Review: Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf

In her latest ripped-from-the-headlines tour de force, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf shows how one small mistake can have life-altering consequences...

Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity;the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children's advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system she works for.

Meanwhile, ten-year-old Jenny Briard has been living with her well-meaning but irresponsible father since her mother left them, sleeping on friends' couches and moving in and out of cheap motels. When Jenny suddenly finds herself on her own, she is forced to survive with nothing but a few dollars and her street smarts. The last thing she wants is a social worker, but when Ellen's and Jenny's lives collide, little do they know just how much they can help one another.

A powerful and emotionally charged tale about motherhood and justice, Little Mercies is a searing portrait of the tenuous grasp we have on the things we love the most, and of the ties that unexpectedly bring us together.

Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden, One Breath Away and Little Mercies.

Heather was born in Wagner, South Dakota, the youngest of six children. At one month of age, her family returned to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where her father was employed as a guidance counselor and her mother as a school nurse. At the age of three, her family moved to Iowa, where she grew up. Having been born with a profound unilateral hearing impairment (there were many evenings when Heather and her father made a trip to the bus barn to look around the school bus for her hearing aids that she often conveniently would forget on the seat beside her), Heather tended to use books as a retreat, would climb into the toy box that her father’s students from Rosebud made for the family with a pillow, blanket, and flashlight, close the lid, and escape the world around her. Heather became a voracious reader and the seed of becoming a writer was planted.

Heather Gudenkauf graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages and continues to work in education as a Title I Reading Coordinator.

Heather lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Maxine. In her free time Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and running. She is currently working on her next novel.

Gunderkauf has, yet again, written a book that moved me to tears through her honest voice, keen perspective of relationships in various forms and gripping, intense and heartbreaking truth with characters that I not only related to, but also felt in my bones.  Gunderkauf also highlights the little mercies that make each day a blessing.  It is Gunderkauf's ability to create stories that balance the blessing and the curses of life that make her a favorite writer of mine.  Life is filled with ups and downs, and Gunderkauf writes reality wrapped stories.  This novel was emotional because it cuts to the core of humanity and our desire to attempt to do right when the world seems so wrong.  I highly recommend this novel to ALL and rate it 5 stars!!!!

BOOKS!!!!!

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Little MerciesVeteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity– the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children’s advocate and a devoted mother and wife.But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system she works for. {Read more}

Little Lies – A Novella When the body of a woman is discovered in a local park, veteran social worker Ellen Moore is called in to assist in the investigation. Police found the woman beneath the statue of Leto, goddess of motherhood, with her bewildered four-year-old son sitting beside her. And it isn’t long before Ellen connects the case to a similar one from a decade past.

Ellen’s professional duty is to protect the child, but she’s not equipped to contend with a killer. As she races to connect the dots, she knows her time is running out. And the stakes are high: If she fails, another mother is sure to make the ultimate sacrifice. {Read more}

The Weight of SilenceSeven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by a tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler. Petra Gregory is Calli’s best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. {Read more}

These Things Hidden
Allison Glenn tried to hide what happened that night…and failed. The consequence? Five years in prison. Now she’s free. But secrets have a way of keeping you caged…{Read more}

One Breath Away
In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits. {Read more}

Heather’s books are published by Harlequin.