Marilyn's Mystery Reads

The English family is out for a hike in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, celebrating Elizabeth’s victory in a successful court case in Alaska.  All four members of the family are experienced hikers, even ten-year-old Nick and four-year-old Henry.

Then there’s a sudden downpour, and the two boys run ahead of their parents.  They reach the parking lot, and Henry says he needs to use the toilet.  Nick gives him his flashlight, and the younger boy rushes ahead.

When Elizabeth and her husband Paul come back to their Jeep, Nick is there but Henry isn’t.  Nick tells his parents where his brother went, but when their father looks for him, Henry isn’t there.  Did he get lost?  Was he kidnapped?  The family’s nightmare begins.

Although on the surface their life seems perfect, there is a good deal of stress between the parents.  Elizabeth has always been the breadwinner, making a very impressive salary, but numerous trials necessitate long absences from her husband and their sons.

Paul is embarking on a new career, beginning his master’s in poetry at the University of Houston; even when he completes the program, however, there is no way he can compete with his wife’s earnings.  Feelings that were long buried between the parents come out into the open under the incredible stress of searching for their missing child.

In addition, Elizabeth’s demanding job has exacerbated her dependence on alcohol, which began in college.  For years it has been under control, but the celebration after winning the trial in Alaska led her to indulge again, with painful and unforeseen consequences.

The novel is told in several voices–Elizabeth’s, the distraught mother; Paul’s, who learns what happened in Alaska; Nick’s, who blames himself for letting his younger brother out of his  sight; Hollis Monroe’s, a former sheriff and current park ranger; and Aunt Alex, Elizabeth’s closest friend and Henry’s godmother.

Elizabeth and Paul are now facing not only the terrifying possibility that their young son has been kidnapped and may be dead but also the different ways in which they are handing this crisis.  Nick provides the only clue to Henry’s disappearance when he remembers seeing a truck in the area, but he cannot offer any identifying features, so it’s not really much help.  Paul believes that the best thing for Nick is to return to their Houston home with him so that he can go to school, while Elizabeth is adamant about staying at the Park and waiting (and hoping) for Henry’s return while plastering Henry’s photo on every available tree and storefront.

The author does an outstanding job differentiating among these characters, giving the reader an insight into their feelings and thoughts about the missing youngster.  Their emotions are painful and believable.

Isabel Booth is the pen name of Karen Jewell, a former trial attorney turned author.  You can read more about her at this website.

Check out the complete Marilyn’s Mystery Reads at her website.  In addition to book review posts, there are sections featuring Golden Oldies, Past Masters and Mistresses, and an About Marilyn column that features her opinions about everything to do with mystery novels.