The Quality of Mercy

Return to 1920s Appalachia in this thrilling fourth installment of The Stephen Robbins Chronicles, as Robbins and his former lover seek atonement for their past mistakes amid the threatening events surrounding them in the present.

In the autumn of 1924, Anna Ulmann arrives in Hot Springs, North Carolina, hoping to be reunited with her former lover, Stephen Robbins. In returning to Hot Springs, she is gambling on the power of forgiveness to somehow reknit the relationship they lost due to her betrayal in New York four years earlier.

However, Anna is not the only one from the war years who returns to Hot Springs. Four mysterious German men also arrive on the passenger train, including the enigmatic Siegfried Sonnach, Stephen’s former nemesis. The Germans claim they have come back for a reunion, but their true motives remain ambiguous.

When a series of appalling crimes begin to occur in Hot Springs, Stephen begins to wonder if this reunion is hiding something much darker. With a monster roaming the streets and Anna’s reappearance forcing him to confront difficult emotions, Stephen must discover if forgiveness is enough to overcome the effects of past mistakes and present violence. Ultimately, what is the true quality of mercy?

Content Warning: This book includes descriptions of sexual assault (off-page). Please read with care.

Want more Stephen Robbins? Read more of his story in A Short Time to Stay Here, My Mistress’ Eyes are Raven Black, and The Devil Hath a Pleasing Shape.

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