When it comes to cold-cases, they don’t come much more emotionally charged than tracking down someone who was abducted as a newborn twenty-one years ago. Especially when the bereaved mother has leukemia and possibly only a few months left to live. It’s the kind of situation that tugs at the heart strings, even when you’re mourning the recent loss of your own grandfather and not at all sure you have the ability to fill his shoes. Add in the reappearance of an ex-boyfriend and the stage is set for an emotionally gripping read.

Except…

…I never really got further than an intellectual interest in the outcome of this story. Despite a gripping opening prologue and some early danger for Willow, the first part of the story was frequently hijacked by Willow’s and Austin’s internal monologues about their feelings for each other, their personal baggage, and the impossibility of a future relationship. I find that kind of romantic tension flat at the best of times, but in this case it became repetitive as well. And when it came to Austin’s past, refusing to talk about it seemed to be more of an issue than the circumstances themselves, if you know what I mean. When he finally did talk about it, I found it anti-climactic.

The action really picked up in the second half of the book, so readers who like a lot of suspense and surprises may still find this fits the bill. However, it became too convoluted for me. There’s a fine line to walk between foreshadowing and keeping the reader guessing in a suspense novel, and this story blurred that line by foreshadowing one thing and then revealing something totally different. Some readers may enjoy that, but I don’t. And when all was said and done, I wasn’t convinced that the motivation was equal to the crime and the effort to cover its tracks.

Unfortunately, this one was more miss than hit for me, but other readers who enjoy a second-chance romance and suspense that keeps them guessing may find it more to their taste.