Most days, Claire Conover finds gratification working in
the highly stressful foster care system. She tries to keep
children safe and encourage willing parents to become
rehabilitated, so they can get their kids back. It is
Claire's responsibility to determine the safety of the
home, the parents' dedication to keeping a clean life, and
that everyone in the children's lives are not potentially
harmful.
Ashley Hennessy is one of Claire's success stories: Ashley
was holding down a job, going to AA meetings and was
continuing to take steps to care for her young son,
Michael. When Claire gets a phone call from the police that
Michael has died, her world crashes apart: she is horrified
over the tragedy of a child's death, has to deal with the
CYA attitude of her job, is concerned that she may have
made a mistake somewhere in the process and is worried
about Ashley's response to the situation. As events unfold
and evidence points to Ashley as the responsible party in
Michael's death, Claire is despondent, but she knows Ashley
did not do it.
Intricately woven, LITTLE LAMB LOST paints vivid images of
the foster care system, the blame that occurs after
tragedy, the convoluted relationships within families by
blood and by choice and one woman's choice to persevere
even when faced with internal and external barriers to
success. The characters are well-written, and the reader
can empathize with Claire's desire to help people even in
seemingly hopeless situations. The storyline rushes from
one plotpoint to the next, creating suspense and an urge to
flip the pages even faster to find out what happens next.
Social worker Clare Conover honestly believed she could
make a difference in the world until she gets the phone
call she's dreaded her entire career. One of her young
clients, Michael, has been found dead and his mother,
Ashley, has been arrested for his murder. And who made the
decision to return Michael to Ashley? Claire Conover.
Ashley had seemingly done everything right-gotten clean,
found a place to live, worked two jobs, and earned back
custody of her son. Devastated but determined to discover
where her instincts failed her, Claire vows to find the
truth about what really happened to Michael. What Claire
finds is no shortage of suspects. Ashley's boyfriend made
no secret that he didn't want children. And Ashley's
stepfather, an alcoholic and chronic gambler, has a shady
past. And what about Michael's mysterious father and his
family? Or Ashley herself? Was she really using again?
Amidst a heap of unanswered questions, one thing is for
certain: Claire Conover is about to uncover secrets that
could ruin lives-or end her own.
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