A mystery set in Louisiana around the time of Katrina. The story revolves around a woman and her tween daughter and her tween daughter's best friend who disappears. The story is ultimately about people facing the unthinkable and how they either come to thrive or give up. It does a nice job of invoking a sense of place and the importance of friends, faith, and family. It even managed to imbue the villains with a bit of humanity (which is rare in most books of this type). At times, however, it tends to oversimplify and rely on stereotypical characters (such as Jay, the local sheriff) and I found the romantic subplot far to simple and predictable. Still, I thought it was a quick and enjoyable read in a great setting.

A very sad but well written book bringing to life every parent's worst nightmare. This book won't be for everyone as it deals with the tough subjects of abduction, trafficking, spousal abuse and suicide. Sarah's journal entries to the Sparrow were the ray of sunshine that pulled me through the dark subject matter of this story. Such inner strength and strong faith from one so young. Books of this nature are usually able to get my tears flowing, but this book is written in a way that kept me emotionally detached enough that I did not shed a single tear. I think this may be due to the author being Christian and not being overly descriptive of the horrific things that are taking place.