A great second book of the series where we got to know more about the characters and see the continuous growth.

This is book two of the Gray West Mystery series and the main character is Gray West, who used to be called Grace, a sister wife to the leader and preacher of what many would call a cult, called Garden Temple. She was married off to Jeremiah, the group’s leader who says he can speak to God and calls himself a prophet, and has two other wives Naomi and Lydia. Gray was orphaned at age ten and her aunt and uncle soon joined Jerimiah’s cult and allowed her to be given to him as a wife aged just fourteen! When he decided that their oldest daughter was to be married off, she knew it was time to get away from the cult. She escaped with her two youngest children, daughters Olive who is only in seventh grade and eight year old Ruthie. She is shocked to find her fifteen year old son Abel turn up at her home, thinking he didn’t have any idea where they lived. Gray had managed to get five hours drive away from the cult’s compound, but always feared that her ex would be coming for her. Now she is dealing with the recent murder of her best friend and being a single mum to her girls. The appearance of her son is a nice surprise, but she has told nobody about him, in her new life. He has come for her assistance to stop his father marrying Bethany, the girl he loves himself and has grown up with!
Just as she agrees to help him if she can, someone takes her youngest daughter from right outside her house, as she is on her way back from work, leaving them in Abel’s care. She is over wrought and after searching the house, has to call the police in, something she is uncomfortable with after her upbringing, but she can at least rely on her friend and local detective Orion Boone. Gray soon finds out how wonderful her friends and neighbours in this new community are, as they all come round to help search for Ruthie. She is given a female liaison who stays in the home with her, Charlie Callahan, while Boone and the other detectives Truce and York start working the case of a possible abducted child! Gray suspects her ex Jeremiah, while some evidence points to a weird young teenager. Nothing is ever exactly as simple as it seems and someone has been playing games with Gray. She is no longer worried about breaking the rules of the cult, nor with only relying on her sister wives Naomi or Lydia. She is ready to let go of most of her secrets from her past and knows her best chance of Ruthie being found, is to let the detective in charge, know everything he may about her past and any dangers to her and her children. Every mother’s worst nightmare has happened to Gray and she will do everything she can to get her daughter back! She may not think of herself as a strong woman, but her actions in getting out of the hold of her ex and managing to start a new life with two of her children, shows her as stronger than many. She has already suffered a lot and managed to get through each occurrence. Now, all she wants is her daughter back, from whoever took her! I look forward to reading any more books in this series and certainly by this author. I received an ARC copy of this book and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

I feel like these are just so-so but I’m enjoying them and will probably listen to the other 2 in the series after a break.

A great second book of the series where we got to know more about the characters and see the continuous growth.