On October 9th, 1980 in Callen, Pennsylvania Lorna Styles’ best friend Melinda disappeared on the way back home with her brother, Jason from Lorna’s house. Despite a state-wide search, she’s never found and Lorna’s prayers are peppered with “find Mellie” for years afterwards.

In 2005, Lorna returns to Cullen to sell the family property in the wake of her parents’ passing. But instead of memories, the fields where Lorna grew up yield something utterly chilling.

Melinda’s brother, Jason has long been thought of as the scapegoat for Melinda’s disappearance since it happened while she was returning home with him, but before Jason can be arrested, he turns up missing too. But it seems that Jason didn’t go far as his bones are discovered on the Temples’ land and the police close the book on Melinda’s disappearance.

Lorna’s not satisfied with this, however, and hires FBI-agent-turned-private-eye T.J. Dawson to investigate the decades old case.

Asking questions about a decades old disappearance can be as fruitful as listening to used cds is for finding forgotten songs and TJ soon finds his and Lorna’s life in danger from their poking around! Someone out there wants them to stop asking questions.

Ms Stewart has done a great job of drawing and fleshing out her characters. The plot of the book is believeable and realistic. We can see this crime happening in our own back yard! She’s drawn distinct portraits of not only Lorna and TJ, but of Lorna’s mother, Melinda, Melinda’s brother, Jason and Melinda’s mother, Billie who was an abusive, drunk single parent to Melinda and Jason.

Hard Truth is the second in the Truth series of books by Mariah Stewart. If this one is any example, I’ll be soon reading more of Ms Stewart’s works.

Hard Truth by Mariah Stewart
Published by Ballantine Books, 2005
ISBN: 0-345-47667-0