Caroline Marcum thought she'd escaped the great mistake of her life by leaving Wellfleet harbor, but is forced to face it when she returns, reluctantly, to care for her dying mother. Ridley Neal put his past-and his prison term-behind him to return home to take over his father's oyster and clam beds.Casual acquaintances long ago, their lives intersect once again when a nor'easter hits the coast. And when Rid and two other sea farmers are sued by the wealthy owners of vacation homes who want to shut them down, and Caroline accidentally meets the person she most wronged, they must each discover where forgiveness ends...and where it begins. Inspired by a 1996 lawsuit and now updated with a new information about the aftermath of the suit, A Matter of Mercy is a riveting novel about treasuring the traditional way of life in the shallows of beautiful Cape Cod Bay.