Perhaps, the newest of literary elements is the parallel story lines. I guess many people must like it, but I'm not a fan. (Heads up for anyone who doesn't like this either.) Blessed Are the Merciful is probably a good example of why authors should not use this device. One story seems to take three times longer to explain; then, the others. It seems to me that the first three or four chapters could have been said in one page. That said, this book by Al Lacy does have a satisfying ending. It also explains the verse "blessed are the merciful" in a whole new way.