A small-town lawyer has been searching for his daughter for eighteen years. Now another young woman is missing, and he’s determined to find them both—no matter the cost.
Author: Robert Whitlow
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Length: 415 pages
Genre: Suspense
About:
A small-town lawyer has been searching for his daughter for eighteen years. Now another young woman is missing, and he’s determined to find them both—no matter the cost.
Buddy Smith built his law practice around tracking down missing children. After all, he knows the agony of being separated from a child. Not long after his daughter’s birth, her mother ran away and Buddy never saw either one again.
Gracie Blaylock has known Buddy her entire life, and now that she is clerk of court for the county, their paths cross frequently. When Gracie hears that a teenager in town has gone missing, she knows Buddy is the one for the case.
The girl’s parents are desperate for answers. Together with Gracie and Mayleah—the new detective in town—Buddy chases all leads, hoping to reach the missing teen before it’s too late. And as he pursues one girl, he uncovers clues that could bring him closer to the girl he thought he lost forever: his own daughter.
Positive Elements:
Characters learn the importance of faith and trusting in God; characters are determined to obtain justice.
Negative Elements:
None.
Religion/Spiritual/Faith Elements:
Characters pray; a character has a prayer list; faith is discussed; a prayer chain and church are mentioned; there is a strong salvation message.
Violence:
A child is kidnapped; a police car is sideswiped; a car flips; the Trail of Tears is mentioned; is is mentioned characters are forced to become prostitutes; girls are trafficked; characters are threatened and drugged.
Other:
It is indicated a child was born out of wedlock; a miscarriage is mentioned; it is implied that a character deals drugs.
Rating:
4 Stars.
Conclusion:
Sex trafficking is very real and ongoing in our world – more than most of us know and realize. Trial and Error tackles this tough subject in a chilling, realistic, and tasteful way. Set in a southern town where people love food and softball, a myriad of different characters are drawn into the search for a girl who disappeared without warning. The author weaves the setting in such a way that you feel like you’re there – I’ve been to the South all of once, but I could well imagine what the town looked like. The characters, too, are diverse in personality and faith; the faith element I really appreciated. It was well done and not stilted. My one complaint is that the POVs are not always firm; at certain points in the books, you can’t tell whose POV you’re reading.
Madi's Musings 