Beck Hardin, a widower with two young children, is having a hard time getting over the loss of his wife. Annie was the perfect mother, and juggling his legal career while taking her place at home becomes undoable. He decides to return home, to Fredricksburg, Texas, the place he vowed to never see again, and the father he hadn't talked to since college.
When he arrives he finds his dad waiting for him, and the house remodeled to accommodate his family. It seems that Annie had contacted him several years before, and they built an email relationship. When she knew that she was going to die, she told her father-in-law to expect his son. She knew he would realize that he needed help and eventually return to his dad.
Gimenez's book is heavy with Texas history that bogged down the story in parts, but he is a good story teller, and I found myself pulled back to his tale. Beck was a football hero during his high school days, and soon fills the spot of a retiring judge. His best friend from high school has become coach of their team and asks Beck to help him find the man who killed his sixteen year old daughter.
The bigotry in this predominantly German town makes Beck's search difficult, but there are good people who help him fulfill his promises to family, friends and the town itself. Beck's relationship with his father and his children bring a very human element to a storyline that often needs that spark of warmth.
- Beverly
Publisher - Navarchus Press
Date of Publication - October 1, 2011