Debut author Higgs presents a novel about a widowed man rescuing a wayward child.

Brad Hughes is a 58-year-old man whose wife died four years ago from heart disease. He lives near Salt Lake City with three grown sons.When Brad goes on a hike in Utah, he happens upon a young girl who’s in bad physical shape, stranded on a cliffside. When Hughes first tries to help the girl, he’s rewarded with a nasty bite. The 12-year-old’s name is Esther Morgan, but in the hospital, she earns the nickname Tick, in part, because of her love of the song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” It’s clear that she’s had some fight training and is also remarkably intelligent and knowledgeable enough about the Bible to quote it when she feels like it. Tick eventually reveals that she and her mother were kidnapped by a man named Timothy Bird, who’s known to law enforcement as “perhaps one of the nation’s most prolific serial killers.” He’s as smart as he is evil, and tracking him down will be no simple task, even with Tick’s help—and it’s certain that Bird will attempt to hunt her down and kill her. When Brad decides to adopt Tick, he knows the road ahead will not be easy and may even turn deadly. The story begins with an enticing premise and a sense of suspense regarding when and how Bird will strike. Events take some detours that slacken the tension, however; for instance, the process of adopting Tick and introducing her to her new family adds some emotional weight to the narrative, but a family conference call doesn’t have the same heft as avoiding a killer on the loose. Still, Tick’s background is skillfully developed as Christian themes, such as how Tick’s biblical knowledge has shaped her, are ably handled, and such details give this thriller an intriguingly thoughtful tone.

A fine thriller that also offers a sensitive portrait of a troubled, intelligent girl.