Publisher Annotation: To understand the truth, you have to start at the beginning. Winter in Idaho. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones. Living in harsh poverty, Jack Dahl is holding his breath. He and his younger brother have nothing?except each other. And now Jack faces a stark choice: lose his brother to foster care or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. He chooses the money. Ava Bardem lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father, a merciless man, has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one. Now Victor Bardem is stalking the same money as Jack. When he picks up on Jack?s trail, Ava must make her own wrenching choice: remain silent or speak, and help the brothers survive. 368pp.

William C. Morris Award Finalist, 2022.