She didn’t notice the corn stalks shiver a few feet to her right. By the time she looked up, the man towered above her. In a single movement he wrapped one thick hand around her waist, the other he clamped over her mouth, muffling her screams.
Detective Clara Jefferies has spent years running from her childhood in Alber, Utah. But when she hears that her baby sister Delilah has disappeared, she knows that the peaceful community will be shattered, her family vulnerable, and that that she must face up to her past and go home.
Clara returns to find that her mother, Ardeth, has isolated her family by moving to the edge of town, in the shadow of the mountains. Ardeth refuses to talk to the police and won’t let Clara through the front door, believing she and her sister-wives can protect their own. But Clara knows better than anyone that her mother isn’t always capable of protecting her children.
When Clara finds out that two more girls have disappeared, all last seen around the cornfields near her family’s home, she realizes it’s not just Delilah who’s in danger. And then she gets a call that a body has been found…
Clara will have to dig deep into the town’s secrets if she’s going to find Delilah. But that will mean confronting the reason she left. And as she gets closer to Delilah, she might be putting her more at risk…
Review
This was a great first part in a new series. What made it extra special for me was the setting the author chose in which the story takes place.
It’s something I do not know a lot about and I liked the way the author took the time to research and paint a great picture about how life is lived there.
There is nothing wrong with living in a closed community, but sometimes you have to realise that people on the outside are not all bad and that you might need their help. Refusing to open up does not solve anything. It makes some situations only worse.
Being very devoted to your religion is something personal and everybody should be able to decide how they want to live their life. The prophets and their family should be the ones you can trust and should set an example for the whole community or do they have their own agenda…? Keep your eyes open and don’t rely completely on someone.
Detective Clare arrives back in her childhood town she fled years ago. The details are yet to be revealed, but the reason why is certainly not a pleasant one.
This is a story that captured my interest straight away. It’s horrible what is going on, but the way the author tells the tale makes it an horribly good book. 5 stars
Thank you, Kathryn Casey and Bookouture
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