The plot of this novel is SO prolonged, that all the "mystery effect" got lost on me.
Probably the war veterans or the people related to them might rate it higher.

"Write this down if you want, and never let anyone tell you otherwise: Love has a price. There never can be—never will be and never has been—a single love that comes without agony."

"Another thing I’ve learned: Sometimes those we worship harbor unimaginable secrets."

Glenn Meade’s newest thriller is a thoroughly engrossing read, and packs quite an emotional punch to boot—although, maybe that’s just because I’m a female reader (and a wife and mother)! Kathy Kelly’s life has already involved devastation upon devastation, but nothing could possibly prepare her for the events that unfold in these pages—events that also make a serious statement about the realities of war and the potential breeding ground it creates for greed and corruption.

Kathy is the primary narrator of the story, and her point of view is presented in the first person, which made her character particularly easy to identify with. She’s a character given to reflection—profound and intensely personal reflection, at times—and during the first third or so of the book, the details of her past devastations unfold in tandem with the present day situation. There were occasions when I felt as though she wallowed in her reflections a little, and there was some repetition that I thought should have been picked up in edits, but it was such a compelling story that my eyes were riveted to the page regardless.

As the novel progressed, it became focussed on the present day situation, where Kathy finds herself desperate for answers, constantly pulled in different directions, and unsure of where to turn and whom to trust. The tension is heightened by those times when secondary characters take the narrative reins, letting the reader in on circumstances that are as yet hidden from Kathy, but even then it was impossible to predict what would happen next or who was really what they seemed. And when it came to the final showdown? Boy, oh boy!

When the dust settles, the novel is brought full circle with some reflections from Kathy that mirror the opening of the novel. It’s a poignant ending that drives home the point that “[War] breaks us all in the end, even those of us who are mere watchers from the shore, for we are broken by the same cruel tempest that destroys the ones we love.”

This is a physically and emotionally tense thriller that is well worth the read.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review.

Meade has crafted a contemporary novel that portrays the after effects of the Iraq War. The plot revolves around Kathy whose husband, Jack, and two children were presumed to have died in an airplane accident eight years ago. Just recently the plane was found and the only body was that of the pilot. Officials think Jack and the children may very well have survived the accident.

The story behind the crash and the possible survival of Jack and the children unfolds very slowly, layer by layer. It has its roots in money and artifacts that had gone missing during the Iraq War. Things went wrong during battles and there were cover ups. Some benefited greatly from their war experience and will do anything, kill anyone, to keep their deeds hidden.

I had difficulty maintaining my interest in this novel. Much of it is written from Kathy's viewpoint. She thinks a great deal, sometimes pages of wondering this or that. I have to admit that I began skipping those sections. I always find it interesting when a man writes a novel with a woman as the main character. I think this time Meade way overdid the female thinking aspect, making the book bog down in many places. Other parts of the novel were written from the universal viewpoint. I did not like that and would prefer a consistent viewpoint.

Meade reminds us in a note at the end of the novel that much of it is based on actual facts. At least $8 billion of aide money went missing, as did many artifacts. Many of the soldiers saw horrific things and suffered PTSD, as did characters in this novel.

I have read other novels by Meade and I do not think this is his best. The plot is very complex. I couldn't count the number of times someone told Kathy that there was something she needed to know – another secret begrudgingly and slowly revealed. I did not like the characters. None of them made me feel sympathy for them, even Kathy. So many had their lives built on lies. Many of the twists in the book were just lies being revealed.

I think the book could have been shorter, with much of Kathy's thinking left out. I do recommend this novel to those who like to get into the mind of a character and are satisfied with action interspersed here and there.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

With hints of the lush southern writing of Pat Conroy and the twisted mystery of Harlan Coben, Meade delivers a solid novel of suspense about a woman whose military husband and children disappeared in a plane crash eight years ago. When the remnants of the crash are discovered, she discovers that her family did not die in the crash and that she is not the only trying to find them. The novel moves backward and forward in time, slowly revealing dark secrets. It was a fast paced read with interesting characters. The ending failed to tie up all of the loose end but it was a solid read.