This is my first Brian Freeman book, but I'm going to keep an eye out for his crime fiction. (He's writing the new Jason Bourne books, but those aren't my cup of tea.) This guy can write. I loved the pacing, intricacies and character development of this well-done crime fiction/mystery. It's not a thriller or psychological suspense, but I could not stop turning the pages. I was heavily invested in these characters and could not figure out what was going on.

The story is set in the Upper Midwest (maybe Minnesota) in a small town. Shelby Lake is a sheriff's deputy, about age 26, and her father is the sheriff. He found Shelby on his doorstep when she was a baby and he felt it was fate to keep the child. Their sleepy little town sees few crimes (except for the twins dealing meth!), but a year earlier a woman was found murdered. Her husband was the prime suspect, but there was never enough evidence to charge him. Now, 10-year-old Jeremiah goes missing from the forest, his bike left on the side of the road. Shelby, her father, another deputy and an FBI agent begin their investigations — in a town where everyone knows everyone and many of the characters are Shelby's former high school classmates and volleyball teammates. (I had trouble keeping track of all the characters at the beginning, but that soon came into better focus.)

This is well-written and well-crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am eager to see if there's a book #2 coming in this potential series.

I read this book please do not think I listened to it!!

So…. Nothing truly heinous happens then? Just some guy with an ego. And a little girl who was scared. Okayyyyyy.

A delightful read, even though it’s a murder mystery. The story flows nicely, and I got immediately drawn into the story. A small town in the middle of nowhere where everyone knows everyone else’s business. A boy disappears, and everyone is looking for him. A local man ends up in prison for killing his wife. Ten years later, and things start unfolding.

Great, quirky characters and they all fit in to this small town. People have kept many secrets for years. Let one slip and many more will come out. Even though the devastating events the town and its people have moved forward. Only no one has forgotten, and what happened has left many people broken.

Beautifully written, with great character descriptions. This book would work well as a TV miniseries. I can see the town and all the characters clearly. The ending came a bit quickly, and there really wasn’t a chance that the reader could figure it out beforehand. So many sad people and destinies, I think this story is one I won’t forget about.

I wouldn't call this a thriller, but it is definitely a mystery. Solidly written with compelling characters and a story that pulls you in.

January LaVoy's narration was excellent, as always from her.

This is an audio original book by the mystery writer Brian Freeman and I am not a huge mystery fan and I still found it a very interesting and enjoyable read/listen.

My problem with mysteries is that I get to the "big reveal," and I'm always like, "I have absolutely no clue whodunit." I suspect this is because I'm basically a moron, and/or too lazy to assemble all the "facts" of the case and try and figure out who the culprit was. I will say this, after reading it, Brian Freeman almost never wastes any facts/incidents. Everything means something, or so it seems after finishing the book.

As an example of how poorly I figure out mysteries, in this book the murderer is caught and jailed and I'm looking at the time left in the book, and there are like 3 more hours of listening. I'm thinking, "what could this guy possibly do with three more hours?!?"

Well, I will tell you, a lot! There are a lot of good plot twists and turns all the way to the very, or almost the very, last page, which is what made it such an enjoyable book to read.

Also, the book is very well narrated by January LaVoy. She does a lot of different voices and does them very well.

Great great great. The narration was spot on. The storyline was fully engaging and the ending was predictable but highly emotional. This was a tear jerker throughout. This is beyond "listen to on my commute" material. This is "I need to road trip for a few extra hours" to finish listening.