Close to the Broken Hearted

In Hiebert’s taut sequel to 2013’s Dream with Little Angels, Leah Teal, the sole police detective in Alvin, Ala., is the only one who takes the crisis calls from Sylvie Carson seriously. Shut in from society, Sylvie lives in a ramshackle house with her new baby girl, whose father has deserted her. Sylvie has been traumatized ever since, at age five, she saw Preacher Eli Brown accidentally shoot dead her three-year-old brother, Caleb; he was aiming for their father, with whom he had a land dispute. With the release of Preacher Eli from prison 17 years later, Sylvie has real cause for concern. Leah’s precocious 12-year-old son, Abe, shares narrative duty with a third-person voice that not only invites but warmly welcomes readers into the small town of Alvin. Hiebert does a masterful job of building suspense, though some readers may be a tad disappointed by the unexpected resolution. [em]Agent: Adrienne Rosado, Nancy Yost Literary Associates. (July) [/em]