LOST HOURS

Alaska provides the stunning backdrop to a complex tale of abduction and murder.

The small town of Benedict has provided a safe haven for author Elizabeth Fairchild, who, a year ago, was kidnapped and escaped her captor, though not without mental and physical scars. Under her real name, Beth Rivers, she has made fast friends and gained the strength to return to St. Louis to testify at the trial of her abductor. Beth’s mother is currently off the radar, but her semi-estranged father, Eddy, is in Benedict running fishing trips for tourists. While Beth and her boyfriend, Tex, are on a sightseeing boat trip, a woman covered in blood is spotted on an island, and Tex and others go ashore to rescue her. Hoping that her own experiences might help Sadie Milbourn recover, Beth listens to the woman's story, which includes having spent six years in the Witness Protection Program and having been kidnapped from her home in Juneau three days earlier. The searchers find no body, no other blood, and no sign of the bear Sadie claims killed her abductor. Beth has helped Benedict Police Chief Gril Samuels with many cases, so he trusts her to assist him with this one, especially since Sadie refuses to talk to the police from Juneau, who seem to dislike her. Many things about Sadie’s story don’t add up, but Beth sympathizes with her because she remembers how her own traumatic experiences messed with her memory. When Beth takes the opportunity to return to the island with her father and three tourists, one of them vanishes, producing more confusion but also revealing a clue that may crack the case.

A mystery, a thriller, and an all-around great vehicle for an intrepid heroine who never gives up.