A young man with autism and his widowed father help a woman who has escaped a vicious human trafficking ring.
She escaped, but can she survive?
Danger lurks everywhere for Marina. When the ship carrying her and other human trafficking victims from Europe arrive at a port in New Jersey, Marina manages to escape and wants nothing more than to be rid of her traffickers and free the other women. But one of the underground organization's vicious henchmen will stop at nothing to recapture her. Marina scarred his face on the ship and now he only desires to inflict the cruelest death possible on her. She is doomed until an unlikely pair come to her aid: a young man with autism and his widower father. Still reeling from the death of their mother and wife, son and father encounter her by chance and all three become caught up in the powerful tentacles of an international human trafficking ring. Will the henchman succeed and destroy all their lives? Will relentless evil triumph in the end?
True Mercy by Idelle Kursman is the remarkable but serious treatment of the widespread crime of human sex trafficking all over the world, including here in the United States. At the same time, it sensitively tells the story of the courage it takes to parent an autistic child, especially as that child grows to become a teenager. The skillful interweaving of these two serious topics results in a fascinating story, and Idelle Kursman gives us a glimpse into a very special talent in this, her debut novel. She has left me with a lasting impression, and I look forward to more books from her.
I highly recommend this book.
--Jane Nixon White
2017 Red Ribbon Winner in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Excerpt
The man who ordered her to open the door stared open-mouthed. She cowered at the sight of him and instinctively raised her arms to prevent him from coming nearer. She froze, and no sound came out of her throat. She trembled, wondering what was in store for her and whether Adam would defend her or, if he was possibly in collusion with him.
"Daddy, this is my new friend, Marina," Adam said. "We're gonna eat peanut butter 'n' jelly sandwiches 'n' watch TV."
Professional Reviews
Robert Liparulo, best-selling author
"From the first page of True Mercy, I knew I was in for a wild, harrowing ride of a story. Thankfully, author Idelle Kursman is up to the task; she is a true storyteller and wordsmith. Whether hurling the reader through fast-paced action, crafting fascinating character--the kind worth rooting for, as well as the make-your-skin-crawl variety--or structuring a plot that'll give your fingers paper cuts from flipping the pages so fast, Kursman's talent will pull you in and leave you gasping for breath. True Mercy is a powerful, entertaining read and will put Kursman on your shortlist of go-to authors."
D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"...an exceptional thriller which includes subtle, wry humor injected at unexpected moments, a logical progression of events and encounters between characters, and a moving story of healing and mercy, that is far more emotionally-driven than an action read usually provides."
Self-Publishing Review
"Combining a father's love for his Autistic son and the dangerous world of human trafficking, True Mercy by Idelle Kursman draws you in immediately, making it hard to stop reading."
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Reviews for "True Mercy: A Page-Turning Thriller Involving Autism and Human Trafficking"
What a fascinating book! From page one, the reader is pulled in and the author, Idelle H. Kursman, doesn't lose the reader's attention. 'True Mercy' is an intriguing story about love and human trafficking.
Marina Dobrin is kidnapped and chained to a bed on a ship going where, she doesn't know. She is not alone. There are many other young girls suffering the same fate. The girls are drugged daily while they travel further and further away from their homeland, Moldova. Finally docking in America, Marina finds her chance to escape but her captors refuse to let her go...seeking revenge, the chase is on. Marina runs as fast and as far away from the ship as she can go. Eventually she passes out in a community of houses and along comes Adam....
Adam is an eighteen year old with autism that believes his recently deceased mother has sent him a friend, Marina, so he won't be lonely. He becomes very attached, very quickly, calling Marina his friend and becoming extremely upset at the thought of losing her. While his father, Bruce, is at work, Adam decides to give Marina some food and allowing her to take a shower. Needless to say, Adam's father isn't happy when he learns of the situation.
Marina quickly falls in love with Adam and Bruce but fears for their safety as her kidnappers continue to track her.
'True Mercy' is an excellent crime drama mystery, and a human interests story, and a wonderful romance all rolled into one story line. The twists and turns are amazing and have the reader sitting on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. I highly recommend you check this one out!
Idelle H. Kursman has an amazing story telling ability. The conversations are rich and the characters well described, allowing the reader to develop a perfect image of the different characters.
This ones a definite thumbs up!!! I look forward to reading additional works by Idelle H. Kursman
Reviewed by J. A. Sullivan
4/18/2018
4 of 5 Stars – A Tense Thriller with Heart
True Mercy is a gripping, character driven thriller, which follows Marina Dobrin’s harrowing escape from human trafficking. With her captors hot on her trail, she is befriended by Adam Hitchens, a young man with autism, who offers her food and shelter. But when Adam’s father, Bruce, returns home, Marina’s sanctuary becomes uncertain. Bruce is torn between helping Marina and protecting his son. Together they will try to heal each other, rebuild trust, and discover the meaning of True Mercy.
The plot of Idelle Kursman’s debut novel has a lot of tension, twists and turns, like any great thriller, but what really sets this book apart are the characters. Marina has been kidnapped from Moldova, transported to America, beaten and raped, but her spirit is never broken. This story could easily have crossed into melodramatic territory however the author keeps the situation dark, gritty and true to life. Similarly, when we meet Bruce Hitchens, a recently widowed father in his 40s, struggling to take care of his adult son with autism, the realism portrayed in his situation is heartbreaking. As someone who has been a caregiver to a loved one with disabilities, I immediately empathized with his plight. Kursman captures the genuine strain Bruce experiences as he is constantly pushed toward a breaking point. The author also does a beautiful job of representing what life is like within a person disabled by autism. Adam is full of childlike innocence and wonder, but at the same time is deeply frustrated by the things in life he cannot understand.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.
Reviewed by Sinead Mayo
1/14/2018
This fast-paced thriller includes unusual characters, in an autistic adult and an Eastern European victim of human trafficking. The author shines a light on these important and timely issues, as she spins a tale with all the right elements: suspense, courage, compassion and truly "bad" guys. Once you step into this story, it's hard to put this book down!
Trust, blind faith and hope are at the heart of this novel as we meet Adam Hitchens who although he looks like a teen of 18 in reality he is autistic and quite childlike. His father is recently widowed and is his sole caregiver and at times it stresses him out in many different ways. Adam is smart in many respects and yet when he decides to allow a perfect stranger into his home the events that follow will enlighten readers to the seriousness of human trafficking and meet Marina the one person who Adam feels might take the place of his mother who has passed. Working and having a special presentation that he needs to give and yet making sure his son catches the bus and goes to work little does he know that this one specific day Adam decided to watch television, make his own breakfast and not go to work. A call from his boss alerted his father to his misdeed but seeing Marina outside and befriending her, trusting his own instincts and allowing her to become part of his life would radically change everything for him and his father. Adam is autistic and very sensitive to the moods and feelings of others and he takes to Marina more than his father would like. Danger surrounds her at every turn even though she is somewhat safe living with them. Learning about Marina his sister-in-law Judy comes over without giving it a second thought to make sure that Adam is safe. Meeting Marina she is leery about her at first but getting to know her the author reveals a woman who has been through torture, drugs that the criminals injected in her without her permission or knowledge at times and the fear that she would never have a normal life.
Igor and Sergei are the two who will not give up and yet their boss or handler Andre is vicious and will stop at nothing short of murder or anything lethal to get Marina back and the money from clients for her.
Adam loves videos and movies about animals of any kind and enjoys long walks and Marina gives him the love and understanding he needs when Bruce gets overwrought and feels stress. She’s a calming influence and after a while an important part of his life.
When she finally agrees to get checked out at the hospital things change for both Adam and Bruce when the police are notified and they take on this sex trafficking cartel or organization. Kidnapped from her home country Moldova and in America she looks like a poor waif but within this young woman is someone bright, computer savvy and kind. Here is where things spiral out of control and Adam becomes distraught when Marina is not with him and he has to be sedated.
Officer Lewis was in charge of the interrogation and seemed understanding and concerned, as did everyone else in the police department. Listening to Marina relate that she was thinking about going back with her boyfriend and that two men kidnapped her, repeatedly drugged her, wanted to use her for their own purposes and exploited other young girls torturing them if they dared to not comply to their wishes, made the police wonder how she was able to even withstand any pressures of life at all and yet she is a survivor. This story is about trust, surviving and standing up for yourself and fighting back.
Each chapter is told in the voice of one of the main characters as we learn and hear the inner most thoughts of Bruce as he struggles with his obligations to work, his presentation, competition from Steve hoping to outshine him and get his promotion and dealing with Adam. Marina just wanted to feel safe, be apart of their lives and did everything she could to make them feel comfortable around her but for how long. As the investigation was not leading anywhere something was about to change including her safety.
Flashing to her own feelings for her own father and then thinking about Bruce and his relationship with Adam, Marina’s thoughts are revealed as she envisions as scene with him on the beach and all her worries would be washed away in the ocean. Marina repeats for more than once the background of what happened to her and this time it was being taped in order for other law enforcement officials to hear what she had to say and with Lewis doing the questioning it made it easier for her to speak. Not needing prompting she explain that she was in Chisinau the capital of Moldova visiting her boyfriend who came from Moscow. Thinking they could reunite she explains to Lewis that leaving his apartment in the morning she met and encountered two men and then finding herself chained on a ship. Sergei and Igor checked on all of the women periodically and took the dead ones away and tossed them like trash. Anyone who had an accident was made to realize that it better never happen again as Lewis could not hide or conceal his horror.
Barely able to walk or talk and deprived food until they needed to sell her to clients, Marina lived in small, dirty and unhealthy environment.
The details and the graphic description provided by the author and Marina gives readers a first hand experience about what these unsuspecting young girls learned. Unfortunately, sometimes parents pay money to these people to bring their children to America for an education or a job and instead these innocents are sold into slavery. This book brings to light that doing this through a private broker can lead to what happened to Marina and others. Pages 290-292 will make your heartbreak and bring tears to your eyes.
Officer Lewis explained that a car would ride by and watch his house but both Adam and Bruce had to go to work the following day and what happens as a result will change it all. Irene the lady next door sees something and is suspicious and when they arrive home Marina is gone but where and how? Igor takes out his revenge on someone and now hopes to make sure Marina is never found but what she does is short of ingenious but will it be enough to save her from Igor and his minions.
Hiring someone named Victor, Andre is assured that the job will be done, she will be eliminated and anyone else that stands in his way of achieving his goal. But, not everyone is who they appear to be and the startling and tension filled ending will keep you wondering if Marina will survive, will se return to her country or will she change the course of her life forever?
Eight year old Joseph is quite astute and living in Puerto Rico he sees a lot and claims he hears things and what is scene will shock readers as it is no different than what others would have seen had they reported the capture of the girls and what happened to them.
Adam, Bruce and Marina’s lives are now intertwined but the ending might change it all and the sacrifice that Bruce is willing to make you just won’t believe. Igor, Marina, Bruce and a young 18 year old autistic boy named Adam that would put himself in danger to save someone’s life whom he just met. Adam is a sterling character and although he is at the low end of the spectrum his powers of perception are strong and astute. So, before anyone pays money to send their child here from an unknown broker that promises them the world think twice, call a reputable agency, check them out before endangering the life of your child. This is a story that is so well told and a family hoped to save the life of a young woman and truly understood the meaning of TRUE MERCY!
Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ magazine
Ms. Kursman has depicted the mannerisms and characteristics of a teenager with autism, allowing the reader to better understand the person with autism and what makes them "tick." Her depiction is obviously based on personal observations. The main character, Marina, shows the kind of compassion that has a positive impact on the individual with autism. The reader glimpses the trials of those dealing with a special needs individual, no matter what their age. The author introduces the horrors of human trafficking that plagues the world today, although most of us are unaware of it's existence much less the amount of human trafficking that goes on beneath our own noses that impacts not only the women or child taken, but the families and friends that love and search for them. Human trafficking not only impacts teenagers and young women, but children as well, of both sexes. The world needs to be made aware of the horrendous organizations that operate human trafficking in our midst. Ms. Kursman through her easy writing style brings this subject, as well as the impact of autism on families, to light in her work titled True Mercy.
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