Brian and Laura Thomas raised their children - Beth, Nicole, and Michael - on a five-acre property in the tiny town of Allen's Grove, Wisconsin. The siblings grew up and went their separate ways, but are now gathering at the family home, to bury their mother Laura and settle her estate.
The Thomas family fell apart seven years ago, when husband and father Brian - apparently suffering from depression - disappeared, leaving a note that said 'I'm sorry'.
Since then, Nicole became a drug addict; Michael never visited from his home in California; and Beth continued working in a local factory. Beth resents both her siblings: Michael for being a rich tech entrepreneur while she struggles financially; and Nicole for being a junkie. Beth recalls the time Nicole came to her door, kicked it repeatedly, and made death threats when Beth wouldn't give her money. Nicole then threw one flowerpot across the porch, another one into the yard, and smashed a cherished wooden rocking chair. 
When their mother Laura's death brings the siblings together, they try to dial down the tension. Nicole has been clean for a month, attending a methadone treatment clinic. Michael purchases groceries and liquor, drives Nicole to the clinic, and buys her a new IPhone. And Beth calms down when she learns Michael has been sending their mother $2,000 a month.
Beth, Nicole, and Michael meet with Laura's lawyer about her will, then go through Laura's things to determine what to keep, discard, give away, etc. Along the way, the siblings come across a box of home VHS tapes and decide to play one from June 15, 1999, when Beth was 17, Nicole was 15, and Michael was 14. That day, the town was hosting the 'Groovin' in the Grove' fundraiser for the park, with carnival games, food stands, rides, a clown making balloon animals, and bingo.
On the tape, it's early evening, and it's clear Laura was holding the camcorder, walking and filming wildlife and trees. After a while, Brian calls out to Laura, and he fills the screen, panicked, gasping, with blood on him. Laura lowers the camcorder, but it's still rolling, and it films the body of 12-year-old Emma Harper, whose family lives near the Thomases. On the tape, Laura wants to call the police but Brian says it was an accident, and they can't. At that point, Brian realizes the camera is rolling and Laura shuts it.
The siblings recall that, when Emma's parents reported her missing, Laura and Brian joined in the search. On the following days, Laura brought Emma's family casseroles, invited them over for dinner, and went on daily walks with Emma's mother Susan....knowing all along that Emma was dead. The girl's body was never found.
Beth, Nicole and Michael are gobsmacked and don't know what to do. Should they maintain silence? Tell the police? Tell Emma's family, which is especially tricky because Beth was dating Emma's brother Lucas in 1999. In addition, Laura's last words, that Brian didn't disappear, are puzzling.
After discussing the matter, the siblings decide to search through all their parents' belongings and papers. If they find sufficient information to explain what happened to Emma, they'll report to the police. Otherwise, they'll say nothing.
Of course, human nature being what it is, this doesn't work. Nicole contacts a high school friend who's a cop now, and saying she's researching a true crime book, gets the police file for Emma Harper. As it happens, another girl, 17-year-old Christie Roberts, also vanished in 1999, and Nicole gets that file also.
Things escalate even more when Emma's brother Lucas shows up in town to visit his mother, and comes over to offer condolences for Laura's death. Both Beth and Lucas are now divorced now, and sparks reignite. 
The story is narrated in the rotating voices of Beth, Nicole, Michael, and Laura (via her journals). It's clear that whatever Laura and Brian did, it led to more and more trouble in Allen's Groves. Police arrested someone for Emma's murder and there were additional deaths and disappearances.
Savvy readers may figure out the murderer, but I was off-base. 😕
The story kept my attention, though the plot is overly contrived. It's hard to believe Laura would keep a home VHS tape that showed the body of Emma Harper. Wouldn't she destroy it or burn it first thing? That said, this is an engaging suspense story that would appeal to many mystery fans.
Rating: 3 stars
