Mercy Snow

A Novel

By: Tiffany Baker

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

In the tiny town of Titan Falls, New Hampshire, the paper mill dictates a quiet, steady rhythm of life. But one day a tragic bus accident sets two families on a course toward destruction, irrevocably altering the lives of everyone in their wake.

June McAllister is the wife of the local mill owner and undisputed first lady in town. But the Snow family, a group of itinerant ne'er-do-wells who live on a decrepit and cursed property, have brought her--and the town--nothing but grief.

June will do anything to cover up a dark secret she discovers after the crash, one that threatens to upend her picture-perfect life, even if it means driving the Snow family out of town. But she has never gone up against a force as fierce as the young Mercy Snow. Mercy is determined to protect her rebellious brother, whom the town blames for the accident, despite his innocence. And she has a secret of her own. When an old skeleton is discovered not far from the crash, it beckons Mercy to solve a mystery buried deep within the town's past.

Critic reviews

"I was completely swept away in this gothic tale of three women linked by secrets, some long buried, some far more recent. From the opening scene to the final page, Tiffany Baker kept me entranced in a novel so richly atmospheric that when I closed the cover, I was sure I could smell the paper mill on my clothes and hair, and hear the churn of the filthy Androscoggin River outside my door. Mercy Snow is a testament to the dark power of secrets; a power that can bind us together, or drive us apart."—Jennifer McMahon, author of The One I Left Behind and Island of Lost Girls

Epic and Powerful

Where does Mercy Snow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

An epic book that perfectly captures the life of a mill town.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mercy Snow?

Tiffany Baker takes readers on a journey through the lives of ordinary people while at the same time telling an extraordinary story.

What does Christine Lakin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Expertly read.

Very Satisfying

My hat is off to Ms. Baker. Brilliant in her ability to infuse life and breath into her characters and story. Loved the writing. Very atmospheric and similar to a stain being left on the mind.

An almost great story

If you could sum up Mercy Snow in three words, what would they be?

Fearless, Family and Fight

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Goat Lady

What about Christine Lakin’s performance did you like?

I could tell the difference in characters

Any additional comments?

This was an almost great story but worth the listen. The story built up very well and I'm okay with the end but I do wish that there was an alternate ending..letting all hell break loose. Mercy Snow did what most would do by fighting for her family and that's admirable. She isn't a typical heroine. If you have alot of laundry and cleaning up to do on a Saturday, this story will help the time go by.

Some truly breathtaking prose in a lackluster tale

I'm torn about this story.

The good:
Tiffany Baker, wow, what a wonderful writer. She has a gift for describing place and atmosphere. The mill town and the river, are so well described they become a characters in the book in their own rights. Small things like sunsets and autumn leaves are painted so vividly it's a pleasure to listen to.

The maybe not so good:
The tale itself is a quiet one and while there is a beauty to that, it felt somehow lacking overall. To me, Mercy Snow felt like a story I've heard before. While there is moderate success in creating multidimensional characters, I personally, didn't feel attached to any of them - except possibly Hazel who was peripheral at best. Parts of the book were interesting and easy to listen to while others were easy to zone-out to and when the time came for me to backtrack and see what I missed or move on I never felt the desire to backtrack.

All in all the story was alright. I don't regret buying this book but I wouldn't recommend it to a friend to read. If you have credits to spare and an appreciation for small pieces of beautiful writing though, give it a go. But I think there are better books of a similar genre out there.

Push through the first few confusing chapters

This was a fantastic read. The characters, the town I saw it all. Sometimes the details were distracting and it could have been edited a bit. The beginning chapters were so filled with information I replayed it 3 times. I realized later much of what I thought I hd to focus on was not really necessary. Its a fantastic book I couldn't put down. the end was a bit disappointed because it felt like it was cut short and simplistic. I just assumed there would be more because of all the detail in the rest of the book.