This murder mystery audiobook was great company as I drove north on a road trip. A casual read, it will not tax the brain. When a young girl is murdered, its investigation touches the lives of two brothers who had lived through the tragedy of their own sister’s murder, two decades earlier. Their painful memories, previously submerged by Kent Austin, were always present in the mind of the other brother, Adam Austin. He had set up a shrine to his sister in his childhood home, where he still lived, and often sat in her room speaking to her spirit, riddled as he was with personal guilt about her death.
Both brothers had been football stars in their youth. Embedded in this story, occurring concurrently with the murder investigation, is the effort of the town football team, the Cardinals, to win the championship, inspired by their coach, Kent Austin. It is a great diversion and distraction, perhaps sometimes, too much of one. However, the encouragement and competition of the sport helps to rebuild the townspeople and the mourners, raising them back up after tragedy strikes again. It is a contrast to the loss of life. On the one hand there are tears and on the other, cheers.
Adam is a bail bondsman and private investigator with a quick temper. Kent, the coach, is the milder of the two, who also ministers to and mentors prisoners, even to the point of speaking with and forgiving his sister's violent murderer. The current murder mystery ensnares both brothers in a web of intrigue and danger.
It is a fast read with twists and turns, perfect to keep the driver’s mind alert on a long trip.