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Idelle Kursman was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Boston College and her Master's from William Paterson University. She has a loved one with autism and after watching the movie Taken five years ago, she felt compelled to write a novel about human trafficking. Since she loves thrillers, especially if it is a book she cannot put down, she sought to give readers this experience in her debut novel. At the same time, Idelle seeks to raise awareness for autism and the international human trafficking crisis. She lives with her family in New Jersey.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
True Mercy by Idelle Kursman is a riveting and suspenseful thriller about a girl's attempted escape from modern slavery. It was early morning in Chisinau, Moldova and Marina was on her way to the station to catch a train. At the quiet and empty station, a stranger approaches Marina and forcibly shoves her into a waiting car. For the next six months, Marina is on a ship, chained up with several other women. They are brutally beaten, raped, and prostituted from port to port across Europe. Seizing an unprecedented and unexpected opportunity to escape, Marina is surprised to find herself in the United States. Starving, frightened and unable to trust anybody, Marina seeks refuge in a park-like area in a residential neighborhood. Unexpectedly, Marina receives assistance from an unusual source. A little leery, but grateful, she accepts the proffered help. But with dangerous men seeking vengeance and hot on her trail, has Marina endangered everyone's lives by receiving aid and shelter?
True Mercy by Idelle Kursman is a spellbinding novel that starts in Eastern Europe and makes its way across to America. Once you pick it up, you can't put it down. It is an amazing depiction portraying victims of sex trafficking. The main character's scramble to survive and be free again is heartrending. The author has done an excellent, but a disturbing job of capturing a very real nightmare that is operating across the world. Not only has the author featured human trafficking, but Autism also plays a major part in the storyline. It is a marvelous representation of the difficulties related to this spectrum disorder, rendering the characters lifelike and relatable. The unconventional conflicts gave the story a fascinating balance between good and evil. This remarkable and breathtaking novel keeps the reader in suspense to the final pages. It is a stunning novel and I am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Kursman's work.
