Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed on 1/26/2011 + 5322 more book reviews

Very hard for me to read this one. I grew up with Jessica Roach, the girl Larry Hall was eventually convicted of murdering. She was four years younger than I was; I was 18 when she went missing. We grew up in the same very small town (Georgetown, IL, population 3,600), belonged - at the time - to the same very tight-knit religious sect (Jehovah's Witnesses), and I never in a million years believed something like that could happen in my town, to someone I knew. The story saddened me, but knowing that Mr. Hall is in prison for the rest of his life brings some measure of relief.

I admit that I picked up the book for Jessica's story, but I was sucked in by the ups and downs of the author's personal history. He was a young man who paid dearly for his mistakes, but in the end, doing what he did to help bring justice for Jessica and Larry Hall's other victims is truly marvelous.

Kudos to James Keene for his bravery. Jessica would thank you if she could.

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