As seen on my blog: 
 2.5 STARS 
 I don't read enough books by male authors, though when I do, it's always an interesting thing to read about how they write female characters, especially young female characters. I thought Wiley Cash was accurate in his portrayal of a two young girls: one only at the tender age of 7, and a pre-teen of 12. Overall, however, This Dark Road to Mercy failed to capture my full attention-the story line started out flat, and continued that way without much deviation or excitement. 
 Told from three alternating POVS, This Dark Road to Mercy was a wild goose chase, with flashbacks and resentment thrown in for good measure. An estranged father kidnaps his two daughters (one being Easter, POV #1) from their group home, loaded with cash and a reason to run. The person hot on their trail, Pruitt (POV #2), has a vendetta and his own troubled back story to tell. All the while, Brady Weller (POV #3), is taking his role as ad litem of the kidnapped girls to a whole new level, as he helps uncover the link between the disappearance of the girls, and another open crime case. 
 I felt like this book had the best intentions, and some intensely good raw material to work with, so it was unfortunate that it ended up reading like an episode of a mediocre prime time detective show. When the POV alternated, I only knew it did because the name above the chapter told me so, otherwise, all three narrators blended into one collective, dull, voice-I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart if there wasn't dialogue in each section. The saving grace of This Dark Road to Mercy was Wade Chesterfield, the estranged father. His character was the only one to invoke enough emotion in me to continue pressing on. His desperation, and the fact that his motives were the reason for pretty much the story line of the entire book made him the stand out character in my eyes. 
 Main qualm: Cash's use of baseball terms, facts, and players was completely lost on me-baseball is one of my least favourite sports, and I unfortunately tended to glaze over those moments in the book. 
 This Dark Road to Mercy just wasn't for me, though I could definitely see it being the exact read that someone else would enjoy, especially a reader with an affinity for sports and detective novels. There seems to be much more to be found in Wiley's other work, so I will definitely be checking that out! 
 Recommended for Fans of: Mystery, Baseball, Robert Rotenberg, Harlan Coben, John Grisham.