As soon I saw the title of Elizabeth H. Winthrop’s brilliant novel, “The Mercy Seat,” I thought of the gorgeous yet haunting song about a man on death row by (who else) Nick Cave, and ...

Melissa and Drew Benjamin Jones star in Los Altos Stage Company’s current production of “The Mercy Seat.” Courtesy Los Altos Stage Company. On Sept. 12, 2001, Ben Harcourt, necktie loosened ...