Aaron Faulk has not been back to his hometown in about 20 years until his childhood best friend kills his wife and son before turning the gun on himself… while leaving his baby daughter alive.

30 years ago it was Aaron, Luke, Ellie, and Gretchen. Then Ellie suddenly turns up dead at age 13, Aaron is suspected and ends up fleeing Kierwaara with his dad and never looking back.

But when Luke’s parents ask him to use his federal police background to look into Luke’s murder, the past: its cruelty, its small-town conflicts, everything… all makes its way back to the surface.

Messy, emotional, and poignant, these two stories of past and future blend and weave together to create a read you’ll rush to finish.

8/10 on the borrow-to-buy a scale, you could reread once a year or so, but it will never be as good as that first time.