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Ten years ago, a troubled drifter took his 10-year-old son camping in the Boundary Waters—a vast, remote wilderness on the Canadian border—and was never heard from again.  A ravaged campsite seemed to indicate a fatal bear attack.  A decade later, everyone is shocked when one of the "victims" emerges from the wild.  Caught while robbing an outfitter store, 19-year-old Lucas Blackthorn becomes violent.  After his subsequent arrest, the uncommunicative young man is admitted to a mental hospital in Duluth.  Despite repeated attempts to find out what happened on their ill-fated camping trip, Lucas will say nothing about himself, his father, or anything else.

At the end of her rope, the psychologist in charge of the facility assigns Maya Stark, her former patient and a newly-licensed speech therapist, to try her luck with stony Lucas.  It's an impossible task, but Maya's determined to get through to her client, whose haunted past reflects Maya's own.  The more involved she becomes, however, the more she's willing to do for Lucas, a man she's not even sure she can trust.  As the risks she's taking become increasingly dangerous, Maya must decide just how far she's willing to go for the enigmatic patient whose demands could cost Maya everything she's worked so hard to gain.      

The premise of Leave No Trace, Mindy Mejia's newest, intrigued me from the moment I heard about it.  Happily, the novel does its premise justice in this tense, engrossing page turner.  The characters are sympathetic and interesting, as are the questions at the center of this novel—What is crazy?  Who are the real savages—those who retreat to the peace of the isolated wilderness or those who destroy it with pollution and noise?  With a compelling storyline, an appealing cast, and a fascinating setting, Leave No Trace kept me totally spellbound.  I loved it. 

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch)

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What would you give to have a few more moments with a loved one who has passed?  What would you do for one more hug, one more conversation, one more chance to make things right?  At Ruby's Place—a family-friendly bar that was once the most elegant place in Sullivan, Missouri, and is being newly re-opened after being closed for decades—all those things are possible.  As crazy as it sounds, Ruby's has become a gathering place for Sullivan's restless spirits.  The ghosts are helping Angela, the new owner, bring the old restaurant to life again.  They all want the downhearted citizens of the small town to feel the magic of Christmas.  All they need to do is draw the right people inside.  A push here, a nudge there, and the ghosts of Christmas past will grant the impossible ...

Last year, Holly Schindler—a poet and novelist who pens books for all ages—published a novella called Ruby's Place.  It told a warm, sweet story about a special venue where people in small town Missouri used to flock on special occasions.  Christmas was an especially magical time there.  Over the years, as the economy changed, the restaurant/bar lost money and had to close.  Decades later, a woman stumbles upon Ruby's secret magic.  Helped by a bar full of ghosts, she determines to reopen the place that holds so many sparkling memories for her.  I Remember You picks up where the novella left off, chronicling Angela's journey to successfully bring back the magic of Ruby's Place.  Like the previous story, I Remember You is filled with warmth, humor, romance, and the tantalizing idea that the people we love who have died are never that far away—especially at Christmastime.  I love the premise as well as Schindler's ability to bring her setting and characters to vivid life.  If you're looking for a light, fun holiday read, you'll want to visit Sullivan for yourself.  You never know what's in store for you at Ruby's Place!

Ruby's Place and I Remember You are available for purchase at Amazon (e-books are only $1.99 right now) and Barnes & Noble.  You can also order signed copies of these titles and some of Schindler's other books at her Etsy store.

(Readalikes:  Ruby's Place by Holly Schindler)

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