Muskrat Courage

Rating:
Summary: Good beginning but slow
Review: I had no trouble getting into this book and was looking forward to a good read, but about a third of the way through the plot slowed down and I grew increasingly bored until the ending, which I read but found implausible. All in all, I thought the writing and style were good but I didn't get attached to any of the characters and didn't find myself caring about the outcome.

Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: Will Keats is an unemployed school counselor, but lives welldue to the money he has inherited. Will lives with his significantother Adrienne and her eight-year old daughter Olivia in Tocqueville, Georgia. Will loves Adrienne and seems to care deeply for Olivia. However, he soon learns how much he loves the child too when she is kidnapped. The police are stymied by a lack of clues and no ransom note.

Everyone initially thinks that Adrienne's former husband Byron committed the act. Byron, who detests Will, has a perfect alibi and passes a lie detector test. Through a few lucky breaks, the police identify and locate the abductor, but find him dead execution style. Olivia remains missing. Acting on an unusual tip from an unlikely source, Will risks his life to go out on his own to rescue his "daughter."

MUSKRAT COURAGE is a fast paced, moving drama that focuses on the impact a kidnapping has on the remaining family members. The characters are well drawn and likable, making it easy for readers to care what happens to them. As time (and the pages) passes, a growing sense of horror and despair for the safety of Olivia grips the audience. Phillip Lawson tells a superb story that keeps reader interest at the highest levels.