Book description
In this affecting crime novel shortlisted for both the Edgar and the
Duncan Lawrie Dagger, Eric Moore, a prosperous businessman, watches his
safe, solid world disintegrate. When eight-year-old Amy Giordano, whom
Eric's teenage son, Keith, was babysitting, disappears from her family's
house, many believe Keith is an obvious suspect, and not even his
parents are completely convinced that he wasn't somehow involved. As
time passes without Amy being found, a corrosive suspicion seeps into
every aspect of Eric's life. That suspicion is fed by Eric's shaky
family history - a father whose failed plans led from moderate wealth to
near penury, an alcoholic older brother who's never amounted to much, a
younger sister fatally stricken with a brain tumour and a mother driven
to suicide. Not even Eric's loving wife, Meredith, is immune from his
doubts as he begins to examine and re-examine every aspect of his life.
The ongoing police investigation and the anguish of the missing girl's
father provide periodic goads as Eric's futile attempts to allay his own
misgivings seem only to lead him into more desperate straits. The
totally unexpected resolution is both shocking and perfectly apt. In
this affecting crime novel shortlisted for both the Edgar and the Duncan
Lawrie Dagger, Eric Moore, a prosperous businessman, watches his safe,
solid world disintegrate. When eight-year-old Amy Giordano, whom Eric's
teenage son, Keith, was babysitting, disappears from her family's house,
many believe Keith is an obvious suspect, and not even his parents are
completely convinced that he wasn't somehow involved. As time passes
without Amy being found, a corrosive suspicion seeps into every aspect
of Eric's life. That suspicion is fed by Eric's shaky family history - a
father whose failed plans led from moderate wealth to near penury, an
alcoholic older brother who's never amounted to much, a younger sister
fatally stricken with a brain tumour and a mother driven to suicide. Not
even Eric's loving wife, Meredith, is immune from his doubts as he
begins to examine and re-examine every aspect of his life. The ongoing
police investigation and the anguish of the missing girl's father
provide periodic goads as Eric's futile attempts to allay his own
misgivings seem only to lead him into more desperate straits. The
totally unexpected resolution is both shocking and perfectly apt.
