Young Allen Carmichael landed in Vietnam determined to survive his tour and return to the States to begin his life. Little did he know that the horrors and devastation he witnessed would change him forever. Naiveté and innocence were replaced by a depravity and corruptness that permeated his soul - leaving him bereft of emotions and attachments. Stateside he couldn’t connect with other people. Yet because he knew the extent of wickedness and evil man was capable of inflicting on others, he was preparing for his mission in life.

After spending years trying to submerge himself in alcohol and drugs, apart from human contact, unable to function as others did, he pulled himself from the abyss and became the protector of children, the one who watched until the moment was right to snatch them away to safety. Kidnapper or rescuer? His actions were not technically legal but they were just. He brought abused children to safe havens. He reunited families. He used the skills of the jungle to snatch innocent prey from human predators.

One last case he told himself and then I’ll retire. But that last case transformed his life just as Vietnam had decades earlier. He saves a twelve year old named Jamie hiding him with a rural family and then….

Is he truly an innocent young boy? Has the abuse from his father made him into something else? Has he had his own “Vietnam” experience? King’s plot is never as it seems. She manages to keep interest without sacrificing credibility. I was already one of her fans and now I’m even more hooked on her work.

--Jane Davis