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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

MERCY ROW CLANN, the new book by Harry Hallman...

Mercy Row Clann: Book 2 in the Mercy Row Series
Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime

The Byrne family fights two wars. One for the freedom of the world and the other for the survival of their family. It's 1943 and America and its allies are at war with Germany and Japan. As World War 2 rages, the Byrne family must send their sons to war in Africa, Europe and the Pacific, while they fight a war at home instigated by old enemies, internal greed and new foes.

The Byrne children's ability to protect and grow the family, and the North Philadelphia K & A Gang, is tested with violence, sorrow and love.

My Review:

I was worried when I was asked to read Mercy Row Clann that I wasn’t going to be able to adequately follow the story line, as I hadn’t yet had a chance to read the book’s prequel Mercy Row. But as soon as I started to read I knew that this enthralling story was an absolute stand alone! The book centers around the multi-fronted perils of two Philadelphia crime families during World War II. The story line weaves through the deep cultural roots of the Italian-American & Irish-American’s legacies as they fight to stay together in a competitive and cutthroat joint illicit business. All of Mr. Hallman’s individual characters are impressively complex; even the periphery characters. There is one thrilling scene where Mr. Hallman is writing from the point of view of a German bomber pilot as he’s strafing an American ship! The plot ties itself up neatly and left me super stoked to go back and read Mercy Row and I anxiously await the next installment. This book kept me intrigued from start to end, and I highly recommend it as not only an exciting read, but also a cool peek into the lives and history of native Philadelphians from a native Philadelphian who actually is writing from his own experiences! 


Author's Biography - Harry Hallman

Hallman was born in 1944 and raised in the Kensington section of North Philadelphia. That was a year before World War II ended. He was influenced by the stories told by returning servicemen and the proliferation of war movies that were shown on the then new invention of the television. With the influence of movie heroes such as John Wayne, and real heroes like Audie Murphy, he gained a healthy respect for his mother and father's generation and their sacrifices. His uncles on his mother's side both served in WWII, one in the Army and one in the Navy.
Hallman's father was Harry Hallman, Sr., a champion billiards player who also owned a poolroom called Circle Billiards, located at Allegheny Avenue and Lee Street. The younger Hallman spent many hours after school at his father's poolroom and watching his father play in other poolrooms in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The people he met, some belonging to the real K&A Gang, influenced his writing of the Mercy Row series.
He served four years in the U.S. Air Force, including two tours in South Vietnam, as a photographer. He is married to Duoc Hallman, whom he met in Vietnam, and has two children, Bill and Nancy, and one grandchild, Ava.
Hallman is a serial entrepreneur who has created several marketing services and digital media companies and continues to work as a marketing consultant.

Look for the continuation of the Mercy Row and Mercy Row Clann story with book three in 2015.



Keep informed at www.mercyrow.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mercyrownovel.