When Blair Butler is called to the bedside of her dying sister, the last thing she expects is a confession. Celina tells Blair that she deliberately lied to avoid the wrath of their mean-spirited, racist guardian, Uncle Ellis, resulting in the conviction of an innocent black man who has spent 15 years in prison for a crime that he didn't commit, the murder of Blair's best friend, Molly. Blair promises to find a way to free the man, but is met with resistance on every front, even being thrown out by the victim's parents, who refuse to consider that the case may not be closed after all. To add to Blair's problems, Celina has arranged for her close friends to become guardians to her 10-year-old son, Malcolm, failing to discuss the issue with Uncle Ellis or the boy and leaving it up to Blair to inform them both.
Blair, who is a partner in a successful computer company in Philadelphia. stays on in her home town to look for ways to free the wrongly imprisoned man, unsuccessfully enlisting the help of local newspaper reporter, who was blacklisted after in California after faking a source, and the local police, who refuse to reopen the case.
This is a terrific thriller with all of the atmosphere you would expect from a twisted, reluctant guardian, an unhappy childhood reluctantly revisited, and lots of back roads and dark woods. Blair is a resourceful but realistic heroine and a cast of supporting characters is interesting and unpredictable. I enjoyed it from start to finish and found the ending to be both believable and satisfying. If you've never read Patricia MacDonald before, try one of her novels. I think she is very underrated.
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