3.5 stars
Baart's eloquent prose draws the reader into the tragic tale from the first paragraph. At times a love story, other times a mystery, this is overall a very purposeful piece of fiction. The author chooses each phrase carefully, which will draw the reader deeply into the story.

SUMMARY: In a small town in Iowa, Dr. Lucas Hudson is called to a farm as coroner to confirm the suicide of the resident. Lucas recognizes the man, the alcoholic father of a young woman he and his estranged wife had befriended and loved before she disappeared. When bones are discovered buried underneath the corpse, Lucas thinks it must be those of his daughter Angela. In a parallel storyline, high school student Meg Painter meets newcomer Dylan Reid. Their relationship is filled with ups and downs, with Meg eventually pairing off with mutual friend Jess. The two stories eventually intersect in a powerful way.

Nicole Baart seems to have a handle on women's fiction before it became *the* thing. A tale of loss and redemption, the grace is not only in the theme but in the rendering of the story, her characters well-developed, her narrative voice surprising and memorable.

This book was bit dark and weird for my taste. I was excited to read it but for me the story really didn't flow and it didn't capture my attention.