Likeable characters, realistic events, superb writing, and an unusual and unexpected plot make this one a definite winner.

Mr. Barclay's intriguing novel – more a novel than a mystery, I think – takes us from a startling beginning chapter in which a young girl loses her family, to a period twenty-five years later when we see how that experience affects her husband and child and herself.

I don't recall reading such a plot before, and I thought that every "thriller" book is just another version of the next with the same tired old villainous spouse masquerading as a leader of the community, etc. This one is truly different. It is interesting, exciting, sad, and at times a little brutal, but it is certainly a book that I would recommend to any avid reader. Don't take my word for it, put down your gardening tools, leave the dishes in the sink, and head to the library and check it out!
Review by Litera Scripta