Down the Darkest Road/Tami Hoag/432 pgs.

I might have to take a break from Tami Hoag books--she has gotten extremely dark (no pun intended). The Lawton family seems to have it all, until 16 year-old Leslie goes missing. Four years pass, and only two members of the Lawton family remain: Lauren, the mom, and her younger daughter, Leah. Lance, husband and father, dies in an automobile accident--an accident many suspect as a suicide. There is a suspect in the missing Leslie case: Roland Ballencoa, a free lance photographer, but no incriminating evidence has been found against him. Lauren and Leah relocate to Oak Knoll, where low and behold, Roland Ballencoa also appears. Detective Tony Mendez becomes involved, but Lauren has given up hope of any help from law enforcement. The reader feels Lauren's frustration in feeling that a victim's rights are trumped by those of a legitimate suspects. It was a hard read, with a somewhat "happy" ending, but at the same time depressing.