This is a story - or more accurately a fantasy - set in southern Alabama in the 1930s. It combines elements of mystery, romance and historical fiction and some interesting characters. The three main characters are:

Mercy Land
She is a young woman from the small rural community of Bittersweet. Mercy is a strong lead character, not that she knows it, having been raised by strong Christian parents with the added support of a maiden aunt. Determined to strike out on her own, Mercy moves to the larger town of Bay City where she becomes the right hand girl of Doc Phillips, publisher and editor of the Bay City newspaper.

Doc Phillips
Doc is an elderly newspaper man who becomes Mercy’s mentor and close friend.

John Quincy
John is an attractive stranger in town to whom Mercy is both attracted to and suspicious of.

The story begins as a mysterious book appears in Doc’s office. It is a supernatural book of light and time that seems to contain the intersecting lives of everyone in Bay City. It mesmerizes anyone who looks into it as hours slip away.

Mercy searches for the meaning of the book. She feels protective of it, not wanting it to be used for the wrong purposes.

Doc Phillips sees the book as a gift and hopes that it will right the wrongs of the past and ease a guilty conscience.

John Quincy wants the book in order to visit his past, change some events and to start again setting his life on a different path.

“Can you imagine standing where your life might have taken a different turn, where everything was different, where your story would have been written in a different tone?” John Quincy, page 320

I found the story a little confusing at times, because it is written in several points of view - narrative coming from Mercy Land, Doc Phillips’ personal journal and John Quincy’s musings. However, the book is entertaining. The story is intriguing and well worth the read.

The author, River Jordan has a gift for descriptive phrasing that brings her characters to life - making them as familiar and comfortable as your next door neighbor. And just like many of our neighbors, they are a little weird, but lovable.

River Jordan began her writing career as a playwright. She teaches and speaks nationwide on "The Power of Story", is a monthly contributor to the southern authors’ collective A Good Blog is Hard To Find, and produces and hosts the weekly radio program River Jordan Live, in Nashville, where she and her husband live. She is also the author of
Saints in Limbo".

The Miracle of Mercy Land was provided to me for review, free of charge, by Kelly Blewett of KBK Public Relations.

It can be found at Amazon.com
The Miracle of Mercy Land: A Novel