Chris Boyd is a powerful and respected Front Range banker who employs Harry Sparks as a grounds keeper. One Sunday morning, Harry arrives at Chris’s home to aerate the lawn. But on this particular day Harry brings his young son Ben with him. When Chris calls from the bank asking Harry to come fix a sprinkler problem, Rachel offers to baby-sit Ben.

Rachel’s story is that she and Ben walked to an ice cream store for a treat, returned home and since they were sleepy, they took a nap. When she awakened, Ben was missing. His body is found the next day in a nearby park and the Denver police focus immediately on Rachel.

Rachel is charged, her bail is set, and as a condition of bail, she must reside with her attorney, Jackie Flowers. Jackie is dyslexic and ashamed of it. She is a scrappy defense attorney and proud of it. Jackie competes in a world that has only recently come to accept female trial attorneys, but is not embracing them.

Relentless in her approach to preparing Rachel’s defense, Jackie is puzzled by Rachel’s failure to lend credible assistance. Cleverly intertwined with this issue is the overriding one of whether or not redemption is possible for crimes of this nature.

Jackie’s personal life is brought within the plot. Kane deftly creates multi-layered characters and peppers the story with crisp and witty dialogue. The investigation prior to trial, the courtroom scenes and the antics of counsel are realistic and accurate as told only by someone who has been there.

It is refreshing indeed to read a novel with a complex mystery plot containing significant social issues that are examined with compassion and understanding. Together with such likeable characters, a sustained and mounting tension exploding into an unexpected conclusion, this book is a keeper.

--Thea Davis