Mercy
Jodi Picoult
Language: English
Pages: 416
ISBN: 0743422449
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Police chief of a small Massachusetts town, Cameron McDonald makes the toughest arrest of his life when his own cousin Jamie comes to him and confesses outright that he has killed his terminally ill wife out of mercy.
Now, a heated murder trial plunges the town into upheaval, and drives a wedge into a contented marriage: Cameron, aiding the prosecution in their case against Jamie, is suddenly at odds with his devoted wife, Allie -- seduced by the idea of a man so in love with his wife that he'd grant all her wishes, even her wish to end her life. And when an inexplicable attraction leads to a shocking betrayal, Allie faces the hardest questions of the heart: when does love cross the line of moral obligation? And what does it mean to truly love another?
Praised for her "personal, detail-rich style" (Glamour), Jodi Picoult infuses this page-turning novel with heart, warmth, and startling candor, taking readers on an unforgettable emotional journey.
the Hippocratic oath, Mr. MacPhee. I’m always going to favor living.” Allie let her eyes dart over the doctor’s diplomas, wondering where Graham was going with this. He sounded like he was practicing for the real thing, although she didn’t really see the point of antagonizing a defense witness. “You’ve never upped a morphine dosage for an elderly patient? You’ve never, well, speeded things along?” “Excuse me,” the doctor said. “I didn’t realize I was the one being prosecuted.”
hit it off, and we went out for coffee after the first class.” She glanced at the jury. “Of course, I had decaf.” “How often did you two get together?” “Twice a week, at first; after every aerobics class. Then I got to the point where I had too many kids for a sitter to take care of, so I dropped the class. Maggie would come over to my house a couple of times a week, sometimes on a weekend.” “Were you aware of Maggie’s illness?” “Yeah, I was. First of all, she couldn’t get
knowing that I don’t have to talk.” Allie was silent. “What did we used to talk about?” she said finally, more to herself than to Cam. She already knew the answer: Five years ago, they had not known each other. Then, they had discussed the future, the names of their unborn children, the design of the grand mansion they would build on prime Wheelock acreage. Now, they could say entire sentences over breakfast with a simple connection of their eyes. Now, they knew each other’s surprises.
forgiveness during your trial, may this Bible begin your salvation. Jamie crumpled the note in his fist. “I haven’t forgiven God for letting Maggie get sick,” he said. “So why the hell should He bother to forgive me?” During the interminable night after Maggie asked Jamie to kill her, he must have slept for at least five minutes. He did not remember falling asleep—he thought he watched every digital flip of the clock—but at one point Jamie opened his eyes and ran his hand over Maggie’s
the conference room. Hugo Huntley, the mortician, sat alone doing a crossword puzzle. The police chief and the underling who had investigated MacDonald’s room at the Inn were bent together, heads nearly touching and dressed alike, forming in tandem a mirror image. The defendant, of course, and the defense attorney could be in Bermuda or orbiting the moon, for all she knew. In a strange and—for her side—wonderful twist of justice, the defendant had absolutely nothing to do with a grand jury