Our killer strikes again, Mercy gets some answers, and Jesse’s only friend is probably centuries old. Mercy continues investigating the fae’s house and property, with the police and her pack right behind her. They uncover four more graves, totalling twenty bodies. Worse, they discover a collection of finger and toe bones beneath a floorboard. It’s all wonderfully sickening. Luckily, Mercy has a contact- also a fae- who knows exactly who’s behind all this grim business.

Meanwhile, Jesse’s new friend reveals herself to the readers. Jill is on the hunt for more bad children, and she starts with Kayla, who’s smoking on school grounds. A flashback parallels this moment; we see Jill as Old Lady Cross, 120 years prior, and she punishes a pair of schoolboys for smoking on the grounds and cutting class.

It seems our villain can only hunt children who have misbehaved or broken a rule, and the only parts she consumes are the fingers and toes because those are “what got them into mischief.” The only thing we still don’t know is why Jill currently has the form of a teenage girl, and why she’s befriended Jesse. Likely she knows Jesse’s parents are part of the investigation, and she’s keeping a close eye on them through Jesse. We end with Kayla’s murder, and Jill revealed.

Mercy Thompson #3 picks up the action while giving us more backstory and answers. For a story revolving around the murder of children, this isn’t particularly bloody or gruesome. Mercy Thompson is horrifying and twisted without being overly gross, taking a rather less is more approach. It’s dark, it’s ghastly, it’s great. The plot is moving along nicely, with nothing rushed or glossed over while still keeping up with the action. I’m particularly interested in watching Jill and Jesse’s relationship unfold as the investigation develops.

This is an interesting and easy read, but so far it’s fairly predictable and expected. Despite the twisted murders, there isn’t much in this comic that is shocking or surprising. Jill is the fae, but we’ve suspected since the first issue. Jill kills Kayla, but that was clearly going to happen from the third page of this issue. I’m enjoying this comic, but I hope for something more, for it to push some boundaries or surprise me in some way. I don’t mind predictable in this case, because the story is interesting and the plot moves at a solid pace. But I wouldn’t mind a twist thrown in there.

Score: 3/5

Writers: Patricia Briggs, Rik Hoskin Artist: Tom Garcia Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/10/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital