The Mystery of Mercy Close

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Unfortunately I didn't love this book as I found it a bit too leggy in places and Helen's mind is sometimes an exhausting and hysterical place to be (no wonder she is ill!) but there were enough laughs and shenanigans to keep me going. During one of the rehearsals for the Laddz reunion show, Helen thinks she sees Zeezah touch Roger St. Leger in an inappropriate way. What was your impression of Zeezah’s reaction when Helen confronts her? While Helen's journey, including the development of her relationships with Artie, Jay and her family, sustains the book, the plot surrounding the mysterious disappearance of Wayne Diffney provides a solid framework for the story. The Laddz, desperate for a successful reunion concert to reverse their fortunes, have their own secrets and Helen has to navigate their past to save their future. Besides the Walshes, the other secondary characters are wonderfully drawn, especially Bella, one of her boyfriend's children. Speaking of boyfriends, I wasn't sure until the very near the end who exactly Helen was going to end up with. Marian really had me worried a number of times. Helen Walsh doesn’t believe in fear – it’s just a thing invented by men to get all the money and good job – and yet she’s sinking. Her work as a Private Investigator has dried up, her flat has been repossessed and now some old demons have resurfaced.

Helen has a new boyfriend, but Jay’s reappearance proves unsettling. Playing by her own rules, Helen is drawn into a dark and glamorous world, where her own worst enemy is her own head and where increasingly the only person she feels connected to is Wayne, a man she has never even met. I should never have underestimated Marian Keyes, though, because we've finally gotten Helen's story and she is real, believable, and completely sympathetic while still being the slightly dangerous, unpredictable Helen we've come to know, love and fear (just a little). I have read a couple of books about the Walsh family series (my favourite so far is ) and find them funny but poignant - Mammy Walsh is hilarious! I have so much respect and admiration for the empathy, warmth and sensitivity in her books. This is most obvious when dealing with more difficult topics, in this case depression. But it also shines through in her characters and it's a real joy to read something so non-judgemental. The reader is never looking down or looking up at the characters. You're right on the ground with them and it makes all the difference.I wish more authors I read had this skillHelen works the case for Jay Parker for quite a while before Artie discovers that he is her ex-boyfriend. Do you think Helen should have disclosed the nature of that relationship to Artie? Would you have done the same? This was distressing news. I was feeling bad enough, without my parents suddenly behaving like they were in death’s waiting room. ‘But what do you eat?’ This is the fifth, and final (?) of Keyes' Walsh family series, dealing with youngest sister, Helen. Like its predecessors it is written in first person narrative, and like the others it has a darker underlying message. I don’t say this for any reason other than to explain why I bonded so much with this story. I'm a glass half empty person, I am big enough and ugly enough now to accept that, and try to be positive to the best of my ability. I have always had mental health challenges, it runs in my family (thanks Dad). I have never considered suicide, but I can certainly relate to times when I haven’t wanted to be alive. If these are feelings you would rather not read about than this is not the book for you. It’ll be like being wrapped up in a big marshmallow cocoon; we’ll feel all floaty and happy and dreamy . . .’

Such a disappointing book. The pace of the story is too slow and there is so little action. Romance is light on the ground and there is little exploration of Helen Walsh's relationships, which is a pity as both Jay Parker (the ex) and Artie Devlin (the current one) are interesting characters. There wasn't enough involvement by Mammy Walsh, who would have added some humour to a humourless story. Marian Keyes is a brilliant writer. No one is better at making terrifically funny jokes while telling such important, perceptive and agonizing stories of the heart. She is a genius' Sali Hughes The mystery is not as mysterious as fans may want if they are also hard-core mystery readers. But anyone who has dealt with depression or grief on any level will recognize that what is obvious in your clear moments is NOT obvious when you are dealing with the crap attention span, brain fog and memory issues that go hand in hand with mental illness. I thought it was very realistic that it took awhile for the dime to drop for Helen even though she had the clues fairly early. So that didn't bother me at all.Joyful. Keyes' clever way with words and extraordinary wit. People stared at me as I laughed to myself' C.L. Taylor No. A Shovel List. It's more of a conceptual thing. It's a list of all the people and things I hate so much that I want to hit them in the face with a shovel."

Fans everywhere were eagerly awaiting the return of Marian Keyes and her latest book, The Mystery Of Mercy Close, and we weren’t disappointed This book not only sees the return of one of the greatest authors around, but also the return of The Walsh sisters, and in this particular book, focusing on Helen. Again, Rachel is dedicated to her mother, with whom she has unexpectedly “fallen in love” after years of “what you could call a robust relationship”: her mother is a “devout Catholic”, Keyes “a devout non-Catholic”. The eldest of five, Keyes attributes her gift for telling a story, and making it funny, to growing up in a big noisy household, rather like the Walshes. “Being a good raconteur was a thing in my family,” she says. “I think there was a blueprint given to me very early on. You laugh at your misfortune. It’s an immensely Irish thing.” I really enjoyed The Mystery of Mercy Close and fans of the Walsh sisters will be thrilled to see the return of the siblings. It's not necessary to have read the previous installments as this is truly Helen's book and works well as a stand alone, though fair warning, you will want more of the Walsh girls and Marian Keyes when you have finished.I found them in the kitchen, sitting at the table drinking tea and eating cake. Old people. What a great life they had. Even those who don’t do t’ai chi. (Which I’ll get to.) Helen also begins spending a great deal of time at Wayne's house, feeling some sort of a connection with him.

An active investigation to keep her busy is just what Helen needs. She is sliding into a deep depression and is finding it hard to keep herself going. Investigating Wayne’s disappearance is keeping Helen’s mind of her own despair, most of the time, but the man has managed to vanish without a trace and his house on Mercy Close doesn’t produce any useful clues. Strangely enough the house does attract Helen. In fact she feels completely at home there and finds herself spending a lot of time in Wayne’s world. It is strange that in her life filled with people all wanting a piece of her, Helen feels closest to the one person she has never met, who is missing and who she can’t seem to find. The short answer is yes – Helen is smart and funny but still retains her disdain for people and most things in general. She has a “Shovel List”:I loved this book. The story is interesting on several levels. The investigation into Wayne’s disappearance brings mystery and action. The host of characters in Helen’s life provide entertainment, smiles and laugh-out-loud moments. And her struggle with depression gives both Helen’s character and the book depth and the reader food for thought.