FIRE IN THE HEART

Molly O'Connor, 14, resolves to learn more about her geologist mother, who died in an accident in California when Molly was four. ""Finding"" Ashley isn't easy, however--Dad (a carpenter/contractor) won't talk about it; Grandma is too easily confused now; and mysterious, abrasive old cousin Sadie has stolen the old photos that might hold clues. Still, Molly gradually collects information--and some new questions, a couple of them painful: What was Ashley doing so far from their Vermont home? And who was the man in the truck with her? A good plotsmith, Murrow develops several twists here: Ramon, the history-student intern who sends Molly information from California, becomes a love interest; Ashley turns out to have been researching ancestors involved in the Gold Rush; stepmother Blair helps with the search and takes Molly to California, where she at last ""finds"" both mother and stepmother. While some of the writing is uneven--Ramon's family is less well realized than the Vermont characters, and there is an unnecessary, overtidy last chapter with everyone making peace with each other and/or the past--this entertaining novel has much to say about family tensions, apologizing, and the value of persistence.