Relief Map / Rosalie Knecht / 286 pages

The FBI has locked down the tiny Pennsylvania town of Lomath.  Blockades are established on all outgoing roads and electricity and phone service have been cut.  They are looking for an international fugitive, one Revaz Deni.  They suspect that someone local may be harboring Deni and have prohibited anyone from leaving, not even for much needed prescription refills.  Two ne'er do wells, Dominic and Brian, convince sixteen year old Livy Markos and her best friend, Tela - 18, to accompany them to a nearby pharmacy for the medicines.  This well-intentioned drug run turns into an armed robbery and kidnapping.  This book has so many vital messages that are skillfully and sensitively delivered.  The characters are well sketched and evoke empathy and incite the reader to thoughtfully consider the moral and ethical ramifications of their actions.