Eight minutes on a Friday night in July was all it took to change the lives of a whole community. No one expected the three teenagers to open fire in the local mall, and certainly not in the movie theater. Now, the lives of the survivors are permanently altered as each has to learn to adjust to life after the horrible massacre. For one, law enforcement seems the most likely course while another turns to her art for solace. Unfortunately, there's a darker mind out there lurking, one who wants to inflict even further pain upon the survivors. Will this person's evil plan come to full fruition?

Nora Roberts tackles an all too realistic scenario in SHELTER IN PLACE. The first section of the story, aptly titled Innocence Lost, takes readers into the horrors of a mass shooting as Nora Roberts rips our hearts out. We see families torn apart and devastated in one single instance, all with the pull of a trigger by one of three teenagers hellbent on wreaking chaos. I won't lie- this chapter may have been one of the toughest reads I've ever had as my heart ached, seeing families and lives destroyed while the murderers gleefully continue pulling the trigger. Nora Roberts takes a topic straight from the headlines and puts a human face to the destruction, and the impact is beyond powerful.

However, one of the beautiful things about any Nora Roberts' story is how she finds the kernels of hope even within the darkest places and never is this more evident than in SHELTER IN PLACE. I love that we delve into the healing power of art as we see one survivor navigate her way through her grief and pain. She is balanced well by another survivor, who seeks solace in the steady role of law enforcement where his logical mind flourishes. The chemistry between them is beautiful to behold, as they enhance each other in their growing strengths. I won't spoil anything by revealing their names as part of the tenseness of the opening section of SHELTER IN PLACE is not knowing who lives and who dies.

SHELTER IN PLACE is one of those stories that haunts you well past the last page. The relevancy of the subject matter makes it all the more stunning, as Nora Roberts humanizes an all too realistic scenario. SHELTER IN PLACE is the kind of book you savor slowly, as the cascading emotions are so intensely powerful. If you read just one book this year, make it SHELTER IN PLACE. You won't regret it.