Candace E. Salima has written many insightful LDS blogs here on families.com, so many of you are already well familiar with her. She has mentioned her books from time to time, but I noticed that there hasn’t been an actual review, as such, and I thought I would take a moment to do that now, with her first novel, “Out of the Shadows . . . Into the Light.”
Caroline Duncan is a rancher in the beautiful rural area of Wyoming. With a comfortable home and good friends, it would seem that Caroline had everything she could want, but the one thing she loves the most has been ripped away. Her son, Patrick, was taken by her ex-husband, Todd, and she has not seen her son in three years.
She has tried this whole time to stay hopeful, but she knows what kind of man Todd is. She can only pray that he hasn’t harmed their son and that she will someday see Patrick again.
U.S. Marshall Slade Taggart knocks on her door one day, turning her world upside down. He has reason to believe that Todd is headed for Caroline’s ranch, bringing Patrick with him. Slade has a plan to capture Todd and free Patrick to be with his mother again.
Caroline is elated. It will all soon be over, and she’ll have her son back. But Todd figures out the plan and doesn’t walk into the trap. Not to give up that easily, Caroline goes out to find her son and bring her ex-husband to justice. She’s not sure what she’ll have to do in order to accomplish it, but it’s her son. She has no choice.
With a faith born of her relationship with God, she faces down her ex-husband and the drug cartel that he has associated himself with. Slade provides an unexpected source of comfort with his friendship and his fierce desire to protect her. Together, they manage to rescue Patrick, but there are casualties along the way. No one gets off scot-free.
A suspenseful ride through the snow-laden trees of Wyoming, you won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve finished the very last page.
(This book was published in 2002 by Spring Creek Books. Watch for the second edition soon to be released by Valor Publishing, Inc.)
