was super excited about it, I took an early lunch to just drive a ways away to pick this book up. After the ending of the last book, I was majorly excited to see what happened with Mercy and Adam. Then when Cry Wolf came out (also an excellent book) and we got the first few pages as a teaser, I was even more excited. This book definitely did not disappoint! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the parts with her and Adam, and I didn't even realize it was a 300 page book. I am glad Mercy finally realized what she has in a mate and accepts that she doesn't have to be a drone to be with Adam. I hope there are more books in the future for Mercy. I know there is another Alpha and Omega book coming out and I am definitely on the Patricia Briggs wagon! I love her writing, I love her characters and I love this book!

Ok, I want to start out by saying that I love Patricia's work. I was very impressed by the progression of her writing in the Mercy Thompson series. You can definitely see the growth from Hobb's Bargain to the current series.

For those who feel that there are too many references to the previous book, references that CONFUSE them...boo-freaking-hoo. Th references are to explain why Mercy is the way she is in this book.

For anyone who feels that Mercy has suddenly lost her independence because she and Adam are mated to each other, are you even reading the same series as the rest of us? Mercy's rape isn't keeping her from relying on her own wits, or else she'd have dragged Samuel or Warren along for the ride to Spokane. So if something as violating and degrading as that doesn't keep her down, why would you think being mated would?

And are there REALLY reviews based on Kindle format? Yeah, because Patty has control over how the Kindle content comes across. Get serious people and learn what you should base a BOOK review on. You have a problem with Kindle format? Contact the store and leave feedback for the people who DO control it.

And lastly, the review about it being in hardcover and it "testing the reader's loyalty". Again, this isn't something the author controls. It's the publisher's decision. Hardback means that she has been accepted in the literary world as a writer of "real" work and not "dimestore" quality books. So like the people I addressed above this, you shouldn't be basing ANY part of your rating on this. It's just ludicrous.

Briggs has a way of pulling you in. I love how she puts a story together- just when you think she has missed something, or several somethings, she comes up with a quick-witted way to tie it all up neatly, even if it is occasionally unsettling. I don't like seeing a character I love hurt, but she is very good at letting us readers work through the pain with them and find the justice that not every author will give you. The hearts of her heroes are all that I could wish for, and want to ultimately emulate.

I downloaded this last night the moment it became available in my time zone, stayed up until the wee hours devouring every page and must say that even in my caffeine-induced haze, Patricia Briggs did not disappoint. Mercy is one of my all time favorite of the urban fantasy heroines and this series (as well as the Alpha and Omega story/novel) have grabbed me like few others.

I was initially waiting on pins and needles for Bone Crossed because I wanted to see what happened between Mercy and Adam. But the whole plot of the novel really caught my attention and for once I read a book straight through without skipping ahead (something I do frequently with other books in this genre). Adam and Mercy do get their time but we also get plenty of Stefan and other favorite wolves, vamps and fae. Briggs does an amazing job deepening her characters storylines and everything "rang true." There is plenty of plot and action (love the image of Mercy, in coyote form, using a 10-ft tall rampaging "snow elf" as a ladder to save the day.)

Mercy is smart and tough, but the best part of Bone Crossed is how she starts to open herself up more to those around her. Additionally, the men who would claim her start to give her much more space to be herself both with them and on her own two feet. I felt the relationships between Mercy, Adam, Stefan and Samuel grew in convincing ways that made me take all of them that much more seriously.

This book is worth the hardcover price and Mercy fans will love it. Once I catch up on my sleep, I am off to savor it again.

I have enjoyed this series from beginning to the current end, and more than once. Friendships, bonds of love between family / pack and cross species / culture give me hope for the world we live in.....the little guy with the big heart and loyalty to her friends standing up to the nightmares and battling for what is right. I hope that I would have the courage of Mercy in face of adversity....and shall read, and re-read, and enjoy this series many times in the months to come. Thank you, Ms. Briggs, for your creativity and imagination. Sincerely, an avid fan

Each book is written with detail and the suspense builds. Most series cannot maintain a reader's interest. Briggs is an excellent writer with an awesome imagination. She writes with clarity without dumbing down the language of her books. Nor does Briggs fill her books with foul language. Mercy is a fun, feisty heroine; she is a rare find.

This book was absolutely fantastic. There was a heavy hand of humor, angst, and love. It seemed like some people had some problems with how Briggs handled Mercy's response to rape in Iron Kissed. I honestly disagreed since Mercy was presented as a strong character who couldn't tolerate weakness in herself. Briggs stayed true to Mercy's character, which must have been very challenging. But I feel that she pulled it off without turning Mercy either into an unfeeling person or a pile of coyote covered mush.
In this book, it becomes more evident that no Mercy is not ok but she's not going to let her problems hold her or anyone else back. It seems like she's on the path to a picture perfect life... with a bit of grease stains on the side. However, the book ends with a few questions floating around, which hopefully means another Mercy book is coming.

Every time I read the next installment in a series I like, I experience a moment of apprehension. What if I don't like where the author is taking the protagonist -- or the supporting characters? Well, Bone Crossed put my fears to rest from the first chapter. I love it when I can see authors developing scope and talent in their novels, and this is a great example! You know that there will be a plot and subplots, but this one is really twisted. Also central are two themes: Mercy's relationship with Adam, and Mercy's ongoing reaction to her rape. Just buy the hardcover - it's great -- and if you don't think so, wait a few years and sell it for a profit on EBay. Definitely a great series.

Patricia Briggs has written another great book! This picks right up from the last one and doesn't slow even a bit. A lot more vampire interaction which is always good in my opinion!!

I highly recommend the cross-over series, Alpha and Omega. The first two full books in the series are very good!! But start with the Alpha and Omega short story in the anthology, On The Prowl- you'll need the back story of Anna and Charles' relationship.

I really liked this book, but I didn't love it. The book was seemed like it was going to be about Stefan and Mercy, but you don't really learn about him or his feelings for Mercy. Personally, I always liked Stefan more then Adam for Mercy. Some things I felt were a little weird, you would think Mercy would have some kind of talk with Ben. He was totally there for her after her rape and admits that he was molest and she doesn't say anything to him? I would think there would be some sort of bonding. The book definitely needed more Ben, he is one of my favorite characters. What can I say, I like unsocialized geeks. How could she not have told her mom, or at least she could have gotten Samuel to call her up. It made the front page! This would then be on the internet, it involved magic and the girlfriend of a totally hot outed Alpha werewolf. How could she not expected that her story would hit the associated press. What was all the self monologue about wanting to obey? Umm, where did this come from? Why did Adam take her to see the same play as in Blood Bound? Is there really nothing else to do?

Others have done the précis of this novel, so I offer only a comment about continuity. Most egregious is indicating Charles is the elder brother rather than younger by several centuries, and since it came early in the book, I spent the rest of the novel figuratively looking over my shoulder waiting for others. [Continuity is difficult; I read an remark by author Sharon Shinn commented on the huge number of notes she kept for the Mystic and Rider series to ensure she committed at the least very few.] The book is readable, yet, for me it somehow misses the spark, the verve, of her other publications. So if this is the first book of her's that you have read, you are sincerely in for a treat when you get to her earlier books.

This series just keeps getting better. Enjoyed the scenes with Adam and Mercy and Mercy's joining of the pack. I also enjoyed the development of Stefan. I like how vulnerable Mercy is and that she isn't perfect. I hope we get to know more members of the pack and see further interactions between Mercy and them. Glad I finally got around to reading this series.

I inhaled the first three Mercy Thompson books but to be perfectly honest, this one is the worst in the series. If I picked this book up by chance and hadn't read the first three installments, I wouldn't bother checking them out at all.

To me, the Mercy books always had the right balance of romantic tension and action. Now that Mercy and Adam are together, all the passion seems to have fizzled away. Adam, one of my favorite characters in the series, is just flat and other minor characters whom I enjoyed like Honey and Warren really don't have much of a role in this story.

Even the return of Stefan didn't do much to rev up my interest in this meandering story line which has Mercy leaving town to ghost hunt in Spokane. I was literally half way through the book and STILL waiting for the story to take off. By the time it eventually did get going, I was losing interest fast. I never in my life thought that I would skim parts of a Mercy book but towards the end of this one, skimming it or just putting it down all together were my only options.

I will definitely read the next installment (I'm in line for it at the library) but unless the story regains some of that originality that made me love the characters in the first place, this will never again be a series that I rush out to buy as soon as it's published. It seems to me like Briggs doesn't know where to go with these characters at this point.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Book 5.

I really loved this book. I was super excited about it, I took an early lunch to just drive a ways away to pick this book up. After the ending of the last book, I was majorly excited to see what happened with Mercy and Adam. Then when Cry Wolf came out (also an excellent book) and we got the first few pages as a teaser, I was even more excited. This book definitely did not disappoint! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the parts with her and Adam, and I didn't even realize it was a 300 page book. I am glad Mercy finally realized what she has in a mate and accepts that she doesn't have to be a drone to be with Adam. I hope there are more books in the future for Mercy. I know there is another Alpha and Omega book coming out and I am definitely on the Patricia Briggs wagon! I love her writing, I love her characters and I love this book!

Ok, I want to start out by saying that I love Patricia's work. I was very impressed by the progression of her writing in the Mercy Thompson series. You can definitely see the growth from Hobb's Bargain to the current series.

For those who feel that there are too many references to the previous book, references that CONFUSE them...boo-freaking-hoo. Th references are to explain why Mercy is the way she is in this book.

For anyone who feels that Mercy has suddenly lost her independence because she and Adam are mated to each other, are you even reading the same series as the rest of us? Mercy's rape isn't keeping her from relying on her own wits, or else she'd have dragged Samuel or Warren along for the ride to Spokane. So if something as violating and degrading as that doesn't keep her down, why would you think being mated would?

And are there REALLY reviews based on Kindle format? Yeah, because Patty has control over how the Kindle content comes across. Get serious people and learn what you should base a BOOK review on. You have a problem with Kindle format? Contact the store and leave feedback for the people who DO control it.

And lastly, the review about it being in hardcover and it "testing the reader's loyalty". Again, this isn't something the author controls. It's the publisher's decision. Hardback means that she has been accepted in the literary world as a writer of "real" work and not "dimestore" quality books. So like the people I addressed above this, you shouldn't be basing ANY part of your rating on this. It's just ludicrous.

Briggs has a way of pulling you in. I love how she puts a story together- just when you think she has missed something, or several somethings, she comes up with a quick-witted way to tie it all up neatly, even if it is occasionally unsettling. I don't like seeing a character I love hurt, but she is very good at letting us readers work through the pain with them and find the justice that not every author will give you. The hearts of her heroes are all that I could wish for, and want to ultimately emulate.

I downloaded this last night the moment it became available in my time zone, stayed up until the wee hours devouring every page and must say that even in my caffeine-induced haze, Patricia Briggs did not disappoint. Mercy is one of my all time favorite of the urban fantasy heroines and this series (as well as the Alpha and Omega story/novel) have grabbed me like few others.

I was initially waiting on pins and needles for Bone Crossed because I wanted to see what happened between Mercy and Adam. But the whole plot of the novel really caught my attention and for once I read a book straight through without skipping ahead (something I do frequently with other books in this genre). Adam and Mercy do get their time but we also get plenty of Stefan and other favorite wolves, vamps and fae. Briggs does an amazing job deepening her characters storylines and everything "rang true." There is plenty of plot and action (love the image of Mercy, in coyote form, using a 10-ft tall rampaging "snow elf" as a ladder to save the day.)

Mercy is smart and tough, but the best part of Bone Crossed is how she starts to open herself up more to those around her. Additionally, the men who would claim her start to give her much more space to be herself both with them and on her own two feet. I felt the relationships between Mercy, Adam, Stefan and Samuel grew in convincing ways that made me take all of them that much more seriously.

This book is worth the hardcover price and Mercy fans will love it. Once I catch up on my sleep, I am off to savor it again.

I have enjoyed this series from beginning to the current end, and more than once. Friendships, bonds of love between family / pack and cross species / culture give me hope for the world we live in.....the little guy with the big heart and loyalty to her friends standing up to the nightmares and battling for what is right. I hope that I would have the courage of Mercy in face of adversity....and shall read, and re-read, and enjoy this series many times in the months to come. Thank you, Ms. Briggs, for your creativity and imagination. Sincerely, an avid fan

Each book is written with detail and the suspense builds. Most series cannot maintain a reader's interest. Briggs is an excellent writer with an awesome imagination. She writes with clarity without dumbing down the language of her books. Nor does Briggs fill her books with foul language. Mercy is a fun, feisty heroine; she is a rare find.

This book was absolutely fantastic. There was a heavy hand of humor, angst, and love. It seemed like some people had some problems with how Briggs handled Mercy's response to rape in Iron Kissed. I honestly disagreed since Mercy was presented as a strong character who couldn't tolerate weakness in herself. Briggs stayed true to Mercy's character, which must have been very challenging. But I feel that she pulled it off without turning Mercy either into an unfeeling person or a pile of coyote covered mush.
In this book, it becomes more evident that no Mercy is not ok but she's not going to let her problems hold her or anyone else back. It seems like she's on the path to a picture perfect life... with a bit of grease stains on the side. However, the book ends with a few questions floating around, which hopefully means another Mercy book is coming.

Every time I read the next installment in a series I like, I experience a moment of apprehension. What if I don't like where the author is taking the protagonist -- or the supporting characters? Well, Bone Crossed put my fears to rest from the first chapter. I love it when I can see authors developing scope and talent in their novels, and this is a great example! You know that there will be a plot and subplots, but this one is really twisted. Also central are two themes: Mercy's relationship with Adam, and Mercy's ongoing reaction to her rape. Just buy the hardcover - it's great -- and if you don't think so, wait a few years and sell it for a profit on EBay. Definitely a great series.

Patricia Briggs has written another great book! This picks right up from the last one and doesn't slow even a bit. A lot more vampire interaction which is always good in my opinion!!

I highly recommend the cross-over series, Alpha and Omega. The first two full books in the series are very good!! But start with the Alpha and Omega short story in the anthology, On The Prowl- you'll need the back story of Anna and Charles' relationship.

I really liked this book, but I didn't love it. The book was seemed like it was going to be about Stefan and Mercy, but you don't really learn about him or his feelings for Mercy. Personally, I always liked Stefan more then Adam for Mercy. Some things I felt were a little weird, you would think Mercy would have some kind of talk with Ben. He was totally there for her after her rape and admits that he was molest and she doesn't say anything to him? I would think there would be some sort of bonding. The book definitely needed more Ben, he is one of my favorite characters. What can I say, I like unsocialized geeks. How could she not have told her mom, or at least she could have gotten Samuel to call her up. It made the front page! This would then be on the internet, it involved magic and the girlfriend of a totally hot outed Alpha werewolf. How could she not expected that her story would hit the associated press. What was all the self monologue about wanting to obey? Umm, where did this come from? Why did Adam take her to see the same play as in Blood Bound? Is there really nothing else to do?

This book starts off like a bang right after the other one ends. If you did not read the previous one, you'll not knw what is going on.
Mercy Thompson finds herself in a situation where the queen of the vampires wants her dead. Mercy also has to make up her mind whether she is going to be Adam's Mate or not.
When she deceides she is let into the pack.
Mercy as a friend that asks her to come to her house and help out with a ghost problem, and when she does she also meets the lone vampire of that area.
This vampire, called the monster has plans for mercy she has no idea about.

Another great installment in the Mercy Thompson series. This is fast becoming my favorite series. I only wished the covers did a better job of matching the books. Mercy describes herself as not overly gorgeous and wearing dirty jeans, grease stained t-shirts, and mismatched socks. I've yet to hear her describing wearing leather bras or boob bearing tied up shirts.

This series—and this entry in particular—is very similar in tone to the early Laurel Hamilton books. I am so glad I pushed on past the ambivalence that the first book left me with. Wonderfully written, Mercy and her crew have come into their own and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I want to start off by saying I did enjoy this book. I'd probably give it 3 1/2 stars. However, when comparing it to the previous books in the series it just didn't reach the same level.

The biggest element that I felt was missing in this series was the mystery novel feel I'd gotten from the other three. In the first three there was a big puzzle to solve (who was the traitor in Adam's pack and what was going on with Mac being killed, what was this super vampire and what was he doing in town, and who really committed the murders Zee was accused of). In this book I felt like I had to search for the mystery and the revelations at the end fell into my lap. The previous books had this element keeping me hooked and guessing until the end. The plots in this book just didn't have the same pull or feel. It was a question with an answer and missing the journey to find that answer.

The second element I really missed was a more thorough exploration of why Stefan felt the way he did. It was made overwhelmingly clear that Stefan was very fond of Mercy. What I felt was lacking was the reasons behind this. Stefan was also very fond of his "sheep" but he'd still pick Mercy over them even though he'd been with some of them for many years. I wish there was more development on why Stefan felt this strongly. I thought the relationship with Mercy & Sam was well explored and would have liked something similar with Mercy and Stefan.

Other than those two major sore points I thought there was some polishing missing and the story jumped a lot and felt disconnected. I think I would have liked if the book was split into two separate stories where they could each be better explored.

However, even with that, it's definitely worth reading and continuing the series. I'm just hoping the next book picks back up with the same quality as the first three.

I have to say that overall, I really like this series. I don't usually read urban fantasy, but someone reccomended it to me at the bookstore so I gave it a try and I've liked them enough, I keep reading the new ones.

First, the positives....

Mercy is her usual strong, yet not attitudy heroine. I like that she can be capable, intelligent, loyal and strong wihout having to resort to bad attitude, language and postering like some of the other urban fantasy books I've occaisionally skimmed through. Mercy is someone I could be friends with. The same goes for Adam, Samuel and Bran three men I wish were real. Adam, in particular, as Mercy's love interest is a great combination of strong alpha mixed with a great ability to sense and appreciate WHY people do what they do.

Storywise, I wasn't sure when the back cover made it seem like the vampires were attacking her family and friends, but in the book nothing really devestating happened, which was a relief. After the horror of the last half of the last book, this one needed to be a bit lighter or she would have lost me. I still can't believe what happened to Mercy, actually happened. The plot was easy to follow, quick and without too many jump out at you surprises and, in a way, it followed Ms. Briggs' formula with Mercy jumping in and trying to help someone with she or someone else getting captured and rescued at the end. This time though, the rescue was a little different than the other books and I was surprised at how quick it was. Not unhappy, just surprised. It did occur to me her stick might come in handy and it did....

As for the negatives...

There's a real underlying darkness in this world that sometimes bothers me. The Fae, the vampires, the witches and even the werewolves to an extent are fundementally evil. Out of all the groups, the werewolves have retained the most humanity and there is a mix of good people and bad. But, with the vampires for example, the only really good vampire is Stefan, which is a little odd to me given that all the vampires used to be human at one point. Why do they all turn bad? Same with the Fae. Sometimes when I'm reading, I feel like Mercy's surrounded by evil with very few people she can trust. Even the werewolves-if the wolf gets the better of them-can kill indiscrimminately. There's a little bit of a horror element when Mercy interacts with the vampires and Fae.

And...the book ended too abruptly for me. The other three had some 'clean up and calm down' time after the action. This one really didn't and it left me wanting a little more.

Last, and this is really just a little thing, I know the author loves the artwork on the cover so this must be how she imagines Mercy to look, but that's not the way I read the description of her. The only tattoo mentioned is the coyote print on her stomach and she's usually described as wearing jeans and a tshirt-not half naked and covered in tattoos. It bothers me when the cover art doesn't the characters described within, but that's probably just me.

So...to sum up. This one felt considerably lighter in feeling than the previous book, and was a nice, easy, quick read with an easy to follow plot, likeable characters and several villianous problems that were neatly tied up at the end. It was worth the hours of reading time I gave it and I closed the book feeling happy with another chapter of Mercy's life. If you liked her previous 3, you'll like this one.

Each book gets better and better in this series! The main character, Mercy Thompson, is very likable and her preternatural powers seem very natural, lol. Her friends and associates are also very enjoyable.

I'm sorry to say that I don't think I will continue to follow Mercy's story. The whole reason I liked Mercy was that she was a strong character. Sure, she's been through hell, but I didn't ever expect her to belittle herself. She does so in this story & it just doesn't fit with the character. The story had too many threads from previous stories going through it & while that can be a good thing, it was just a mess with the story. I expected more.

I liked this book don't get me wrong. However, I felt like it wasn't as good as the others in series. It wasn't as unique as past (although some interesting character development happens). Silver Bourne is even less well written. I think I'm going to stop buying this series I'd much rather check them out from libraries.

Mercy is such a wonderful heroine! This fourth installment was a good adventure. Really, this is such a solid series with great characters and fun plots that are not formulaic at all. I am also looking forward to reading the spin-off series, Alpha and Omega, but not as much as I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

I love this series. I always end up reading until I can't keep my eyes open any longer and Bone Crossed was no exception. Patricia Briggs is great at getting Mercy into situations that I can't see her getting out of and surprising me with twists and turns along the way.

(NO SPOILERS!)

First, don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed reading this book, as well as the first three. This has to be one of my favorite series. Yet, I found the plot of the fourth book to be a bit lacking when compared to the others. Maybe it was just me, but I found that I did prefer the third book over this one. Still, I can't wait for the next one!

Another good addition to the Mercy Thompson series. I stayed up until 1am because I couldn't put it down. Definitely light reading, but Briggs has created a fascinating world of werewolves, vampires, fae, ghosts and other interesting paranormal beings. This is one series where I have a lot of anticipation for the next book in this world.

Over all I enjoyed the book and found the story engaging. I'm not too sure she needs to bond with Adam and become part of the pack this early in the series. It takes away what I liked so much about the first couple of books, that Mercy was a strong, independent woman and something of a lone-coyote. And between Sam, Adam and Stefan, the potential for some romantic rivalry. Still looking forward to the next installment.

I love the Mercedes Thompson series but this book is more action than romance. Mercy goes on a trip when her a former friend needs help and not being able to say no she does her duty. Although Adam is mentioned a good fair amount, not much spark is shed. Unlike her previous books where they both had great chemistry this one was fell flat, maybe it was because they're trying to get used to being a couple, im not sure. But if your a fan, don't skip this book. Mercy is still your bad-mouth, fun gal she is and you won't be able to put it down.

I cant wait for Silver Borne to come out, hopefully the next one will be much better.

Bone Crossed is exactly like the previous three novels of the Mercy Thompson series. Some people will want exactly this, sadly, I prefer characters, that like real people, change and grow over time (especially with lives as action packed as Mercy's).

This is a woman who can turn into a Coyote, was raised by werewolves, and is fundamentally in tune with a whole supernatural sub culture that most of her world is barely aware of. She has also been horrifically raped, and otherwise been exposed to situations that would break the will of most normal humans. That's not a problem for me. Mercy is a protagonist, a hero, and this is fantasy, she's supposed to overcome impossible odds, and survive terrible scenarios. But even in fantasy, characters should grow and evolve, change and react to their worlds. Mercy and co. do none of this. Her recovery from rape, and the general ease with which her compatriots resume their normal relationships with her are completely at odds with the reality of violent, life-changing events like rape and murder. Furthermore, the ease with which she navigates the currents of foreign supernatural cultures (vampires, fae, etc) is offensive - we see how much normal people struggle with culture shock and navigating foreign human cultures in the real world, why are supernatural cultures so much easier to master? She is increasingly (as she remains unchanged and ultimately unchallenged book to book) a cardboard super-woman, the woman that all women want to be, just as every teenage boy wants to be spiderman or superman or somesuch. She calls herself 'not pretty', yet is desired by hyper-masculine characters often described as being 'gorgeous', she is relatively poor, yet spends time with extremely wealthy individuals, she is often moody, surly, and uncooperative, yet has extremely supportive and 'on-call' friends in every corner of her world. One, even two of these sorts of features are to be expected in a fantasy hero/heroine, yet, possessing all creates the superman problem. That is, a character that is all knowing and all powerful becomes uninteresting, because ultimately, they can overcome any challenge with little suspense. Mercy was weak in the first two books, it was genuinely possible she could be defeated, her friends were not so numerous, so staunchly reliable (or at least not yet revealed to be so). The stakes went up in the third book sufficiently to balance her increasing plot-born 'invincibility' to make it work, but bone crossed is one plot too far. Sorry, but I'm sad I purchased this hardcover.

I am a huge fan and have read and re-read all the Mercy Thompson books. That being said, I am not a syncophantic reader. I think I might be a little older (45 years) than her typical fans. I wish I could say that this was a 4 or 5 star book but it's not. I know from the hurog web site that it "wrote" easily, unlike Alpha and Omega. I also know that Patty is getting more and more behind on her publishing schedule. I think this book shows some signs of time pressure and insufficient polish. The plot gallops along, expected events occur (an Important Mating) but there is a "flat" feeling to the prose. This is in marked contradistinction to Alpha and Omega, which has far fewer characters, far fewer locales, only one major crisis...as yet draws the reader vividly into the were world and sympathetically into the Anna/Charles relationship, and explains a whole lot about Bran through events and well-drawn opportunities for inference.

Some aspects of the book really catch the imagination (warning, spoilers), specifically Amber and family and the oakman. I still adore the walking stick. But the major, familiar characters seem to "say" stuff without "feeling" it. There is a lot of foreshadowing for future books, which is fine, but in this book it is more obviously contrived.

Some of the "rules and regs" for seethe and pack interactions are so obscure that we need a summary statement. After the great seethe meeting, the interplay between/among the vampires needs a recap by a werewolf for readers to fully understand. I could have used a recap by a vampire for the mating bond/pack bond process. This could certainly have been handled better by a writer of Ms. Brigg's ability.

Finally, since this book is classified as 'fantasy romance' or something like that (the local bookstores put it in the romance section!) I feel a comment on the physical romance is allowed. Compare again Alpha and Omega to Bone Crossed. I know these are vastly different characters, but with Anna/Charles you can follow the physical activity, sense the passion and gratification. With Mercy and Adam, we get a truncated "I'm not Tim" version of the foreplay (which mostly reads like Adam is poking? and tickling her) and Mercy has to sit up at the end and say "gee that was nice" to the readers. Adam "gets down to business"? Egad.

To sum it up, I can easily see how this book could be converted to a graphic cartoon format without much loss of subtlety.

This series of books is excellent and I would recommend them to anyone who likes this genre. It is nice to read a series that has a strong female character that still has flaws, but knows it and is comfortable in her own skin. I have not been dissapointed with any of the four books.

Another perfect installment in the Mercy Thompson series! I have read every book that Patricia Briggs has written and I can honestly say that you just can't go wrong with her books..they are all excellent!

I liked this book don't get me wrong. However, I felt like it wasn't as good as the others in series. It wasn't as unique as past (although some interesting character development happens). Silver Bourne is even less well written. I think I'm going to stop buying this series I'd much rather check them out from libraries.

Mercy is such a wonderful heroine! This fourth installment was a good adventure. Really, this is such a solid series with great characters and fun plots that are not formulaic at all. I am also looking forward to reading the spin-off series, Alpha and Omega, but not as much as I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

I love this series. I always end up reading until I can't keep my eyes open any longer and Bone Crossed was no exception. Patricia Briggs is great at getting Mercy into situations that I can't see her getting out of and surprising me with twists and turns along the way.

(NO SPOILERS!)

First, don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed reading this book, as well as the first three. This has to be one of my favorite series. Yet, I found the plot of the fourth book to be a bit lacking when compared to the others. Maybe it was just me, but I found that I did prefer the third book over this one. Still, I can't wait for the next one!

Another good addition to the Mercy Thompson series. I stayed up until 1am because I couldn't put it down. Definitely light reading, but Briggs has created a fascinating world of werewolves, vampires, fae, ghosts and other interesting paranormal beings. This is one series where I have a lot of anticipation for the next book in this world.

Over all I enjoyed the book and found the story engaging. I'm not too sure she needs to bond with Adam and become part of the pack this early in the series. It takes away what I liked so much about the first couple of books, that Mercy was a strong, independent woman and something of a lone-coyote. And between Sam, Adam and Stefan, the potential for some romantic rivalry. Still looking forward to the next installment.

I love the Mercedes Thompson series but this book is more action than romance. Mercy goes on a trip when her a former friend needs help and not being able to say no she does her duty. Although Adam is mentioned a good fair amount, not much spark is shed. Unlike her previous books where they both had great chemistry this one was fell flat, maybe it was because they're trying to get used to being a couple, im not sure. But if your a fan, don't skip this book. Mercy is still your bad-mouth, fun gal she is and you won't be able to put it down.

I cant wait for Silver Borne to come out, hopefully the next one will be much better.

Bone Crossed is exactly like the previous three novels of the Mercy Thompson series. Some people will want exactly this, sadly, I prefer characters, that like real people, change and grow over time (especially with lives as action packed as Mercy's).

This is a woman who can turn into a Coyote, was raised by werewolves, and is fundamentally in tune with a whole supernatural sub culture that most of her world is barely aware of. She has also been horrifically raped, and otherwise been exposed to situations that would break the will of most normal humans. That's not a problem for me. Mercy is a protagonist, a hero, and this is fantasy, she's supposed to overcome impossible odds, and survive terrible scenarios. But even in fantasy, characters should grow and evolve, change and react to their worlds. Mercy and co. do none of this. Her recovery from rape, and the general ease with which her compatriots resume their normal relationships with her are completely at odds with the reality of violent, life-changing events like rape and murder. Furthermore, the ease with which she navigates the currents of foreign supernatural cultures (vampires, fae, etc) is offensive - we see how much normal people struggle with culture shock and navigating foreign human cultures in the real world, why are supernatural cultures so much easier to master? She is increasingly (as she remains unchanged and ultimately unchallenged book to book) a cardboard super-woman, the woman that all women want to be, just as every teenage boy wants to be spiderman or superman or somesuch. She calls herself 'not pretty', yet is desired by hyper-masculine characters often described as being 'gorgeous', she is relatively poor, yet spends time with extremely wealthy individuals, she is often moody, surly, and uncooperative, yet has extremely supportive and 'on-call' friends in every corner of her world. One, even two of these sorts of features are to be expected in a fantasy hero/heroine, yet, possessing all creates the superman problem. That is, a character that is all knowing and all powerful becomes uninteresting, because ultimately, they can overcome any challenge with little suspense. Mercy was weak in the first two books, it was genuinely possible she could be defeated, her friends were not so numerous, so staunchly reliable (or at least not yet revealed to be so). The stakes went up in the third book sufficiently to balance her increasing plot-born 'invincibility' to make it work, but bone crossed is one plot too far. Sorry, but I'm sad I purchased this hardcover.

I am a huge fan and have read and re-read all the Mercy Thompson books. That being said, I am not a syncophantic reader. I think I might be a little older (45 years) than her typical fans. I wish I could say that this was a 4 or 5 star book but it's not. I know from the hurog web site that it "wrote" easily, unlike Alpha and Omega. I also know that Patty is getting more and more behind on her publishing schedule. I think this book shows some signs of time pressure and insufficient polish. The plot gallops along, expected events occur (an Important Mating) but there is a "flat" feeling to the prose. This is in marked contradistinction to Alpha and Omega, which has far fewer characters, far fewer locales, only one major crisis...as yet draws the reader vividly into the were world and sympathetically into the Anna/Charles relationship, and explains a whole lot about Bran through events and well-drawn opportunities for inference.

Some aspects of the book really catch the imagination (warning, spoilers), specifically Amber and family and the oakman. I still adore the walking stick. But the major, familiar characters seem to "say" stuff without "feeling" it. There is a lot of foreshadowing for future books, which is fine, but in this book it is more obviously contrived.

Some of the "rules and regs" for seethe and pack interactions are so obscure that we need a summary statement. After the great seethe meeting, the interplay between/among the vampires needs a recap by a werewolf for readers to fully understand. I could have used a recap by a vampire for the mating bond/pack bond process. This could certainly have been handled better by a writer of Ms. Brigg's ability.

Finally, since this book is classified as 'fantasy romance' or something like that (the local bookstores put it in the romance section!) I feel a comment on the physical romance is allowed. Compare again Alpha and Omega to Bone Crossed. I know these are vastly different characters, but with Anna/Charles you can follow the physical activity, sense the passion and gratification. With Mercy and Adam, we get a truncated "I'm not Tim" version of the foreplay (which mostly reads like Adam is poking? and tickling her) and Mercy has to sit up at the end and say "gee that was nice" to the readers. Adam "gets down to business"? Egad.

To sum it up, I can easily see how this book could be converted to a graphic cartoon format without much loss of subtlety.

This series of books is excellent and I would recommend them to anyone who likes this genre. It is nice to read a series that has a strong female character that still has flaws, but knows it and is comfortable in her own skin. I have not been dissapointed with any of the four books.

Another perfect installment in the Mercy Thompson series! I have read every book that Patricia Briggs has written and I can honestly say that you just can't go wrong with her books..they are all excellent!

I loved Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs, it is the 4th book of the Mercy Thompson series. I have loved every book I have read in the series thus far. I can honestly say that this latest installment did not disappoint in the least. Her characters feel like friends. Every time I finish one of Ms. Briggs books, I can not wait for the next adventure. Bone Crossed takes the reader on quite an adventure, while keeping the established and beloved characters involved and exciting to the last page. I love this series!

I love this series! Mercy and Adam's relationship is moving along nicely, and Adam is so sweet and caring. The character development is fabulous. I love where the story is going and cannot wait for the next installment!

now i'm new to this and i read the book in hardcover. first off what was up with that. i mean i'm aware that it must mean her fan base has increased expotentially but my greivance is how are you going to do that to your readers. i feel like my loyalty is being tested. anyway the overall story was good but it did lack a certain finesse i have come to expect from ms. briggs. its like those juggling acts where the person asks someone to keep throwing things at them or the person who spins alot of plates. these things can be very distracting. i felt like there were two stories going on and insted of taking the time to fully explore one story like the one involving stefan which i believe this is where the title bone crossed comes into play. nowhere in the other story concerning "the monster" did it come into play. and like another reader stated there was no true mystery to be solved. plus after much anticipation with mercy's and adam's burdgeoning relationship their interactions left something to be desired. i was left wanting more. what made it worse is that i feel like i wait way too long for books from the mercy thompson series to be released.

I believe I say the same thing in all of my reviews for Patricia Briggs. She is a wonderful story teller and I will read anything she publishes.

Bone Crossed continues Mercy Thompson's story. (You can read the synopsis for this book and some of the other reviews for the storyline.) PB maintains character consistency with all the players we have come to know. And, the plot continues to enthrall.

The only comment I will make is that trouble does seem to follow Mercy. Having said this, without something going on, there wouldn't be a story to write, would there?

Enjoy Bone Crossed. Savor it because we all have to wait another year for the next installment! Of course, Charles & Anna will help relieve the drought until then.

Patricia Briggs has created a delightfully, feisty yet vulnerable heroine in Mercy Thompson. The yarn is ripping, the characters are engaging, and the worlds of the werewolves, vampires and fae are internally consistent. The strength of the characterisation is founded on integrity of each character, the flaws and sometimes surprising transcending of each species' nature, and the genuine humanity and compassion embedded in the novels.
As usual, Mercy is drawn away from her safety zone; this time to encounter a vampire who avoids the limitations of his kind by sharing blood with other occult species. As usual, she conquers, but it's a great ride.
In this novel she has resolved her ambigous relationships with the men in her life, but I'm betting that there are more adventures to come. And I'm betting Briggs won't let us down.

The world building is great and I like that she has limited powers, it makes her experiences that much more exotic. I'm kind of tired of reading about the 'all powerful' masters of the universe. To work within a more limited confine of power and still be thrilling is refreshing.

I love these books and this one was no exception. Her character development and fast paced writing style keeps you flipping pages until it's finished and then you're just frustrated because you have to wait another year or two for more hah. Totally worth it though. I love this series.

I really liked this book. Fans of Mercy Thompson will enjoy the continuation of her story. The story of whats happening with the vampire seeth and the werewolves in her life. It moves right along and has a lot of sly humor and unexpected twists which I particularly enjoyed. I recommend it to anyone who likes to read paranormal stories.

I picked up the first book in this series about a month ago and read the first three books within a week. I was really psyched that the fourth book was coming out so conveniently soon.

If you like the first three books, you like this one, too. It kept me turning pages! Really entertaining and true to the characters. Can't wait for the fifth book, which is set to release this summer!

"Bone Crossed" is good: both on its own, and as part of the Mercy Thompson series. With so many urban fantasy series out there, it is rare to find an entry in a series that is a satisfying read, and not merely a place holder in the complete work.

very good installment, you need to have read the previous books to really get into this one. Mercy is Mercy, and that is the key to this book, as to all of them. interesting new characters, and a good way to keep Mercy alive, are all that it takes to make this a very good read.

it would be interesting to take Mercy away from this setting for a whole book to see how she handles things.

j

Patricia Briggs knows how to keep a story moving.... This is a fun novel that advances the series nicely while still letting the reader continue to know and love Mercy. I can't wait for the next book!

If I didn't know better I'd think this woman was were or something else what a breath of fresh air this lady knows human and animal it's eerie thank you I look forward to the next installment I'm well and truly hooked

This book starts off where the last book left off instead of two months, two weeks, or two days later. I liked that because I was really curious how Adam was going to handle Mercy's straight forwardness. I love the way Patricia Briggs writes and she left out all the stops on this one. Poor Mercy, always getting into trouble when all she wants to do is keep her nose out of it. I laughed, I held my breath, and at one point, I do believe I cried. I definitely recommend any to read this one...and then read it over again.

I really enjoyed reading all of her books. I wished that they wouldnt end, I would like to see what else they could get into and read more about sam and his mate and more about Mercy and Adam. The action never seemed to stop although some of the descriptions got a little long winded but still a very good read.

A little more emotionally deep, very well expressed I must say in regards to both her relationship with Adam and her assault from the previous book. I will continue to buy this series and seek out Patricia's other series.

I have read all of the books in the series and this one was a great read. If you have read any of the prior books, you will have learned that Mercy is a shapeshifter. I won't go over the entire plot as others as done that here, but I will say this is a quick fast paced read, full of action, ghosts, vampires, werewolves and I really enjoyed it.

another credit to patricia briggs. By the time I read this book, 4th in the mercy series, I was fixated with the characters. The story had some very interesting twists. the end only left me wanting more story. thankfully the next book will be out in 2010. Cant wait to find out what Mercy gets into next. the book is a quick easy, action packed read. It seemed as if there was alomost no time left for Mercy to be in love.

I have come to enjoy this series. The lead character is a very strong willed women, who still exhibits some human foibles. With strong male characters who are not cliches, and a mix of fantastical creatures. This was a good installment in the series, with one drawback.

At the end of the last book, Mercy, kills the creature who raped her. One of the back stories throughout this book, is the developing relationship between Mercy and the local Alpha, Adam. When one considers that the entire duration of this book is less than a month after the rape, the consummation of their mating shows a disturbing lack of understanding of the trauma process. To consumate the mating, Adam gets Mercy so "hot" that she forgets the trauma. Sorry but that just wouldn't happen--at least not that quickly after the event.

Other than this lack of insight, the book and story are a good read.

Just wanted to know why the kindle price didn't go down when the paperback came out. I've been waiting for the price to drop but...still about ten bucks? I feel like I should just wait until I go to the mall and buy the paperback.

I won't rehash the plot as other reviewers have done a wonderful job. I enjoyed this book which, like the entire series, for the most part, is tautological fiction and surprisingly believable for a book about things that go bump in the night.

However, there are 2 issues with the series that come to the forefront in this book, one small, one large.

The small: how many times do I have to see, in a book by a professional novelist, ostensibly edited, and likely written in a program with spell check, the word "judgment" misspelled? It appears in this book alone 5 times as "judgement." Like many readers, typos take me out of the plot, and this is a common one, but still...how the hell can a book get published with such an error? And it appears in every damned book in this series!

The large (spoiler): Mercy's rape makes no sense. Rape is a serious subject, and frankly in most urban fantasy novels with female protagonists, if they were real, it'd happen all the time. When I heard in the last book she was raped, before I read it, I expect it to be Stefan, spurned.

To my surprise it was in fact a rape due to spurned affection, but of a random character who was the villain. Seeing the aftereffects in this novel it seems the only reason for the rape is 1) to delay sex between Mercy & Adam and 2) to give a reason why Adam with his dominance, and Mercy with her stubbornness, could work but forcing Adam to take a passive stance that would be in no way, shape, or form, natural for an Alpha.

Rape is a very serious subject, and should be dealt with more in fiction. Even in the act as described in the last book the author kind of wimps out on the truth: roughly 1 in 3 women sexually assaulted experiences an orgasm or feeling of pleasure, that's the source of most shame and guilt. It's a natural response of the body but the disconnect between body and mind creates the biggest issue in healing. That was skipped over entirely, magic used as the source of shame, and then in this book her reactions are only half-hearted in terms of how most real rape survivors would act, the shame period surprisingly short.

It bothers me, and it may just be my opinion, that rape here is used as a plot device the way romance novels use honor/virginity to delay sex between protagonists.

In this book Mercy would have, if a real person, taken much longer to heal and been far more skittish. I think if you're going to introduce a serious subject,treat it right.

A few errors like this are part of why I doubt this series will ever be quite as big as some others, but it's still enjoyable. Just be warned when you read it: if you yourself are a rape survivor, this may turn your stomach.

She did it again, another success. It was a great read and i loved Stefan in this book, hope to read more about him!!
P.S. Less romance than usual, probably because of what happened in IK, but i liked it more like this.

There was a new plot line in this book with the Amber/Darkwood theme, however I felt it was a very minor part of the book. Actually, she could have written the entire book without that plot line in it at all, and the characters would have been at the same place/situation in the end regardless.

Most of the book was spent just following up on stories presented in the other books. Mainly the whole rape situation with Tim, Mercy killing a vampire, and the pack structure. All of these which were plots from past books. I don't mind carrying over past themes, it's what makes a series. But this book was nothing but past themes. The first two books in this series are much better still(those really pulled me in), and so is her Cry Wolf novel.

I LOVED this new addition to Mercy Thompson's world. It is a world I love to live in even if it is for a short period of time while I read it. It has nonstop action that leaves you thinking along with the characters. I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait for the next one!

i have read many books in my fourteen years of living and these by far have won my heart. twilight is up here with the mercy thompson series. if you enjoy this genre as much as i do then this series is a must read. Patricia Briggs is incredible. i am an aspiring author and she is my role model and this series is definetly my example :)

I wanted to say first off, Thanks to the publisher for making this book avaliable on the Kindle. I pushed that little button every chance I got!

I downloaded it yesterday and sat reading untill my husband dragged me to bed. I'm only 1/2way through, but the book has exceeded my expectations.

Bone Crossed is another great installment in the Mercy Thompson series. The characters of Mercy, Adam, and Stefan continue to grow, and suck you into their world. I'm already looking for a new story staring Mercy and her pack.

This book was overall very very average. The writing and character development were on par with the first (3) books, but the storyline was unexciting and out of balance. The first 4/5 of the book provide emotional wrap up for plots from the second and third books...and they should have occurred in the second or third book. Briggs captures only a hint of the energy of the previous stories in the last 20 pages. Basically, the reader gets gypped on this book, [...] bucks for about 2 or 3 chapters of new storyline. I recommend waiting for the paperback.

I love this series. I love how Mercy is finally coming into her own. I love her supportive friends and mate. But most of all I love how each installment of the series is fresh and imaginative. The actual plot of each book is very suspenseful along with developing myth arc. On to book 5 without pausing.

Hooked on PB series whether it be Alpha/Omega or Mercy Thompson. PB is a terrific storyteller, fleshing out the primary and secondary characters, while making the plotline run as smooth as silk.

Kudos to Patricia for making it into hardcover, she definitely deserves it!

Why only 3 stars after all this praise? I don't think PB's head and heart was in this book. It was flat and felt like the start of "house payment" stories the authors pull together to fulfill a publisher's contract. We all have "off" days, I sincerely wish Patricia the best in completing the remainder of the Mercy series. Mercy is too interesting in the previous 3 books and PB set a new standard in Urban Fantasy in those books to continue down this below par path.

I can't even remember how the book ended, and I finished just two nights ago. I can remember what happened in book three just from the constant re-cap in the fourth though. That's how much of a new story was in this one. Briggs gets one star for this book just on writing, not what she wrote, but the quality of her writing in general.

I have no problem with what I like to call "junk food" books. Moon Called and even Blood Bound were exceptional junk food reads. I got through them in a jiffy and it was a nice change of pace in between the things I have to read for school. I was enthused about the story and was eager to see where it was going. And then it stopped.

I've noticed since Iron Kissed and even her character in Cry Wolf from the Alpha/Omega series (like another reviewer mentioned) that Mercy is becoming a little too awesome. Some have said she has a Wonder Woman complex and I have to agree. When a woman who is raised by werewolves (the most awesome of the awesome were, to be exact) and is a shape-shifter herself, claims she is a Plain Jane, then that just makes me irritated as the reader. She's poor but she runs a shop that was given to her? Before I go onto anything else, how can a woman who has no husband/lover or children not have money when she runs her own business that has been established in the books that she has a pretty decent and steady client base? She's not pretty, but the book covers make it clear that They want us to think she's a tattoo-covered juggy and has three, THREE, supernatural men in love with her? Two are alpha werewolves and another is an old vampire from Italy. Oh yeah, Mercy is a dog (no pun intended.) She's nothing special, but she has allies in almost every supernatural culture in the Tri-Cities. Sure. Aside from the rape, which I will get to in a minute, everything falls into place for her. She knows what to do, always (I'll touch on that too in another minute) and since the third installment, it is hinted that Mercy, being a coyote shifter, is so speshul that her kind have been hunted by vampires to near extinction. She is the last. Rrright... Briggs had a good thing going but now Mercy is nothing more than another Bella Swan, or any other Mary Sue to be made.

Before I get into the plot for this book, let me address the things carried over from Book 3. In Iron Kissed, Mercy has an experience equivalent to being date-raped. A human man makes her drink wine from a fae goblet that basically gives him dominion over her. She, being the smart-ass that she is, pop offs one too many times and he shows her what exactly he can make her do. Sound horrible? Well, Briggs does not show anything graphic and it wasn't until a few pages later, where she flat out tells us she was raped, that I knew for sure. This isn't necessarily bad. Some things do not need to be detailed. However Briggs, through Mercy, rehashes this over and over that it was a big deal and she is a victim, that I felt if she wanted us to be bothered by this, she should not have wrote it the way she had. Second, I felt Briggs treated rape as a vehicle for her plot to move along. Hmmm, now that I think about it, the heroine from the Alpha/Omega series is raped too, and that is a main vehicle for Cry Wolf. Well, that's something to ponder for another day... Anyway, the problem I have with my second point is that Briggs is a good writer. Rape is horrible. She can do better than using rape as a vehicle to move a sub-plot along in an urban fantasy about shape-shifters and werewolves.

Now for this plot. It is wafer-thin and just as brittle. The actual plot shows up several chapters in and is wrapped up in a chapter in a thirteen-chapter story. It takes her one end of one chapter to get kidnapped and then one whole chapter to be sad, terrified, angry, beat up and then outsmart her thousands of years-old vampire foe to beat him. Only one person dies and its someone who we only met this book and Mercy didn't much care for her anyway. This is a problem I have with people writing vampires into their books. Briggs means to tell me that this twenty-ish, 30 lbs. (she beats this into our heads) coyote defeated an ancient vampire who other vampires refer to as The Monster? Sorry, but I'm not biting. Oh, and in the previous book, Mercy "acquires" a wooden, fae walking stick that supposedly helped farmers long ago have fruitful herds of livestock. She doesn't know why it follows her around, seeing as she is not a farmer. Anywho, when she is the vampire's captive, she finds she is sharing her basement prison with a green man. He says to her once she tells him her name that "Oak said Mercy will set me free." Or some such poppycock. Hmmm, green man... oak... Could he possibly mean the WOODEN STICK THAT'S BEEN HINTED AT FOR THE LAST BOOK AND A HALF??! Wow, I am clever. Because this stick can also change into a spear, that the green man throws with great accuracy, the day is saved and The Monster is dead. *face-palm* I had many other problems with the plot, but these previously mentioned take the cake.

I think what ticks me off most is that Mercy is a Mary Sue of convenience. Earlier in the book they all meet at this fae bar to talk werewolf business and all the pack and the fae start freaking out and changing and almost kill each other. Mercy JUST KNOWS something is making them all aggressive and after a bit of looking around and sniffing, she finds a mojo bag dangling from the ceiling. She shifts, runs up a large fae that calls himself a snow elf, snatches the bag and runs away, calming everyone in the process. Okay, so she can do that but not piece together until the last minute that the walking stick following her around is what she will need to face The Monster? That's just bad writing on Briggs' part. The characters became standees. Especially Adam and Samuel, albeit "sexy" and "gorgeous" standees. Gah, I was expecting to see the word "dazzling" jump out at me. It's a shame because they both were mildly interesting. Samuel more so. I wouldn't mind seeing a spin-off for him, but it would probably only be to get him a love interest of his own, and that would be lame.

All in all it had good writing. The story and characters were weak and the plot uber predictable. I think I'm done with the Mercy Thompson series.

This book was exactly like when someone is bored with the story and gives a half-hearted performance and when their editor is just as bored and doesn't read the book.

It wasn't bad, but it was not like the Alpha/Omega and other Mercy books. And it obviously wasn't loved. The story was flat and meaningless. Briggs describes a house, room by room that has no importance to the story, she describes Mercy's socks, and a few other totally unimportant to the storyline items which leave you with a foreshadowing that never comes. Things that had the book been edited well, would have been taken out.

The Adam/Mercy romance was nill, which I could deal with, but the story just wasn't there.

The ending was... well there was no ending. It seemed as if she chose a spot to stop writing because she was tired, and did. There is a minor wrap up, LKH style, but besides that, nothing.

It's a sad sad day when authors stop caring about their characters and Patricia Briggs has done just that.

Of all 4 Mercy Thompson books, this book 4 is the best.
This lady has guts and she deserves respect, but the vampire who raped her was a monster. She was born for Adam, the Alpha of Tri-City. She knows when to fight and she knows when to shut up. Deep down inside herself, she loves Sam, but not the same way as with Adam. But she was always afraid to show, and yet sometimes she does really want to let herself go when he's around. She did once, a week after she got raped. But Adam isn't that stupid. He loves her more than he shows. He respects her, too. He loved her the very first time he announced to his pack that she was his mate, for that I am sure. Of course, he was jealous of Sam.
But Sam, too, knew when to back out.
I like the plain english language that Patricia Briggs uses. This series is really decent, sex wise. Not even horrid or not that violent really for a vampire-werewolf story.
I was captured by the story and just swallowed the book in one trait from beginning to end. I just could not lay the book down, not even for a second. I will definitely recommend the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs to all. These stories could be true, if you believe there are vampires and shape-shifters in this world.

Ugh! I can't with you, Ms. Briggs.
Have I even read the same book as other reviewers? I would like to preface this by saying that I don't ofen write reviews, but in this instance I cannot hold myself back. I purchased books 1 & 2, based on recommendations from the store and in no small part based on customer reviews. I thought the concept of a "walker" was fresh and original and was looking forward to reading the series. After getting over my embarassment at the cover art, I tucked right in, expecting an exceptional read. I was a bit disappointed as most of the characters(especially Mercy)seemed so one-dimensional. I read the customer reviews for book 3 and decided to opt out, based on the "brutal rape" that so many reviewers mentioned. I was extremely hesitant to read something so disturbing, but again after all of the glowing reviews I decided to give the series another try. The third book was extremely disappointing as I don't believe that the scene with "Tim the Rapist" was truly necessary. But since I had purchased books 3 & 4 at the same time, I continued on.
I am currently stuck on Chapter 10 of Bone Crossed and cannot continue. I am so tired of reading that Mercy is "stubborn" yet is so submissive that she cannot make eye contact with any of the other characters. Please. I am also tired of reading that Adam is constantly angry with her and at her attempts to appease him. Really? Would any woman date a man like this in real life? A single father who is entirely too possesive and who apparently has some sort of anger management issues? Please, just please. Additionally, reading about Adam's supreme Alpha abilities every other chapter has left me frustrated.
I felt that there was not enough description of the characters and their surroundings to bring me into the world of the "Tri-Cities". As I am left to assume that Mercy is as pictured on the covers of these books I find her appearance to be even more unsavory and unclean than Ms. Briggs has described this protagonist. I also felt that there was nothing written that made me identify with these characters, and felt insulted at Ms. Briggs attempt to garner sympathy for the lead character through the use of sexual assault. I know that I am not with the majority on this, but I would suggest saving your time and money and looking elsewhere for a satisfying urban fantasy.

I was going to give it 1 star but I give it a 2. Why? She succumbed to hard backitis and I hate having to buy a hard back because I just couldn't wait. The book was great, the character development is coming along superbly and the story line is whoo! a buttocks kicker. She's in my top 10. If only she could do more books a year. Her insite into Mercy is rigt on.

O.K. This girl just cannot keep herself out of the middle of everything. The vampire queen is out to get her, another vampire male wants her, the alpha in her pack is now hers and everything just keeps getting deeper. I guess I'll never get bored reading these novels. I hope Patricia Briggs just keeps them coming.

Hooked on PB series whether it be Alpha/Omega or Mercy Thompson. PB is a terrific storyteller, fleshing out the primary and secondary characters, while making the plotline run as smooth as silk.

Kudos to Patricia for making it into hardcover, she definitely deserves it!

Why only 3 stars after all this praise? I don't think PB's head and heart was in this book. It was flat and felt like the start of "house payment" stories the authors pull together to fulfill a publisher's contract. We all have "off" days, I sincerely wish Patricia the best in completing the remainder of the Mercy series. Mercy is too interesting in the previous 3 books and PB set a new standard in Urban Fantasy in those books to continue down this below par path.

I can't even remember how the book ended, and I finished just two nights ago. I can remember what happened in book three just from the constant re-cap in the fourth though. That's how much of a new story was in this one. Briggs gets one star for this book just on writing, not what she wrote, but the quality of her writing in general.

I have no problem with what I like to call "junk food" books. Moon Called and even Blood Bound were exceptional junk food reads. I got through them in a jiffy and it was a nice change of pace in between the things I have to read for school. I was enthused about the story and was eager to see where it was going. And then it stopped.

I've noticed since Iron Kissed and even her character in Cry Wolf from the Alpha/Omega series (like another reviewer mentioned) that Mercy is becoming a little too awesome. Some have said she has a Wonder Woman complex and I have to agree. When a woman who is raised by werewolves (the most awesome of the awesome were, to be exact) and is a shape-shifter herself, claims she is a Plain Jane, then that just makes me irritated as the reader. She's poor but she runs a shop that was given to her? Before I go onto anything else, how can a woman who has no husband/lover or children not have money when she runs her own business that has been established in the books that she has a pretty decent and steady client base? She's not pretty, but the book covers make it clear that They want us to think she's a tattoo-covered juggy and has three, THREE, supernatural men in love with her? Two are alpha werewolves and another is an old vampire from Italy. Oh yeah, Mercy is a dog (no pun intended.) She's nothing special, but she has allies in almost every supernatural culture in the Tri-Cities. Sure. Aside from the rape, which I will get to in a minute, everything falls into place for her. She knows what to do, always (I'll touch on that too in another minute) and since the third installment, it is hinted that Mercy, being a coyote shifter, is so speshul that her kind have been hunted by vampires to near extinction. She is the last. Rrright... Briggs had a good thing going but now Mercy is nothing more than another Bella Swan, or any other Mary Sue to be made.

Before I get into the plot for this book, let me address the things carried over from Book 3. In Iron Kissed, Mercy has an experience equivalent to being date-raped. A human man makes her drink wine from a fae goblet that basically gives him dominion over her. She, being the smart-ass that she is, pop offs one too many times and he shows her what exactly he can make her do. Sound horrible? Well, Briggs does not show anything graphic and it wasn't until a few pages later, where she flat out tells us she was raped, that I knew for sure. This isn't necessarily bad. Some things do not need to be detailed. However Briggs, through Mercy, rehashes this over and over that it was a big deal and she is a victim, that I felt if she wanted us to be bothered by this, she should not have wrote it the way she had. Second, I felt Briggs treated rape as a vehicle for her plot to move along. Hmmm, now that I think about it, the heroine from the Alpha/Omega series is raped too, and that is a main vehicle for Cry Wolf. Well, that's something to ponder for another day... Anyway, the problem I have with my second point is that Briggs is a good writer. Rape is horrible. She can do better than using rape as a vehicle to move a sub-plot along in an urban fantasy about shape-shifters and werewolves.

Now for this plot. It is wafer-thin and just as brittle. The actual plot shows up several chapters in and is wrapped up in a chapter in a thirteen-chapter story. It takes her one end of one chapter to get kidnapped and then one whole chapter to be sad, terrified, angry, beat up and then outsmart her thousands of years-old vampire foe to beat him. Only one person dies and its someone who we only met this book and Mercy didn't much care for her anyway. This is a problem I have with people writing vampires into their books. Briggs means to tell me that this twenty-ish, 30 lbs. (she beats this into our heads) coyote defeated an ancient vampire who other vampires refer to as The Monster? Sorry, but I'm not biting. Oh, and in the previous book, Mercy "acquires" a wooden, fae walking stick that supposedly helped farmers long ago have fruitful herds of livestock. She doesn't know why it follows her around, seeing as she is not a farmer. Anywho, when she is the vampire's captive, she finds she is sharing her basement prison with a green man. He says to her once she tells him her name that "Oak said Mercy will set me free." Or some such poppycock. Hmmm, green man... oak... Could he possibly mean the WOODEN STICK THAT'S BEEN HINTED AT FOR THE LAST BOOK AND A HALF??! Wow, I am clever. Because this stick can also change into a spear, that the green man throws with great accuracy, the day is saved and The Monster is dead. *face-palm* I had many other problems with the plot, but these previously mentioned take the cake.

I think what ticks me off most is that Mercy is a Mary Sue of convenience. Earlier in the book they all meet at this fae bar to talk werewolf business and all the pack and the fae start freaking out and changing and almost kill each other. Mercy JUST KNOWS something is making them all aggressive and after a bit of looking around and sniffing, she finds a mojo bag dangling from the ceiling. She shifts, runs up a large fae that calls himself a snow elf, snatches the bag and runs away, calming everyone in the process. Okay, so she can do that but not piece together until the last minute that the walking stick following her around is what she will need to face The Monster? That's just bad writing on Briggs' part. The characters became standees. Especially Adam and Samuel, albeit "sexy" and "gorgeous" standees. Gah, I was expecting to see the word "dazzling" jump out at me. It's a shame because they both were mildly interesting. Samuel more so. I wouldn't mind seeing a spin-off for him, but it would probably only be to get him a love interest of his own, and that would be lame.

All in all it had good writing. The story and characters were weak and the plot uber predictable. I think I'm done with the Mercy Thompson series.

This book was exactly like when someone is bored with the story and gives a half-hearted performance and when their editor is just as bored and doesn't read the book.

It wasn't bad, but it was not like the Alpha/Omega and other Mercy books. And it obviously wasn't loved. The story was flat and meaningless. Briggs describes a house, room by room that has no importance to the story, she describes Mercy's socks, and a few other totally unimportant to the storyline items which leave you with a foreshadowing that never comes. Things that had the book been edited well, would have been taken out.

The Adam/Mercy romance was nill, which I could deal with, but the story just wasn't there.

The ending was... well there was no ending. It seemed as if she chose a spot to stop writing because she was tired, and did. There is a minor wrap up, LKH style, but besides that, nothing.

It's a sad sad day when authors stop caring about their characters and Patricia Briggs has done just that.

Of all 4 Mercy Thompson books, this book 4 is the best.
This lady has guts and she deserves respect, but the vampire who raped her was a monster. She was born for Adam, the Alpha of Tri-City. She knows when to fight and she knows when to shut up. Deep down inside herself, she loves Sam, but not the same way as with Adam. But she was always afraid to show, and yet sometimes she does really want to let herself go when he's around. She did once, a week after she got raped. But Adam isn't that stupid. He loves her more than he shows. He respects her, too. He loved her the very first time he announced to his pack that she was his mate, for that I am sure. Of course, he was jealous of Sam.
But Sam, too, knew when to back out.
I like the plain english language that Patricia Briggs uses. This series is really decent, sex wise. Not even horrid or not that violent really for a vampire-werewolf story.
I was captured by the story and just swallowed the book in one trait from beginning to end. I just could not lay the book down, not even for a second. I will definitely recommend the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs to all. These stories could be true, if you believe there are vampires and shape-shifters in this world.

Ugh! I can't with you, Ms. Briggs.
Have I even read the same book as other reviewers? I would like to preface this by saying that I don't ofen write reviews, but in this instance I cannot hold myself back. I purchased books 1 & 2, based on recommendations from the store and in no small part based on customer reviews. I thought the concept of a "walker" was fresh and original and was looking forward to reading the series. After getting over my embarassment at the cover art, I tucked right in, expecting an exceptional read. I was a bit disappointed as most of the characters(especially Mercy)seemed so one-dimensional. I read the customer reviews for book 3 and decided to opt out, based on the "brutal rape" that so many reviewers mentioned. I was extremely hesitant to read something so disturbing, but again after all of the glowing reviews I decided to give the series another try. The third book was extremely disappointing as I don't believe that the scene with "Tim the Rapist" was truly necessary. But since I had purchased books 3 & 4 at the same time, I continued on.
I am currently stuck on Chapter 10 of Bone Crossed and cannot continue. I am so tired of reading that Mercy is "stubborn" yet is so submissive that she cannot make eye contact with any of the other characters. Please. I am also tired of reading that Adam is constantly angry with her and at her attempts to appease him. Really? Would any woman date a man like this in real life? A single father who is entirely too possesive and who apparently has some sort of anger management issues? Please, just please. Additionally, reading about Adam's supreme Alpha abilities every other chapter has left me frustrated.
I felt that there was not enough description of the characters and their surroundings to bring me into the world of the "Tri-Cities". As I am left to assume that Mercy is as pictured on the covers of these books I find her appearance to be even more unsavory and unclean than Ms. Briggs has described this protagonist. I also felt that there was nothing written that made me identify with these characters, and felt insulted at Ms. Briggs attempt to garner sympathy for the lead character through the use of sexual assault. I know that I am not with the majority on this, but I would suggest saving your time and money and looking elsewhere for a satisfying urban fantasy.

I was going to give it 1 star but I give it a 2. Why? She succumbed to hard backitis and I hate having to buy a hard back because I just couldn't wait. The book was great, the character development is coming along superbly and the story line is whoo! a buttocks kicker. She's in my top 10. If only she could do more books a year. Her insite into Mercy is rigt on.