Sweet Mercy

When Eve Marryat’s father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve’s uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.

Eve can’t wait to leave St. Paul, a notorious haven for gangsters. At seventeen, she considers her family to be “good people,” not lawbreakers like so many in her neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a “safe haven,” Eve soon forms an unlikely friendship with a strange young man named Link, blissfully unaware that her uncle’s lodge is anything but what it seems.

When the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. Does she dare risk everything by exposing the man whose love and generosity is keeping her family from ruin? And when things turn dangerous, can she trust Link in spite of appearances?

Reviews of this bookIn this coming-of-age novel, Christy-winner Tatlock manages to offer readers an eclectic mixture of suspense and romance combined with deeply rooted historical elements….[She] presents endearing but flawed characters who prompt readers to explore their own bases for judgment and ethical criticism.
          — Publishers Weekly

Lush physical descriptions offer a pleasing backdrop to this tale of mystery and romance that focuses on the necessity of love and forgiveness as well as the magnitude of God’s mercy….
          — Romantic Times Book Reviews