Saving grace A novel of suspense

In Babitt's uneven debut, single mother Mary Grace Dobbs, the new sheriff of Repentance, Ark., fears history might be repeating itself 24 years after two of her sixth-grade classmates--her best friend and her worst enemy--vanished separately. First, Black mechanic Darryl Stokes, who many in the conservative, largely white community suspected in the disappearances, suddenly returns after an absence of more than two decades. Then, weeks later, a sixth-grade girl goes missing--alarming Mary Grace in both her professional capacity and as a concerned mother whose daughter is the missing girl's classmate. As Mary Grace leads the search while struggling to keep in check the white supremacists who are spoiling for a fight, shifts between the chaotic present and the guilt-wracked past help build tension. The author skillfully teases the long-buried secrets that still haunt the sheriff, but frequently loses narrative drive in long-winded passages dedicated to chronicling local color. The pace accelerates during the twisty final pages, leading to an explosive, if credulity stretching climax. Babbit shows enough potential to leave fans of psychological suspense wanting more. (Mar.)

A Southern gothic thriller replete with sins real and imagined. Mary Grace Dobbs' life has changed dramatically since murder stalked her hometown, but the sins of the past still color her present. Following the deaths of her parents in a car accident, she was raised by her aunt and uncle in the Bible Belt hamlet of Repentance, Arkansas. Her childhood was clouded by feelings of insecurity and bullying by mean girls, but her skill as a softball player brought her some comfort. So did the arrival of troublemaker Nadia Doshenko, who befriended her. But then Nadia vanished, soon followed by another girl. At the time, mechanic Darryl Stokes was suspected of killing both girls. Even though someone else eventually confessed, Darryl's reappearance 24 years later causes general unease. In the interval, Mary Grace had left town, borne an illegitimate daughter, and finally returned to become the Repentance sheriff over the disapproval of conservative townsfolk. When another girl disappears, the past comes back with a vengeance to haunt Mary Grace, whose daughter, Felicity, is also a softball star and part of a group of popular girls. Mary Grace is still in love with Parnell Vaughan III, her high school crush who's barely spoken to her since those days long ago, and she feels guilty about what she imagines to be her part in the ancient mystery. But now it's up to her to solve the fresh murder and protect her own daughter. Nothing is what it seems in Babitt's disturbing debut, a creepy tale of hate, evil, and redemption. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.