Bring Her Home

by David Bell

[kimbacaffeinate]

Bill Price, a widowed father, becomes distressed when his fifteen-year-old daughter Summer and her best friend Haley disappear only to turn up in a local park. Haley is dead, and Summer is unconscious and clinging to life after being severely beaten.

Bill is muddling through life with a dead end job just trying to raise a daughter after his wife died tragically. The two have been depressed as they quietly mark the passage of time. There have been a few instances of curfew breaking, but Summer is a good girl and Bill is doing the best he can. As the police question Bill, he begins to question himself and her friends. He seeks answers and grows frustrated at the police. While he keeps vigil over Summer's bedside, it is his sister Paige who points out something that leads to a shocking discovery. What happens next takes Bill on an emotional rollercoaster that certainly would have left me reeling. As questions surface and folks come forward a dirty secret from the girl's school is revealed, but other darker secrets are yet to be discovered.

Bell did an excellent job with red herrings, flashbacks, and suspects as we held out hope. While I won't reveal details to deter your enjoyment, I was a bit disappointed in how quickly I pieced things together. I did so long before Bill and the police. Maybe it is because I've read a few of Bell's book and have come to expect a particular formula from him. However,  this had a made for television feel. The thread involving Summer was the strongest, but the additionals threads seemed at times a  little over the top.  On a positive note, I did picture Bill Price with the voice of Will Patton, and while not loveable I couldn't blame him for his actions.

Copy provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer