Shots ring out. Three riders hightail it out of sight as 11-year-old Jonathan and his 9-year-old sister Abigail hide near the barn. With their parents brutally murdered in 1910, the children carry the scars of the loss. Abigail stops speaking to anyone but her brother, Jonathan, seeks revenge.

Two years later while searching the cabin, the children find a shiny object embedded in the floorboards. It’s a rowel broken off a spur. This new evidence rekindles Jonathan’s vow to find the killers.

Jonathan studies strangers in town for a broken spur. Friends and family, including Abigail, insist he ends the search. They reason murderers wouldn’t stay nearby nor return years later. But Jonathan refuses to give up.

With the investigative savvy of their visiting aunt, the search is on. But reopening the case may put the siblings’ lives in danger. Two decisions face the young man: if he recognizes the murderers, will he tell the sheriff and trust the courts for justice, or will he take revenge instead?

READERS SAY:

I couldn’t put it down! This book is action-packed read with God’s amazing work woven throughout. It’s not just for young people. A nice companion to Donna’s other three historical novels. Suzi (Donna’s and my dear friend who “graduated” last December ) would have loved it but not as much as I did. She would have been pleased it was edited well. – Kathy

***

“…it’s time for a new start.” Those words can herald a glorious beginning, or the opening chapter of hardship. For Jonathan, each time they offered both.

His family’s move to Eden Lake seemed magical. They loved their cabin, the lake, the views of Mt Hood, the wild woods surrounding them. The nearby town featured a grocery, a church, and a school. Mama planned a vegetable garden with young Abigail, and Papa promised to teach Jonathan how to fell the big Douglas firs. In 1910 those dreams ended with two gunshots, and Jonathan’s edge into manhood began.

I loved the close relationships this book offers—ones spanning decades, ones born of blood, and ones birthed from empathy. The warmth of community spills out across the story, set in a realistic 1910 Willamette Valley town in Oregon.

Jonathan carries boyish longings to be loved by his distant mom, yet he applies himself to adult challenges with somber determination. Meanwhile, he has his parents’ murder to solve. The characters are simply lovable, and you’ll find yourself fighting for Jonathan’s success as his outrage wars with his earnest desire to walk in faith. –Kim