Desire Lines by Christina Baker Kline

When Kathryn Campbell celebrated her high school graduation around a bonfire with her group of closest friends in 1986, she never expected that her best friend Jennifer would walk into the woods that night and would never be seen again.  After a frantic summer search, Kathryn tries to move on with life, but Jennifer’s fate and the many questions that remain linger. This makes it hard for her to move on.  After her marriage fails, she moves back to her hometown of Bangor, Maine and in with her mother.  She is just in time for her 10-year high school reunion.  She gets an assignment from the local paper and her friend Jack to look into Jennifer’s disappearance 10-years later.  The secrets she discovers may well help her to find her final conclusion and peace.

I enjoyed this book immensely.  I loved the overall mystery and how it influenced Kathryn’s life.  She can’t move on until this mystery is solved.  I also loved the setting in the 1990’s.  I graduated from high school in 1996 so having the main action set in that year 10 years after the kidnapping was wonderful.  I will admit that I guessed what may have happened early on, but that the actual circumstances of the event kept me guessing until the end.  I also loved learning about orienteering in this novel.  Jennifer was really into orienteering and it sounds like a great sport.

Overall, if you are looking for a great suspense novel to curl up to in these fall days, I highly recommend Desire Lines.  I also must mention that I LOVE the cover.  I think the red leaf and trees are just beautiful and go well with the novel itself.

Book Source:  Review copy from William Morrow – Thank-you!