An engrossing mystery where one man’s dangerous background makes every scene hum with menace.
Any parent can tell you that time is of the essence in an abduction case, but when Aidan Saunders’s daughter, Ruth, goes missing, he knows from experience exactly how high the stakes really are. What he doesn’t know is how his daughter disappeared from a monitored wilderness survival camp. More troubling than the how is the why. Aidan might seem like an unassuming single dad who spent time overseas reporting on war and wandered into Cedar City a decade ago looking for a change of scenery for himself and his two kids. But that is only a cover story. The truth is much more complicated. He’s been fighting bad guys for a long time and lost too much along the way. Life in Utah isn’t even his first new identity, but Aidan hoped it would be his last. So when a body is found at the campsite and Ruth is nowhere to be found, law enforcement assumes the teenage girl is guilty of murder. Aidan knows different. Is it the Russians? The cartel? Whoever was behind Ruth’s disappearance, Aidan’s past likely has something to do with it, and time is quickly running out to preserve his identity and save the girl.
A race-against-the-clock thriller with a heart of gold, 72 Hours in Cedar delivers layered characters, carefully buried pasts, and a claustrophobic small town where the law isn’t always on the side of what’s right. The opening section centers on the investigation into Ruth’s disappearance, letting readers grow close to Aidan, his family, and his allies. Ruth’s character development comes only from the affection of her family and friends until the story ricochets back to the evening of the crime. Here, J.L. Calder’s storytelling explodes into overdrive, and the girl at the center of it all turns out to be sharper, stronger, bolder, and far more resourceful than anyone guessed. As the past and present collide, audiences feel like they are alongside the Saunders clan in the oppressive Utah heat, waiting for the showdown that will decide Ruth’s fate. It’s impossible to pick a favorite character, but Annie, Aidan’s former partner, ranks near the top. She is sharp and strong, yet tender when Aidan’s kids need her most. Just as memorable is an antagonist who makes all the wrong choices for all the right reasons. He is undoubtedly despicable, and his morals are long past saving, but a parent might wonder how far they would go in similar circumstances. An engrossing mystery where one man’s dangerous background makes every scene hum with menace, 72 Hours in Cedar is your next call-in-to-work read, and a perfect doorway into the Calder’s universe of intrigue, suspense, and characters you can’t get enough of.
