Three Weeks To Say Goodbye by C J Box

First paragraph in the book:  It was Saturday morning, November 3, and the first thing I noticed when I entered my office was that my telephone message light was blinking.  Since I'd left the building late the night before, it meant someone had called my extension during the night.  Odd.

Backcover blurb:  They're SO sorry...  They've made a TERRIBLE mistake...  There's NOTHING they can do...  They HAVE to take your daughter away...  You have three weeks to say goodbye.

After years of trying for a child, Jack and Melissa McGuane adopted baby Angelina.  Nine months later, they are plunged into every parents' worst nightmare:  the biological father wants his daughter back - and the law's on his side.

With three weeks until the McGuanes must legally hand over their daughter, the nightmare only gets worse.  The father, a sullen eighteen-year-old with gangland connection, is the son of a powerful judge - and both are prepared to use the full weight of their influence to intimidate the McGuanes.

But it's clear that the judge and his son have no love for baby Angelina.  So why do they want her so badly?  Jack and Melissa will have to break the law to find out...

What I think of the book:  This story is a case of an innocent family finding themselves in a lousy situation not of their own doing.  One day, their life is going smoothly, the next they are thrown into a deep bottomless pit and they can see no way out.

What do they do?  How do they deal with a harrowing situation involving a young innocent child?  Why are good people always punished and the bad ones allowed to get away?  How much can they endure before they snap?  More importantly, as parents, to what lengths would they go to to protect/keep their child?  Because at the end of the day, family is what matters.  No one can take that away from you, least of all time.  It is as simple as that.

A compelling read by an author new to me.  A story riddled with tensions and frustrations.  Original characters and a plot so believable it could have been a true story.  Box has sent me on an emotional ride with his evocative writing and his ability to dig deep into the recesess of my heart to connect with two parents who love their child very much and who found themselves in a heart-wrenching situation is pretty laudable.  These are the real strengths of the book.  I would recommend anyone to pick up this book and read it now.

Here is an interesting interview conducted at the end of 2009 between the author and 'Critical Mick'.

To learn more about C J Box, click here or on his Facebook page.

The author is coming to UK for his book tour in 2011 and will appear at The Harrogate International Festivals in the run up to the publication of his new stand-alone book, Back of Beyond (publication date: August 2011).

Rating:  4/5