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2024 Carol Award Winner

"An uplifting story of faith, hope, and healing."--
Booklist

"Everyone has a story, and maybe everyone needs a little help toward healing."

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. All of that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?

"This heartbreaking story will keep you guessing--and hoping--with the turn of every redemptive page."--ERIN BARTELS, award-winning author of The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water


Endorsements

Christina Suzann Nelson is not an author who gives up her secrets easily. This heartbreaking story of a lost childhood friendship, a decades-old mystery, and an unrelenting search for closure will keep you guessing--and hoping--with the turn of every redemptive page.

Erin Bartels, award-winning author of The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water

The title of Nelson's book is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you'll be turning the pages quickly to find out what, indeed, happens next. Filled with heartache and hope, this story of intertwined grief is a beautiful reminder that healing is always possible, no matter the tragedy.

Lindsay Harrel, author of The Inn at Walker Beach


The Author

  1. Christina Suzann Nelson
    © Katey Tryon

    Christina Suzann Nelson

    Christina Suzann Nelson (www.christinasuzannnelson.com) is an inspirational speaker and Christy award-winning author. Her first novel, If We Make It Home, was honored as one of Library Journal's top five inspirational novels of 2017, and her 2021...

    Continue reading about Christina Suzann Nelson

Reviews

"Wow! I would give this book ten stars if I could! This was a powerful, heart-wrenching story with mystery, suspense, hope, and faith tied together. This was the first book that I have ever read by this author. She has a new fan in me. I will be going back to read her other books."

Interviews and Reviews

"Nelson's latest is ultimately an uplifting story of faith, hope, and healing that provides Faith and Heather's family the answers they so desperately need to forge a new path forward. Recommend to fans of Cathy Gohlke and Charles Martin."

Booklist

"Nelson transports readers back to the late '80s, a carefree time of bike riding and ice cream eating for Heather, Faith, and their friend Nate. Those innocent times also include mischievous behavior and family drama that add to the mystery of Heather's fate. Despite the heavy subject, Nelson manages to keep the story engaging and filled with hope."

World Magazine


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