Abby Dawson returns home when she learns her brother has
been murdered in an apparent robbery at the family
bookstore. Her brother, Hunter, managed the antiquarian
bookstore, but her father owns it. Abby and her father have
a strained relationship, at best, and do not get off to a
very good start with this visit either. She feels he is
making too many decisions too quickly on the heels of her
brother's death.
Sixteen-year-old Roxie Gold never had a real place to call
home or a father to be at odds with. She's always felt
unwanted, even when she was with her real mom until she was
eight. Roxie is currently traveling with her mother's
cousin, Irene, scamming antiquarian bookstores across the
country and stealing valuable books. Irene took Roxie in
when there was no other place for her to go.
At the Dawson Book Barn, everything goes wrong for Irene,
her son Deigo, and Roxie. Instead of scamming the clerk and
simply stealing some books, Irene decides to come back at
night and take what she wants. When Hunter walks in on
them, Deigo pulls a gun and things get nasty. Hunter ends
up dead, and Roxie decides she cannot live like this any
longer.
On the run, Roxie ends up in Elk Valley. Abby's
investigation into her brother's death takes her to Elk
Valley also to spend a few days with Hunter's fiancée after
his funeral. Their worlds come together here when Roxie
takes some of the books she stole to a local bookstore to
get an appraisal.
C. J. Darlington has written another masterfully
crafted story. She beautifully expresses a teenager's
feelings of being unwanted and unloved. She conveys the
stressed relationship between Abby and her father, a
relationship we find all too often in real life. Your heart
will ache for each of the characters as you read the
accounts of their lives. Don't miss this touching
masterpiece.
Roxi Gold has been shuttled from one foster home to
another for most her life. She longs for a family and will
do anything to fit in even if it's against the law. Soon
she's traveling the country in an RV, stealing rare books
from unsuspecting bookstores. She knows it's wrong, but if
she refuses, she'll be put out on the streets.
Police officer Abby Dawson has seen the worst of society,
and not just at work. Her ex-husband wrested her daughter
away from her in a bitter custody battle. The job she once
loved has become a chore, the world isn't any safer, and
there's no joy in her life.
One fateful night a man's innocent blood changes both
Roxi's and Abby's lives forever. One searches for justice;
the other finds herself on the run until a first edition
of The Great Gatsby catches up with her. Will the power of
forgiveness set them free, or will they both remain bound
by guilt?
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