Excellent Crime Thriller - Murder Mystery. Would have ranked it six stars. Being the 4th book of a series, the author and the main character have matured. The story had multiple layers of plots with a satisfying conclusion. I would suggest you start the series from the beginning.

The elevator pitch for the Van Shaw series is Jack Reacher if he were brought up with Parker as his Granda. An ex-Army Ranger who grew up as a burgeoning thief under the tutelage of his Grandad Dono, a career thief. In this fourth instalment, Van heads for the small town of Mercy River, where his Army buddy, Leo, has been locked up for the murder of the local gun shop owner with the evidence solidly against him.

Initially this one errs more on the Reacher side (or what I imagine that is, having never actually read one) with Van arriving in a small town stirring up trouble in order to find out the truth behind the murder. In amongst this is the fact that Mercy River are hosting a Ranger Rally for serving and former Army Rangers celebrating their status with booze, competitions and other shenanigans in support of raising money for veterans in need of treatment and care for the physical and psychological ailments they're suffering. I struggled with some of this and wondered how such a thing could conjure up the page count that it did.

I shouldn't have been so downhearted though as through the machinations of the plot, which also worried me when I easily guessed from the offset a certain plot point, the Parker side of the Van Shaw coin is brought to bear. It is skillfully done how we get here and from there the pace of the story picks up and makes the last third really enjoyable.

This instalment didn't include a subplot from Van's youth as the other books have, which have always been as, if not more, enjoyable than main plot. Not sure if these will return, but the combination of the mystery with this element always gave the earlier books an emoitional core and an easier way to play off the split character traits.

So I clearly know which side of Van I enjoy following more, but with the next instalment due in July I will be sure to continue following his adventures.

This book was immersed in the language of soldiers in American context, which was sometimes difficult to extract.
The thriller element of Van Shaw attempting to demonstrate that his former soldier compatriot was not guilty of a murder in a remote Oregon town, when most of the township is against him. Many twists and turns along the way and danger at every turn.
The town is taken over by a 3-day Rangers event with soldiers from everywhere.

Van Shaw finds himself in a strange little town with a mystery involving an old friend. I must say that I am hooked on this series, it's great. Love the characters development.
I strongly recommend this series.

“Mercy River” is book four in Glen Erik Hamilton’s “Van Shaw” series. New readers will easily follow along because Hamilton includes any needed background as part of the current scenario. The story is presented as a first-person narrative by Donovan Shaw, former Ranger, former husband, and always friend. Readers learn about Shaw through his actions and reactions. He is concerned, helpful, devoted, prepared, and has untraceable guns. Readers know what he thinks, where he goes, what he fears, and what he wants. His present is molded by his past. “I can’t lead a regular life. Maybe I might have once, and maybe someday the chance will come around again. But it’s not who I am now.” Then a phone call changes everything; it calls him to action.

“Leo was breathing heavily, his voice strained. There was a sound of quick movement before he spoke again. “They’re coming. I can’t make it.” … “This is the Mercy River police, who is this on the line?”

A complex cast of secretive citizens and visiting soldiers drives the plot. Each player is fully developed and intricate, with varied feelings, plans, and fears. Readers also get to know people through Hamilton’s precise descriptions.

“Her long blond hair was pulled back and held with a carved wooden comb. She wore a wine-colored coat, buttoned up against the autumn chill, Luce’s eyes could be the shade of rain clouds at times, but tonight, under the pale light of the streetlamps, they were the blue sky above the storm.”

Hamilton sets the stage with scenic images.

“The town of Mercy River lay in a haphazard jumble in the crease between two colliding hill ranges, as if its buildings and houses had been scattered across the land like big handfuls of dice, most of them tumbling to rest on the floor of the valley, with a few dozen strays left on the slopes above.”

The plot is fast moving, intense, and at times violent. There is much more going on than just a Ranger Rendezvous, and some players are not who they seem to be at first glance. An unseen enemy lurks in the dark, and local law enforcement does not want any help from an outsider, especially not from Shaw who has never really been much of a “people” person.

There is some offbeat humor amid the chaos.

“That’s Daryll’s deer rifle,” Fain said as I set the leather carrying case on the table. “Where did you get that?” “From his room”...“A good choice if you’re defending covered wagons.”

“Mercy River” is a tale of drama, destruction, and death. The pace is fast; the action is unexpected, and the tension is relentless. I was given a review copy of “Mercy River” by Glen Erik Hamilton, William Morrow, and Harper Collins. In the end, it is a saga of loyalty and justice, and hard to put down.