Searching for a Gripping Summer Read?

Written by Anya

Are you looking for something dark and different to add to your summer reading list? If so, you might want to check out “Searching for Blue Mercury.”

The hero (anti-hero?) of this crime thriller is Monty Parker, but the ladies like to call him Blue Mercury in appreciation of his indigo eyes. Swoon. Monty aka Blue Mercury is the lead detective on a serial murder case with a mounting victim count. To say that Monty is a troubled soul is the understatement of the century – witness this description: “For just how long he couldn’t remember, but Monty Parker needed murder. He immersed himself in it, imbibed its many humors, the same as he did with women, seeking out death and pain and all the illusions of substance and meaning they gave to his life.” Are you getting the picture – dude has a lot of baggage!

The novel intertwines Monty’s growing descent into madness with his attempts to capture the murderer. The dilemma? The bodies that are piling up all have connections to Blue Mercury himself.

The author , J.M.E. Flowers, has created a taut suspenseful story. The book works best when we are given peeks into Monty’s disturbing past and his attempts to keep it together and protect those he loves. The reader feels a genuine connection to Monty and wants to see him not only solve the case, but come out from under the weight of his demons. The twists and turns in the book are generally surprising and keep the reader turning pages. Somewhat less successful are some of the depictions of the secondary characters. Their motivations are sometimes difficult to understand or don’t make sense.

There is a possibility that the novel may be turned into a screenplay in the future and it’s fun to speculate who might ultimately play Blue Mercury. Brad Pitt? Bradley Cooper? Russell Crowe? All the elements of an interesting psychological thriller are there so I wouldn’t be surprised if “Searching for Blue Mercury” doesn’t end up on the big screen at some point. Before it does, consider picking up the novel. It’s an interesting ride to the dark side.

Anya gives this book: 3 book marks You can purchase this book in our Impefect Women Bookstore.