This was the story of Shae-Lynn Penrose, a 40 something year old living in Jolly Mount, PA.  Her son, Clay, is a police officer in Jolly Mount following after Shae-Lynn’s footsteps as she had been a cop for many years.  She is a taxi driver running her own one person company and has a way of helping many people in her community as well as putting pieces of a mystery in her past together.

Shae-Lynn lived in a home with an abusive father and moved out as soon as she could leaving her younger sister, Shannon, behind.  She had not seen Shannon again and had some thoughts that her dad may have killed her sister.  To her surprise several strangers show up looking for Shannon, and Shannon herself drops back into Shae-Lynn’s life almost as if she had never been gone.

Shae-Lynn pieces together the stories from the people she has met who are looking for Shannon and learns that her sister has been having babies and adopting them out at a high price…a very high price.  And as she is looking to get out of the baby business she has promised the baby that she is pregnant with to two different people, trying to draw in enough to “retire.”

This story is filled with the same colorful characters as past books and even with the subject matter I felt it was a little lighter then her previous novels.  I only hope that she keeps writing.

The book then moves forward about thirty years and little Ivan Zoschenko has turned into The Great Ivan Z.  He had been a football hero going to play for the Bears before he had an accident that hurt his knee so he could no longer play.  Ivan went to Florida where he lived for years ignoring his family and home town and is now back in Coal Run working for the police there.  It is clear early on that he has come back because one of this football teammates, Reese, is about to be released from prison.  Reese had been in prison for beating his wife until she was brain dead.

This book is about how life with the mines has changed every person in the town.  Later on, there are many unemployed men as new technology for energy is developed.  Ivan, and others, deal with their problems through alcohol and other escapes.  Ivan is trying to patch up relationships with his family and also trying to resolve some kinds of issue with Reese.  In doing so he confronts many of his own problems from the past and things that he has been running away from for so many years.

I enjoyed this book by Tawni O’Dell even more than her first.  It is very believable, the characters make you feel for them, and there are moments to make you smile and cry.

Harley is old for his age.  He works two jobs to pay the bills and worries about food, mortgage and his sisters while his friends are away at college living the life he wishes he had.  Amber is 16-years old and makes things very hard for Harley by not listening to a thing he says and involving in risque behaviors in front of him.

Misty is quiet and a little bit scary.  They describe her as having been closer to her dad and having a hard time dealing with his death.  Jody is six and seems to have adjusted reasonably well.  She plays with friends, goes to school and is generally just a kid.

Harley sees a counselor as one of the conditions for keeping custody.  He has extended family who help him by bringing him beer, but do not actually take the time to get involved and help.  Harley also meets the mother of one of his sister’s friends and begins a relationship with her.  Throughout the book you can tell that Harley is just barely hanging on.  There is a desperation and most of the characters that jumps off of the page.  A lot comes out at the end that makes sense and brings the story together.  If you’re interested in a bit of a dark, complicated book, then this is a good one.