Saving Grace

In Babitt’s uneven debut, single mother Mary Grace Dobbs, the new sheriff of Repentance, Ark., fears history might be repeating itself 24 years after two of her sixth-grade classmates—her best friend and her worst enemy—vanished separately. First, Black mechanic Darryl Stokes, who many in the conservative, largely white community suspected in the disappearances, suddenly returns after an absence of more than two decades. Then, weeks later, a sixth-grade girl goes missing—alarming Mary Grace in both her professional capacity and as a concerned mother whose daughter is the missing girl’s classmate. As Mary Grace leads the search while struggling to keep in check the white supremacists who are spoiling for a fight, shifts between the chaotic present and the guilt-wracked past help build tension. The author skillfully teases the long-buried secrets that still haunt the sheriff, but frequently loses narrative drive in long-winded passages dedicated to chronicling local color. The pace accelerates during the twisty final pages, leading to an explosive, if credulity stretching climax. Babbit shows enough potential to leave fans of psychological suspense wanting more. [em](Mar.) [/em]