Swallowing Stones
by Joyce McDonald
Jenna Ward’s world turns completely upside-down in the matter of minutes. Less than minutes, actually, because it only takes a few moments for her to realize that her father is dead. One minute he is being called for dinner, and the next he is tumbling down the roof that he was trying to mend. Meanwhile, all the way on the other side of town, Mike MacKenzie is having the time of his life at his parents’ Fourth of July party. It’s his birthday, Amy likes him, and today he’s going to show off his grandfather’s old rifle.
The news of Mr. Ward’s death reaches every corner of the town by the following morning. Mike and his best friend Joe don’t doubt what the cause of death could have been, and they immediately make plans to hide the rifle and get their stories straight. Their families, their friends, the police, Jenna and her mom . . . none of them will ever know who fired the deadly shot that hit Jenna’s dad. Telling their secret would mean horrible things. But is keeping the secret even worse?
While Mike struggles to come to terms with what he has done, and what he should do now, Jenna struggles to accept her new life, which bears no resemblance to her old one. And the police struggle with evidence that brings them closer and closer to discovering the events of that horrific night. Relationships change, some are lost forever, and some come together in ways that you might never have imagined.
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