I usually enjoy Lisa Jackson's books and so, when I saw how thick this one was, I got excited. Well, today I made it 3/4 of the way throgh the book and gave up. I found this one to be boring; the pace of the book was tedious and the protagonist is a mess. She has good intentions but the actions and decisions she makes are really bizarre. Can't recommend this one.

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This is a five star book all the way until page 350 then until about page 500 it is an okay read. I am not sure what happened but it fell flat for a while, then it picked up and ended on a great note. This is a good story, it has well developed characters, a good story and thrills, it just has a little hiccup in the middle. Perhaps the book should have been a little shorter and then it would have fell into place better. This is not a typical Lisa Jackson book that is about 300 pages and full of roller coaster thrills on every page. It takes a little while to develop the story, introduce the characters and it has many sub-plots that are not fully explained by the end. That being said, I rate it a four star.

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The Blue Rock Academy is the last chance for troubled delinquents who have had run-ins with the law. Seventeen year old Shaylee was ordered there by a judge after a string of crimes to include theft and possession, etc. Her sister, unemployed teacher Julie "Jules" Farentino, knows Shaylee needs help, but fears Blue Rock may not be the answer. One of students Lauren Conroy disappeared from their school and she has never been found.

Acting on her feelings especially after consulting with her cousin's husband, who was a T.A. at Blue Rock, Jules applies for a teaching position at the academy. Posing as a teacher at Blue Rock is Cooper Trent who was hired by Lauren's parents to find out what happened to their daughter and to Jules' chagrin the only man she ever loved. When Jules arrives at the exclusive Oregon school, she finds the place in an uproar as two bodies were found. As Trent and Jules team up, their feelings emerge though they try to deny them. If they can survive the dangerous undercover cloak and dagger, each wonders whether their relationship will endure afterward.

Lisa Jackson can always be counted on to deliver a pulse pounding original thriller. Jules is an ordinary woman who loves her disturbed half-sister so much she places herself at risk to learn what is going on at the academy that put her sibling over the edge. Filled with surprising twists, fans will be stunned and entertained throughout as Ms. Jackson provides a tense undercover romantic suspense.

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This was my first Lisa Jackson book and it will be my last. I wish I had looked at the author info and her "last words" in the back of the book, where she announces no less than 3 books forthcoming in 2011! She wrote over 75 books so far.

Anyway, the characters are cookie-cutter, hardly any character development, with some soft-porn scenes thrown in. A romance/mystery-type book. There is a twist at the end, but other than that it's just one big red herring. Poor use of language, lots of repetitious phrases and cliches.

Don't buy if you like well-written mysteries, in which the characters act plausible.

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Blue Rock Academy prides itself on its beliefs, reaching out with God to help the wayward teens turn their lives around, but someone is twisting those beliefs for his own sinister purpose.

Julia "Jules" Farentino doesn't trust the school that her half-sister Shaylee has been sent to. Blue Rock Academy is well known for helping troubled teenagers, and Shaylee had the choice of the school or juvenile detention. She thought she chose the better of the two options, but Jules disagrees. A teenager recently disappeared from the school and her body still hasn't been found. Jules suspects foul play, but she can't prove it. In fact, ever since Jules found her father murdered, she has been plagued by nightmares. It makes her wonder if her suspicions are all in her head.

Jules has been looking for work lately and during her perusal of the school's website, she sees that they are looking for a teacher. She impulsively applies; the school soon contacts her, and she is hired. But on her way to the elusive school, she gets a phone call. A second student has been found dead and another one is in critical condition. Jules is desperate to get her sister released from the school, but she wants to get to the bottom of the disappearance of one student and the murder of another.

Cooper Trent used to be a good ole boy, ranching and riding in rodeos. He and Jules once had a hot and heavy relationship and were very much in love. But Jules couldn't handle the relationship and her father's death, so she broke it off. Now, Cooper is working as an undercover detective at the school to gather clues about the disappearance of a student. He is shocked when Jules takes a position there. Even though the two of them still have feelings for one another, they try to put it on the back burner until they solve the sinister evil behind the murder and disappearance of the students. However, the killer sets his sights on the lovely Jules, and they will have to work together to rid the world of an evil presence before he kills again.

Lisa Jackson is a master of suspense and WITHOUT MERCY is no exception. The pages literally fly by as you find yourself caught in her web of suspense. The plot is solid and tight, the characters real and vibrant. The thoughts in the killers head had me shivering with apprehension, as I turned the pages late into the night. If you love an edge-of-your-seat thriller, you will love WITHOUT MERCY!

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