The Mercy Oak

Bay Tanner #8

by Kathryn R. Wall

#8 in the Bay Tanner Mystery Series The new case for young widow and sometime private investigator Bay Tanner strikes too close to home when an unexpected call from her housekeeper's son threatens to endanger those she holds dear. Roberto Santiago hints that the victim of a recent hit-and-run may have been a local crusader for the rights of illegal immigrants—and that it wasn't an accident. Before Bay can launch an investigation, the young man disappears. Meanwhile, Bay's brother-in-law and suitor, Sheriff's Sergeant Red Tanner, is up to his ears in a string of holdups terrorizing the Lowcountry. When Lavinia Smalls, longtime companion to Bay's crippled father, is caught up in one of the armed robberies, Bay finds herself enmeshed in yet another mystery. What does Lavinia know about the gang of thieves, and what clues does her friend, the ancient black man with the intricately carved walking stick, carry in his muddled memory? When the threatening phone calls begin, Bay knows she's on the right track. Almost too late she discovers that tempers run hot and prejudices deep when it comes to the growing immigrant population of the sultry South Carolina Lowcountry. . . . . . . . . . . "Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, and Marcia Muller come to mind as the quintessential writers of the modern female private eye novel. Wall, in a quiet and unassuming way, has produced a body of work of equal quality. Highly recommended."
—Library Journal on The Mercy Oak

Genres: Mystery, Southern, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

276 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2008

About the author

Kathy wrote her first story at the age of six, then decided to take a few decades off. She grew up in a small town in northeastern Ohio and attended college in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. For twenty-five years she practiced her profession as an accountant in both public and private practice. In 1994 she and her husband Norman retired to Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Her road to publishing success has taken many twists and turns. She self-published her first Bay Tanner mystery, In For a Penny, in 2001 using the innovative print-on-demand technology. Its success led to an offer from a small, regional publisher who reissued the first novel along with its sequel, And Not a Penny More, on Valentine's Day of 2002. A reprint of both books had to be ordered within six weeks.

Then serendipity struck. An editor for St. Martin's Press, visiting relatives in nearby Beaufort, was introduced to the Bay Tanner mysteries. A month later she called to offer Kathy a hardcover contract. They have since published Perdition House, Judas Island, Resurrection Road, Bishop's Reach and Sanctuary Hill in both hardcover and paperback. The eighth Bay Tanner novel, The Mercy Oak, is slated for release April, 2008.

Kathy is a founding member of Island Writers' Network and serves as treasurer for both the Sisters in Crime National Board and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

Kathy has been a mentor in the Hilton Head schools and participates as a Friend of Literacy Volunteers of the Lowcountry. When not writing and touring for her books, Kathy and Norman play tennis, share long walks on the beach, and enjoy the lush beauty of the tidal marsh from the decks of their Hilton Head condominium. She has two stepsons and four grandchildren.

Series:
* Bay Tanner

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the grown up version of Nancy Drew Mystery's! I love them all!

[Brenda Cappy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Kept my interest the whole time

[Amy Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was set on Hilton Head Island, SC so I loved all the SC references right down to the Sea Pines traffic circle. Unfortunately, I wasn't really into the mystery story line. I think I should have started with the first book in the series so I could better understand the character relationships.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bay Tanner's 8th outing is yet another pro bono investigation--thank goodness she has a trust fund and a partner who is actively seeking work for their firm. This time, her adventures take her into the world of immigration, focusing on the Low Country Hispanic population. This ten-year-old novel doesn't have the strident tone of today's discourse on illegals; rather, the focus is post-9/11, which lands Bay in the midst of FBI and DHS cases. The mystery, when solved, is quite simple, yet is presented as unnecessarily convoluted. Then there's Bay's new romance. I am not on board with this one. The three stars are more for Hilton Head, the local characters, and landmarks.

[Barb VanHorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series and following developments in Bay Tanner's life. Easy reads (a good break from some of my more challenging book club books!) but nicely written. Some character development... some interesting plots... And, as someone who lives part-time on Hilton Head Island, it's fun to recognize local landmarks.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not an exceptionally great book. I just enjoyed hearing from an old friend.

[Pcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realistic

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a very interesting or mysterious police/FBI story. Kind of slow and predictable. Would not recommend.

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is Christmas time in South Carolina’s low country where Bay Tanner runs her private investigator business. There’s a brief mention in the local paper about a Latina who died in what looked to be a car/pedestrian accident. But Bay gets a disturbing phone call from the son of her housekeeper who expresses concern that the girl’s death was not accidental.

Not long after the phone call, Bay’s housekeeper mysteriously disappears with her son, leaving only a clue that she is calling from a pay phone in the airport in Savannah.

This is a mystery you’ll quickly forget, but it’s worth your time, since the character of Bay Tanner is someone you’ll find endearing. She understands the complexities of the high-society southern lifestyle while rejecting all of it for a simpler more practical way to live. Of course, there are some tiresome predictabilities in here as well. Bay has (yawn) a cop boyfriend ever ready to liberate her from either her stupid self or someone else’s stupid decisions that negatively impact Bay. As an aside, I truly don’t get why so many of these female sleuths need a cop boyfriend. What’s the message here: Are these seemingly strong, independent, capable women actually frauds who just can’t succeed without he-man the hero cop to step in at the last minute? Show me that female detective whose husband/boyfriend/whatever is a guy who knows nothing about police work, and I’ll probably read the book just because it’s so unique. But that’s more than enough ranting from me.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the midst of a community debating immigration issues, a young woman is run down under suspicious circumstances. As the main character investigates, she finds a situation that is more complicated than first appeared. I think the author thought she was being balanced in her depiction of the immigration issue. Instead, I found that the main character had a lot of subtle (and not-so-subtle) racism, and the author lacked an understanding of the people (especially the immigrants) she was writing about. They end up being rather flat caricatures. The ending doesn't convincingly tie the different threads of the mystery together either. I got this book because I like mysteries that have a policial/social aspect to them, like Sara Paretsky, but this book disappointed on several levels.

[Cecily · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a murder mystery however the real mystery is figuring out why our heroinne has such a chip on her shoulder. That would be Bay Tanner and she is supposed to be portrayed as bold and gutsy, highly intellectual and undaunting female. However every action she takes depicts her as a stubborn, irrational, reckless and subconsciously bigotted annoyance. Even when in the midst of her investigation she gets shut down and threatened by the FBI who is already on top of things and about to solve the case, she ignores warnings and continues steadfast on her crusade. Sufficed to say she did nothing to really solve the case but rather interfered with an FBI operation.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series--it is a bit on the light side, but entertaining, and not too improbable (although she is now sleeping with her folmer BIL, which does seem a bit on the 'typical' Southern side of things). This one is a good addition to the series, with enough twists and turns, and some bad ole boys who get what's coming to them. Recommended if you like this sort of thing.

[Mary Byrnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

Another exciting mystery for some of my favorite characters. I like my light cozy mysteries and an occasional intense thriller. This series falls in between these two genres for me. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Marcie Crandall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!It has a little of everything; detective work, murder, love story, etc. I would love to read more Bay Tanner mysteries.

[Vickie T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad mystery. Bay Tanner, detective widow involved with her brother-in-law, a policeman, gets involved in the disappearance of her housekeeper's son.

[Tessa in Mid-Michigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much plot really...

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

fast paced, but once again she takes the brunt of it

[Susan]

Bay Tanner mystery set on hilton head

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun---not too deep---fast read----can't seem to get enough of this series!