When Mitchell Brannon’s beloved wife of twenty years kisses him goodbye one autumn morning, he has little idea that his life is about to change forever. Mitch returns from work early that evening, surprised Jill’s car isn’t in the garage. Her conference in Kansas City is only a few hours’ drive from their little town of Sylvia, Missouri. But her voice on the answering machine makes him smile. “Hey, babe, I’m just now checking out of the hotel, but I’ll stop and pick up something for dinner. Love you.”
Mitch sets the table with their best china and lights some candles, looking forward to their first weekend as empty nesters.
But at eight o’clock, the candles have burned to stubs and Jill still hasn’t shown up. Mitch tries her cell phone only to get her voice mail over and over again. Their two college kids haven’t heard from their mom either.
At midnight, Mitch’s irritation turns to dread. And later, when the police and Missouri Highway Patrol have turned up nothing, the Kansas City hotel calls to say they’ve found property belonging to Jill in a hotel maid’s possession.
Mitch enlists the help of their next-door neighbor, Jill’s best friend, Shelley, and together they search for clues to Jill’s disappearance. As days turn into weeks and weeks into months, Mitch and Shelley’s friendship grows ever closer—and decidedly complicated with Jill as the tie that binds them together. Just when Shelley decides to finally reveal her feelings for Mitch, a clue to Jill’s whereabouts is uncovered. But every lead seems to be a dead end, and Mitch wonders how he can honor the vows he made to a woman who has seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth.
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Deborah Raney is the award-winning author of several novels, including "A Nest of Sparrows" and the RITA award winning "Beneath a Southern Sky" and its sequel, "After the Rains." Deborah's first novel, "A Vow to Cherish," was the inspiration for World Wide Pictures' highly acclaimed film of the same title, which in December 2004 aired on prime time network TV for the second time. Deb's novella, "Playing by Heart," was a National Readers Choice Award winner and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Her novel for Howard/Simon & Schuster, "Yesterday’s Embers," appeared on the ECPA Christian fiction bestseller list. Known for her sensitive portrayal of family struggles and relationships, Deb has also written nonfiction books and articles and often speaks at women's retreats and writers' conferences around the country. She and her husband, illustrator/author Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas.
Find out more at DeborahRaney.com
A story that makes you think...all that we take for granted. No matter who in your family doesn't come home, there is a sense of panic. Going around for about a year with no answers has got to be heart wrenching.
I could not imagine my husband's voice on our answering machine, saying he would be home shortly, and then vanishing with no trace. What length would you go to to find your loved one?
We find Mitchell Brannon's wife Jill showing up in unexpected ways...but where is she? Will Mitch make it through this trauma. What will happen to his college age children?? How do you deal with school when part of your family is missing. Did Jill take off of her own free will? Where is she?
I don't think I could, and know Mitch didn't without God's help! As time goes on by, you wonder how her reappearing in their lives is going to effect them, or if she never comes home.
The not knowing has got to be the horror of this book. It becomes a real page turner trying to see where the answers are going to come from. I highly recommend this mystery....it is a great read.
I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.
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