Pitch Black: ohne Ausweg

by Susan Crandall

Die Reporterin Madison Wade zieht mit ihrem Adoptivsohn Ethan in eine ruhige Kleinstadt in Tennessee. Als Ethan mit seinem Freund Jordan, dessen Stiefvater und einigen anderen Jungen zu einem Campingausflug in die Berge fährt, kommt es zu einer Tragödie. Jordans Stiefvater, ein erfahrener Wanderer, kommt ums Leben. Sämtliche Indizien weisen auf einen Mord hin, und der Hauptverdächtige ist Ethan. Madison ist auf ihren Spürsinn als Reporterin angewiesen, um dem Sheriff des Ortes, Gabe Wyatt, Ethans Unschuld zu beweisen. Dabei entwickelt Maddie schon bald tiefere Gefühle für den attraktiven Gabe ...

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Contemporary

Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Alas, the rumor is true, Susan was a dental hygienist in her previous career. However, she "retired" from that profession many years ago and has been a full-time author ever since--thanks to all of you fabulous readers.

Susan grew up in a small Indiana town, married a guy from that town, and then moved to Chicago for a while. She is pleased to say that she has been back in her hometown for many years and plans to stay.

She's received a RITA, two National Reader's Choice Awards and a SIBA Award for Fiction. Her books include an Indie Next Pick, Okra Picks, a Target Book Club pick, and are popular with book clubs.

THE MYTH OF PERPETUAL SUMMER will be released June 19, 2018.

Join her newsletter for new release announcements. http://susancrandall.net/newsletter/

Reviews

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Pitch Black” is a very well-written and intricate murder mystery with a sexy Sheriff thrown in for good measure. Susan Crandall has crafted an unsettling and frightening look at what might lurk behind appearances in a small Southern town in America.

Madison moved from Philly to get her newly adopted son, Ethan, away from the streets where he once lived alone and unwanted. She and Ethan are having some problems adjusting to Southern small-town ways, but sexy Sheriff Gabe seems to be more than willing to provide Madison all the help she needs.

Gabe is strongly attracted to this gorgeous Yankee, but when a simple camping trip ends with murder and all eyes turn to the only outsider, his relationship with Madison sours. Now, with strange rumors in town blaming Ethan for the deaths and Madison’s reports insinuating a local drug dealer, he’s dealing with threats against them both. Trying to stay impartial and investigate without distancing himself from Madison and her son may be more than this small-town Sheriff can manage.

The mystery and clues in this semi-thriller were well placed and well constructed. The plot is believable and flows from one event to the next without stalling. There were a few extraneous details that could have been left out (Gabe’s political father and spin-master brother) and a plot twist or two that I found improbable, but overall I enjoyed this dark tale.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty Good Suspense!

I thought the book was great! Lots of suspense and wondering ‘whodunnit’. Mind you, I had an idea of who it was about halfway through the book, and even though my hunch was right, it was still good.

I liked the characters. Maddie is a strong woman with a mind of her own, goes along with her own personal drum and does the best she can with a teen who’s been by himself too long. She manages to reach into Ethan in a way I don’t think many can, with her ‘no bull’ pact she makes with Ethan. Even though he was adopted, you could almost swear that Ethan was Maddie’s son in every way/shape/form.

Ethan is your typical teenager, but there’s more depth to him than what you’d expect. Seeing as you get snips of his past, you understand why he is the way he is, and I think he’s a great kid.

Gabe is your typical sheriff who will do anything to protect those he cares about, even holding out facts until the very end. I loved the banter between Gabe and Maddie - much of it reminded me of my husband and myself, LOL! It was terrific!

I thought it was great and I believe I’ll be picking up more from this author.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating to the extreme, Pitch Black is a highly suspenseful, yet heartwarming read. Madison Wade and her adopted son, Ethan, find it difficult to be accepted by the community of small town, Buckeye, Tennessee. A couple of suspect deaths and Madison's relationship with Gabe Wyatt complicate matters even more.

This is a fairly fast paced but absolutely satisfying story. Between the easily flowing prose and the continuous action, this was one of my most enjoyable reads of 2015. When I finished the last page, I actually wanted it to continue, so immersed was I in this plot, the small town, and the attractive characters.

The characters are realistic and fleshed out. As the story is told from multiple points of view, the reader gets a very thorough impression of most of the key characters in the book.

Although I suspected about halfway through who the villain in the story is, it is kept a closely guarded secret until close to the end. This is a book with a nicely rounded off end; neither abrupt, nor drawn out, but totally satisfying.

For a suspenseful read with a lot of beautifully written romance, I recommend Pitch Black as a very worthwhile read. (Ellen Fritz)

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one! Great mix of mystery and romance. I thought all the characters were great but my favourite was Ethan.
I really liked how Gabe already had and knew his feelings for Maddie and how the author showed quite well the torn feelings he had between his duty as sheriff and his budding romance with Maddie.
Only downer for me was Maddie, who had in the past been in some really tough situations, was a bit wimpy with knowing how to deal with Ethan. Having said that, the author did give plausible reasons why.
Recommended to all, and am on the look out for more of this authors books. :)

[Mojca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of Ms. Crandall's writing, so why do I keep reading her books? Well, one more to go and I'm done. Truly. Because I didn't like this one, either.

Great premise and intriguing start that soon gave way to slow pacing, bland characters, nonexistent suspense, and a killer that could be spotted from a distance.

[Susan Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summer read....fast paced romance and mystery. What more do you want at the beach?

[Toniarw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Der Twist am Ende war sehr spannend. Nur die Liebesbeziehung zwischen den beiden Protagonisten hat ein wenig genervt.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a bore. I figured who the bad guy was almost immediately. I kept hoping for a great twist-nah. The love story was awful. It read like a seventh grader wrote it. I skimmed that part. The mystery kept me interested. Mostly, though, poorly written, sterile typical characters. Too bad.

[Barbara Gueli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and will definitely read more books by this author. It had just the right amount of suspense balanced with a behind the main story attraction between the characters. I won't say who the killer is but I did figure it our about three quarters of the way through and had my suspicions about half way.

[Sarah Kraemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr spannendes Buch mit liebevollem Kern und coolen Charakteren.

Kann ich nur empfehlen :)

[Connie Becerra]

Enjoyed this read

[Angie Swiney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fast paced, murder mystery. I highly recommend it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced. Very well written.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent writing, story telling and relationships. Very enjoyable. Sexual content is appropriate for teenagers.

STORY BRIEF:
Maddie adopted troubled teen Ethan in Philadelphia. She and Ethan moved to a small town in Tennessee because she felt it would be better for him. She is editor of the local newspaper. Ethan became a protector and best friend to Jordan, a fearful boy bullied by others. Jordan’s stepdad Steve took Ethan, Jordan and two other boys camping in the mountains for the weekend. Someone killed Steve, and the boys came back alone. Jordan is in a trance-like state, unable to communicate and is staying at the hospital. Sheriff Gabe is investigating. Gabe wants a relationship with Maddie, but she’s reluctant. Her priorities are Ethan and her work. She and Gabe have a lot of interaction due to his investigation of the death. Ethan is a suspect. Gabe is doing his best to find another suspect which is difficult.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Excellent writing and story telling. Following is an example of her writing style, page 166. A dead body was lying in a creek. Gabe was looking for evidence and taking pictures. “He’d been in the creek just long enough for the deep ache to start in his ankles and calves from the cold and for the water to wick up to mid-thigh on his jeans.” It made me feel like I was there. It was an interesting description. Lesser writing might say “he got wet while standing in the creek taking pictures.”

More than once the author used a cliffhanger to cause artificial suspense, which is something I don’t like. For example, page 175, Maddie had been asking Ethan to tell her what happened but he wouldn’t. Finally he agrees to tell her. He starts by saying “He didn’t mean to do it.” Then the author switches to another scene with other characters for 3 ½ pages before going back to Ethan and continuing with what he was telling Maddie. This annoyed me because I had to skip ahead to see how long it was going to be until I learned what he was going to tell Maddie. After finding that it would be 3 ½ pages, I then relaxed, went back, and read it in order.

This book fits the definition of a romance novel because there is a good romantic relationship developing, and there is a happy ending. But I think romance readers are used to seeing a little more sex than what was in this book. If that’s important to you, just know that there was one sex scene, vaguely written in a manner appropriate for teenagers. Personally I’d prefer a little more detail, but some readers will like it fine just as it is.

Although not a problem, I would have liked more back story on Ethan and Maddie.

EXCELLENT COMMENT BY ANOTHER REVIEWER:
I enjoyed and agree with City Girl Bookworm’s comment. She wrote “I enjoyed the relationship between Ethan and M, their growing trust in each other, and how they each realize how much they depend on each other. Most people adopt children as babies, and it takes a special person to adopt an older child especially when the child has had a hard life. I appreciate Madison being not only willing to adopt a teenager, but also willing to change her life for his benefit. She moves away from a successful career and a familiar home to give her son a new chance to start his life as a normal kid, and when people look at Ethan when their small community has big problems, she stands up for him as any mother would. Ethan's loyalty to his friend Jordan is beyond what a normal 15-year old would do, but because of Ethan's own childhood, he recognizes something in Jordan that he can relate too.”

DATA:
Story length: 375 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious words. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one, 1 ½ pages long. Setting: current day Buckeye, Tennessee. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense mystery.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up (borrowed via ILL)

I enjoyed Whistling Past the Graveyard so requested this earlier work by Crandall. I enjoyed it, but I did figure out the "bad guy" far too quickly, and skimmed through the last 2/3 of the book rather than savoring it.

I felt Ethan was the best developed character, and I liked Madison and Gabe OK (but of course you knew exactly where their relationship was headed). I felt like the other characters were a bit stereotypical.

[Ns · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a suspenseful level, Pitch Black is an excellent read. There are plenty of tense, gripping and unexpected moments found in the plot. I'll admit I figured out the suspect early on but in no means did I lose interest in the murder mystery. In fact it gave me a better opportunity to really focus on the characters and plot development and anticipate the twist and turn of events.

Madison (Maddie) Wade and her new adopted teenage son, Ethan move from big city Philadelphia to the small Southern town of Buckeye. Their hope is a fresh start away from the troubles of the big city. The community is far from welcoming, instead the close-knit town is wary and suspicious of the new outsiders. When a camping trip that Ethan goes on ends with a suspicious death that is later found to be murder, the community is more than ready to condemn Ethan. Only his mother believes in his innocence and that belief does not sit well with the residents, as well as the evidence. This is a fact, Sheriff Gabe Wyatt is much too aware off, as he struggles not to allow his growing feelings for Maddie to cloud his judgement and duty.

As more murders and suspicious deaths come to light, evidence continue to point towards Ethan. Somehow all this is connected to the camping trip murder and the killer is intent on tying up lose ends. Maddie and Gabe find themselves questioning their trust in one another and turning to each other for answers and protection. If Ethan isn't the killer? Who is?

With such a great suspenseful plot, it's almost easy to overlook the flaw in character development but it was enough to distinguish the book from a good to great read. Maddie and Gabe each have their own strengths and weaknesses. She is strong, frank, and has an investigative mind. It is something that appeals to Gabe's gentle and protective nature who is committed to his duty and serving his community. The problem is they never quite develop, or overcome their weaknesses which is their mistrust of each other. They simply stall in this aspect, even though much of their conflicts are the results of that lack of trust. At the end the trust issue is never resolved, only that the murders are solved and they move on.

Another thing I found lacking was Gabe's history, which is mentioned all too briefly but nothing comes off it. Specifically his minimal interaction with his father and brother allude to a defect in communication and yet it goes unaddressed. The story would have been much stronger to have focused on this part and given us a sense of Gabe's character. The bit of of Gabe's personal life seems to come out of nowhere and likewise goes nowhere.

What I did appreciate was Ethan's story; a much deserved chance at a loving family and better life. Seeing the development in his character was heart-tugging but did not elicit pity. Rather, I admired his resilience and ability to overcome his adversity. This, integrated with the suspense were the highlight of the story.

[buchverliebt]

Pitch Black stellt ganz klar den Thrill Anteil in den Vordergrund und beinhaltet trotz der Eingruppierung, der Verlags, in die Kathegorie Romantic Thrill eher weniger Romantischen Szenen. Zwar ist schnell klar, dass Sheriff Gabe Wyatt & die zugezogenene Maddie aufeinander stehen und sich mehr als nur sympatisch sind, doch haben die beiden von Anfang an eher einen distanzieren Umgang miteinander. Das liegt vor allem daran, dass nach dem Mord Maddies Adoptivsohn Ethan verdächtig wird - was vor allem an seiner Vergangenheit als Straßenkind liegt - und Gabe nun eben in besagtem Fall ermitteln muss und kann sich einfach nicht leisten wegen persönlicher Gegebenheiten die Fakten aus den Augen zu verlieren.

Die Ermittlungen und der Verlauf dessen waren zwar interessant gestaltet und die Gedankengänge wirklich nachvollziehbar, doch hatte ich irgendwann das Gefühl die Handlungen würden sich wiederholen und das Buch käme einfach nicht ganz voran. Wobei ich in Gabes Überlegung nicht nachvollziehen konnte, wieso er einfach eine bestimmte Person nicht verdächtigt hat, ich fand das einfach als Fehler seinerseits einfach jemanden zu vergessen, obwohl er ja so angestrengt jede kleinste Kleinigkeit beachtet hat. Ohne zu spoilern kann ich hier leider nicht mehr verraten.

Ethan tat mir die meiste Zeit vor allem leid: Sein bester Freund ist nach dem Mord an seinem Stiefvater in psychatrischer Behandlung, er selbst ist Hauptverdächtiger in diesem Mord und hat eine komplette Kleinstadt im Nacken sitzen die scheinbar von seiner Schuld überzeugt sind. Das Gefühl eine Last für Maddie zu sein verstärkt sich in ihm immer mehr und ich konnte gut mitfühlen wie er zu diesem Schluss kam. Dabei hatte er es als Kind auf der Straße schon nicht leicht.

Alles in allem handelt es sich hierbei um einen durchaus interesanten Thriller in dessen Vordergrund die Aufklärung eines Mordes steht. Auch wenn das ganze für die Protagonisten Maddie und Gabe nicht immer ganz ungefährlich bleibt sind sie am Ende doch froh wenigstens einander Halt geben zu können, auch wenn es nicht zu großen Gefühlsduseleien kommt.

Den nächsten Band der Autorin, Dark Red, werde ich wohl erstmal nicht lesen, denn mir fehlten schon hier einfach ein bisschen die Gefühle. Das liegt aber einfach daran, dass ich persönlich nicht auf fast pure Thriller stehe. Ich brauche einfach eine etwas impulsivere Liebesgeschichte!

[Petersfairy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein paar Gedankengänge kurz nach dem Beenden des Buches:

Im Allgemeinen war das Buch ganz nett; es ist gut geschrieben und ebenso gut lektoriert worden und die Protagonisten kamen mir nicht vor, wie die CSI-Superhelden, wie das in vielen anderen Krimis der Fall ist.
Je mehr die Geschichte jedoch voranging, desto mehr störten mich einige Dinge:

- Gabe und Madison verhielten sich bezüglich ihrer Romanze wie Teenager. Mal sind sie böse aufeinander, dann wieder nicht, dann ist sie sauer, dann er. Diverse sexuelle Anspielungen, sogar nach gefährlichen Unfällen, wirkten ziemlich deplatziert und unauthentisch.


- Das Motiv des Mörders Der Grund, warum Todd seinen Vater umgebracht hat, ist vielleicht noch ein wenig nachvollziehbar - obwohl auch das ziemlich unrealistisch wirkt, zumal es von langer Hand geplant aussah und dann letztendlich doch eine spontane Sache war - aber weshalb er seine Mutter umgebracht hat, wird gar nicht erläutert sondern einfach damit abgetan, dass er mentale Probleme hatte.

- Mir kam es so vor, als würde die Autorin das Buch schnell beenden wollen, ohne eine detaillierte, logische Erklärung abgeben zu wollen. Das Ende war ziemlich "dahingeklatscht."

- Der Krimi wird von der Autorin selbst als "romantischer Krimi" bezeichnet. Weshalb? Weil sich zwischen Gabe und Madison von Anfang an eine Beziehung anbahnt und sie miteinander flirten und sich küssen?
Das passiert auch in anderen Romanen, und die heißen schließlich auch nicht "romantischer Horror", "romantische Science Fiction"...

Fazit: Die stellenweise nervigen Protagonisten und das plötzliche, nicht zufriedenstellende Ende sowie der zu erwartende Täter geben dem Buch die Gesamtnote "befriedigend". Irgendetwas zwischen zwei und drei Sternen.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich fand es sehr gut, dass der Klappentext bei diesem Buch kurz und knackig gehalten wurde. Denn so hatte ich vorab weder detaillierte Informationen über das Leben und die Beziehung zwischen Maddie und Ethan, noch einen Hinweis auf den mutmaßlichen Täter, der den Mord begangen haben soll.

Mir tat Ethan in der Geschichte sehr leid. Der Junge musste vieles durchstehen, von Mobbing und Gerüchten, dass er der Mörder sei, bis hin zu Todesangst kam alles vor. Manchmal fragte ich mich, wie viel ein Junge wie er aushalten kann, auch wenn sein Leben bisher alles andere als einfach war. Aber Ethan war es auch, der dem Buch das gewisse Etwas gegeben hat. Neu in der Stadt und mit allen möglichen Klischees behaftet, kämpft er für sich und seine Vorstellung eines glücklichen Lebens ohne dabei egoistisch oder arrogant zu sein.

Leider habe ich es im Laufe der Geschichte nicht geschafft eine Bindung zu Maddie aufzubauen, wie ich sie zu Ethan hatte. Fast in jeder Situation war sie für mich schwer einzuschätzen und ihr Verhalten gegenüber Gabe habe ich nicht immer nachvollziehen können.Trotzdem muss ich sagen, dass sie sich jeder Zeit mit Hingabe für ihren Sohn eingesetzt und gekämpft hat, auch wenn ich selbst zwischenzeitlich hoffte das sie nicht enttäuscht wird.

Mich hat das Buch leider nur halb überzeugt, da ich nicht zu allen Hauptprotagonisten eine Bindung aufbauen konnte und in der Mitte hat sich alles auch ein wenig gezogen, bis es dann zum Ende hin wieder sichtlich spannender wurde. Daher vergebe ich hier 3 von 5 Sterne.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

"Journalist Madison Wade decides to move to Philadelphia when one of her articles on violence in the city hits too close to home. Madison and her fourteen-year-old adopted son, Ethan, take refuge in Buckeye, a small town in eastern Tennessee where her father had grown up. Despite the tranquility, Madison and Ethan feel like outsiders. But Gabe Wyatt, the local sheriff, is determined to welcome them to the town. He immediately falls for this beautiful journalist from the city. Madison resists Gabe's advances, but he's persistent and unlike anyone she's ever met before. As a romance develops between them, Madison becomes comfortable in the rural setting, and when Ethan becomes friends with Jordan, a fellow outsider at school, Buckeye begins to feel like home. But a tragic death changes everything for them. When Jordan's father is murdered during a weekend camping trip, Ethan becomes the prime suspect. Gabe's investigation of the murder causes a rift in his relationship with Madison. As small town gossip builds a damaging case against Ethan, Madison races to discover the truth. Heartbroken and lost, she struggles to find anyone who will believe in her and Ethan, despite their past." (From Amazon)

I enjoyed this romantic suspense novel.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indiana author Susan Crandall will be speaking at Greenwood Public Library on November 18 at 6pm as part of our NaNoWriMo creative writing series. I have heard great things about Crandall’s writing for a while, but had not gotten around to reading any of her books until this week when I finished Pitch Black.

Maddie and her adopted son Ethan moved to a small town in the South to escape the dangers of the big city, but they could never have anticipated the fear that would strike them when the stepfather of Ethan’s only real friend, Jordan, is murdered on a weekend camping trip in the mountains. To make matters worse, with his somewhat shady background, Ethan is who the whole town pegs as the prime suspect.

I loved Pitch Black! It was the perfect blend of suspense and romance, which I obsessively read until I reached the end. There is no reason why I waited so long to give her writing a try, but I am now anxious to read everything else she has written. This was a terrific literary escape.

[Jebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really reading this anymore. Part of the reason is b/c I had a hunch who the bad guy was the minute he was introduced. And all the diversionary clues the author threw out didn't work to change my hunch. Every time the guy's name was mentioned, I became more convinced. When he finally showed up again in a scene, I thought he shoulda been wearing a "Guess-Who-I-Am" T-shirt!

It wasn't just the obviousness of the bad guy, though, that's made me put this one on hold, it's the one-dimensional characterizations of the small town peeps. I swear, if I lived in some rural Carolina town, I'd be hopping mad that authors keep portraying me like some sort of close-minded zealot!

I'm giving this one a Time-Out, maybe I'll finish the last 1/4 in a couple of days, but don't hold your breath.

[Shanoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mir hat dieses Buch recht gut gefallen, obwohl ich nicht so schnell auf die Lösung gekommen bin, wie andere Reviewer, bei mir hat es ca. bis zur Hälfte des Buchs gedauert. Schade fand ich die Auflösung trotzdem, da mir einige Motive zu sehr im Unklaren bleiben, während zu Beginn noch alles recht detailliert erzählt wird, hat man das Gefühl, dass gegen Ende hin irgendwie "gehudelt" wurde und man versucht hat auf möglichst wenig Seiten möglichst viel unterzubringen. Die Charaktere mochte ich sehr gerne, nur die Liebesgeschichte fand ich ein wenig ... unauthentisch, man erfährt auch viel zu wenig über Gabe. Ich finde den Klappentext auch etwas ungünstig formuliert, denn während man glaubt, Maddie und er lernen sich erst bei den Ermittlungen kennen, kennen sie sich schon länger und auch das Interesse besteht schon quasi vor Beginn der Geschichte.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a Susan Crandall book before, but I certainly will be looking for more to read! I picked up Pitch Black in the bargain books section of my local B&N thinking that the story looked interesting. I was not disappointed! The characters are interesting and complicated - I found myself really rooting for the main characters – Maddie, Ethan and Gabe. The mystery at the center of this book is rooted in very realistic situations – teenage drug use, abusive step parents, the challenges of adopting a young teen – which make the twist and turns that much more effective. I highly recommend this book for mystery lovers.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who-hoo! A great thriller with romance mixed in for good measure. I am now a fan of this Susan Crandall, having read this book and Whistling Past the Graveyard. I only have one "complaint," I don't think Maddie would have used profanity (except maybe upon stubbing her toe,lol) and it just didn't seem to fit smoothly into this book. I read plenty of books laced with cursing and when it seems "natural?" to a character or the setting, I don't really even notice it anymore, even though I could happily do without any bad language, but it was out of character and distracting (to me.) Hopefully, it wasn't just to highlight her being from the big city, a career woman and a "Yankee!"

[Penny Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. Fast-paced, good mystery, you think you know who did it but then again you're not really sure....and there's romantic interest, but no actual sex until the end - and even then it's pretty much off-camera. I'd read this author again.

Recommended for fans of romantic suspense that like some current issues thrown in for good measure: abandoned kids, steroid abuse, possible child abuse.


Book #2 that I read this year for Aspen Gold competition 2009.

[Kemi looves 2 read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my 1st book by Susan Crandall and I loved it. The suspense was such a sweet rush for me!! I could barely put the book down. There was more than enough elements of "whodunnit" to keep you flipping the messages. I'm pumped! I'll look for more of her books........

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A single mom of a troubled teen taken away from the streets. She moves to small town and soon finds a guy she cant really get away from because she has feelings for her. But something tragic happened a man died and Gabe thinks its Madison son Ethan fault

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

GREAT STORY! Just when you think you know the premise in the first chapter or two, it changes, and so does the bad guy.

very real themes of bullying, high school steroid abuse, lost and made relationships.

[Jennifer]

Excellent book.