Out of Mercy
()
About this ebook
It’s the fall of 1882. Kentucky, the land of dark and bloody ground as the Indians called it, has far from recovered from the Civil War. The small town of Mercy, a rest stop for the emotionally and physically disfigured drifters left over from the war, will soon pay the price of the violence inherent in American culture, and the racism still palpable throughout the hills and hollers of rural Kentucky.
The first sign of doom arrives on horseback: three outlaws wanted in Virginia and other parts for robbery and murder. A beautiful, tomboyish white young woman with blue tattoos on her face, markings from her time as a captive of Apaches; a former slave whose days of cowtowing to polite white society are over, and the most deadly and mysterious, the motley gang’s leader, Tompal Banks.
But the source of Mercy’s impending doom, the rioting and bloodshed that touch the lives of every resident, from the alcoholic Marshal to the haunted Mayor, will come from within the community, incited by the apocalyptic gospel spoken by the syphilitic Reverend Thurman on the Banks of the Ohio to his congregation of repressed sexual deviants and bloodthirsty war veterans.
Praise for OUT OF MERCY:
“A savage, horrifying and gut-bustingly funny Western, set in an Old West that would have made John Wayne turn and run for his life and featuring a cast of characters so richly imagined I’m afraid they’ll turn up in my nightmares. I loved every word of it.” —Scott Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of The Ice Harvest
“Think Elmore Leonard or Cormac McCarthy—with a dash of Nick Hornby to keep things suitably bent. But make no mistake—Ashley has a strong, savage, uncompromising voice of his own. Out of Mercy is the kind of flat-out, heart-stopping, psycho-emotional thrill ride that just might put this author on the map with the giants. Personally, I can’t wait to read more of Jonathan Ashley’s work—once I recover from this one.” —Jerry Stahl, New York Times bestselling author of Permanent Midnight
“Hard, stark and brilliant, Out of Mercy is the best Western I’ve read in years.” —Benjamin Whitmer, author of Cry Father
“A dark gem, a bleak tale of survival and revenge in the bloody hills of Kentucky. Vividly written, filled with compelling characters and laced with black humor, this is frontier noir at its best.” —James Reasoner, author of Texas Wind
Jonathan Ashley
Jonathan Ashley is an author, playwright, concept artist, and filmmaker from Arizona. He studied fine art at Boston’s Museum School and filmmaking at NYU. His illustrations and designs have been featured in films, commercials, comic books, and puppet shows. He lives with his wife and daughter in the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge, on the Brooklyn side.
Read more from Jonathan Ashley
Lily & Kosmo in Outer Outer Space Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cost of Doing Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouth of Cincinnati Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Out of Mercy
Related ebooks
Last Man Standing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After That Night... Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVariegated Justice: A Legal-Psychological Thriller, A Jack Fabian Novel, Book II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Catch a Thief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCorrosion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrust Me: Southern Nights, #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The City, Awake Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBull Head Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDead Revenge: The Mystery of Devil Station Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWeb of Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Broken Shadows Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaking Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Highway: A Crime Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nighthawk's Wing: A Gideon Stoltz Mystery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhite Rage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stanley & Hazel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Apple Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSparking the Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Dare a Wicked Earl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greater Thief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAngel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHis Rip-Roarin' Bride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRipple Effect Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shadow over Lone Oak: This Fallen World, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeldom As They Seem Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSuicide Lounge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMr. In-Between Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Killing Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silver Flashing (A Jonie Waters Mystery) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Naming His Mate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Western Fiction For You
The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dead Man's Walk: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A River Runs through It and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dancing at Midnight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knotted: Trails of Sin, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Son Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bannon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Duane's Depressed: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Caroline: Little House, Revisited Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKiller Joe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ridgeline: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strong Land: A Western Sextet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Golden Gunmen: A Western Sextet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Simon the Fiddler: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Raylan Goes to Detroit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Buffalo Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Homesman: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diary of Mattie Spenser: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Calico Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Way Station Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Texasville: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boone's Lick: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Searchers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lone Star Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So Brave, Young, and Handsome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Trent: A Western Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Out of Mercy
0 ratings0 reviews