Mercy Kill: Shattered Melody by Michael Barnett is a homoerotic thriller that anyone who loves anime and yaoi will need to have in their book collection.

Three men were in prison for a crime that they freely admitted, but there were extenuating circumstances that compelled them to commit such heinous acts. These men are members of the rock group Mercy Kill who, beyond any of their understanding, have lost the handler of their group and subsequently everything else that they hold dear. The leader of the band begins to explain to their assigned lawyer the sequence of events that led them to their present day circumstances.

Mercy Kill was performing a concert when they realized that there was a drama unfolding off stage where a strange man was scaring their handler Kita. Takeshi, Akira and Juro quickly came to Kita’s defense. In spite of their efforts, Kita was killed and Juro gravely injured leaving Takeshi and Akira to deal with the fallout. The worst part is when they are accused of killing Kita and grilled for hours this causing Akira to almost have a breakdown. As Akira, Takeshi, and later Juro begin to delve into Kita’s death, they meet road blocks from not only the police, but their own record company. Who is to blame for Kita’s death and why are the police fighting them at every turn? The love between all the members and Kita compels them onward, but soon they begin to find out that there is much more at stake, but are they strong enough to solve the mystery before they also become victims?

Michael Barnett wove a very beautiful story that held me spell bound from the first page. The descriptions of the members was so vivid that they leapt from the pages and came alive for me. I loved that no matter what the police did to them Akira and Takeshi refused to say that the other was guilty and stood by each other. You then add Juro into the picture and you create a very delicious scenario. Add onto that a mystery and a ghost that is bent on helping them solve the murder and you have a compelling story that has something for everyone to enjoy. I will be waiting to the sequel Mercy Kill: Killers.

Reviewed by: Teresa