In the small town of Smoke River, Washington, everyone knows the Elect of God. They're good religious people, honest, hardworking . and they're hiding some dreadful secrets. What kind of mother suspects her own daughter of murder? Laurie Hale has the perfect life-and the perfect family to go with it. All she wants is for her kids to find the popularity and success in school that she enjoyed back in the day.
But one night on the Smoke River bridge, a bid for popularity goes wrong and one of the teens from that weird group, the Elect of God, is found dead. When the police begin to investigate her daughter Anna, fear and suspicion begin to eat away at everything Laurie values. Anna is just one of several teenage suspects, but none of them is saying a word, and peaceful Smoke River divides along religious lines-to the point that Laurie is even asked to bow out of her prayer group just when she needs their support.
Her marriage starts to crumble and her standing in town shows its shaky foundations. Laurie doesn't want to face the truth. But it's the job of investigator Nick Tremore, her cousin, to find it. What if Anna really was there the night that Elect girl, Randi Peizer, was killed? Why is Nick spending so much time with Randi's mother? And what kind of person is Laurie if she can doubt her own child's innocence? "As tragedy unravels a community and a church, a good woman is forced to face the stark truth of her own faith.
Once more, [Senft] has created a compelling story of crisis and spirit." -Mary Jo Putney
In the small town of Smoke River, Washington, everyone knows the Elect of God. They're good religious people, honest, hardworking . and they're hiding some dreadful secrets. What kind of mother suspects her own daughter of murder? Laurie Hale has the perfect life-and the perfect family to go with it. All she wants is for her kids to find the popularity and success in school that she enjoyed back in the day.
But one night on the Smoke River bridge, a bid for popularity goes wrong and one of the teens from that weird group, the Elect of God, is found dead. When the police begin to investigate her daughter Anna, fear and suspicion begin to eat away at everything Laurie values. Anna is just one of several teenage suspects, but none of them is saying a word, and peaceful Smoke River divides along religious lines-to the point that Laurie is even asked to bow out of her prayer group just when she needs their support.
Her marriage starts to crumble and her standing in town shows its shaky foundations. Laurie doesn't want to face the truth. But it's the job of investigator Nick Tremore, her cousin, to find it. What if Anna really was there the night that Elect girl, Randi Peizer, was killed? Why is Nick spending so much time with Randi's mother? And what kind of person is Laurie if she can doubt her own child's innocence? "As tragedy unravels a community and a church, a good woman is forced to face the stark truth of her own faith.
Once more, [Senft] has created a compelling story of crisis and spirit." -Mary Jo Putney
