The story features a down right frightening situation and the length that some are willing to undertake in the face of a loved one suffering. A lot of reviewers judged Liam pretty harshly but you can’t help but put yourself in his shoes. You will never truly know what you might do, or consider doing until it hits you in the face. I won’t judge him until I have “walked a mile in his shoes.” I understand this is a book that has been 5 years since the first one. I haven’t read the first one and I don’t believe I will…but this one was a half-way decent mystery although I found the 12 year old a bit unbelievable. ( )

Wow! It's been a long, long time since I've read a Kathy Herman novel. She was one my mom and I would read together and then talk about. We loved her writing style, the intenseness of her stories, the inspiring messages she would weave into the pages. Picking up this second book in her Ozark Mountain Trilogy was like meeting up with a long lost friend! I was instantly hooked, kept a part of the story as each page turned, and at the end, I wasn't ready for the results! I want more!

Ms. Herman has once again created wonderfully chiseled, heart capturing characters. She has created an intriguing plot line of twists, turns, ups and downs with Liam's story. Just when I thought I had Liam and his reasonings for doing things, Ms. Herman threw us another twist and really made the story play out like a movie. Losing my own mother unexpectedly 4 years, and my grandfather from Alzheimer's 8 years ago, this story just completely enveloped me and didn't let me go.

This is definitely one of the better murder mystery stories I've read in a long while. Ms. Herman knows how to throw the words out there and make them play out like a movie on the big screen. I have not read book one in this series but I was definitely not confused, and am looking forward to going back to book 1 and catching up on the other characters. This is most definitely a 5 star worthy novel. The suspense, the murder, the rollercoaster ride that you're taken on in this story of hope, mercy and intrigue is absolutely jaw dropping. Hats off to you, Ms. Herman! Can't wait for book 3!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.* ( )