Then you must walk in the light. No good comes under cloak of darkness.

What an incredible debut novel by Valerie Fraser Luesse! And to think this is her first venture into the fiction world! I cant wait to read more of her work. Missing Isaac is such a poignant story, layered with a heart-wrenching plot and plenty of heartbreaks, beautiful and memorable characters that settle into your soul, and plenty of solid spiritual truths. Ms. Luesse is truly a gifted storyteller whose dialogue is real and tangible, so much so that I could almost hear the voices and see the emotions during the conversations. I have not read much fiction set in the south during the 1960s, but this book brought the town of Glory, Alabama during the 60s to life vividly and I felt myself grow up and mature with Pete McLean.

The book opens up with Pete McLean at the age of twelve as he suffers an awful family tragedy. He slowly becomes a young man with guidance from his mother, his grandfather, and his friend Isaac. When Isaac goes missing, Pete does his best to try to find him and, in his wanderings, he discovers Dovey, a girl from a family who has been self-exiled and ostracized by the townspeople. Pete is a good boy, raised to respect his elders and fear his God, born to love and protect and work hard, always understanding right from wrong. Dovey is a sensitive soul, also hurting from a heartbreaking family tragedy. Shes lonely, like Pete, but has a good head on her shoulders with lots of common sense and faith. Their friendship grows, which inadvertently brings their two families together. There is much history between the two families that the teenagers dont know about and the history is slowly released in the plot like a fragrant flower blooming. In the midst of Pete and Dovey growing up, the mystery of Isaacs whereabouts still lingers but does come to a conclusion in the end. The book addresses so much more than just the growing up of two wonderful kids and their sweet, innocent love; it speaks about racism, our prejudices that color our vision, the hate and anger our sinful nature produces, and the grace of our Savior that can wash away all that ugliness.

This is one of those books that I will keep thinking about for many weeks to come.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through BookishFirst. I was not required to write a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

I'm going to be honest here, which, of course, is what you're supposed to be with reviews. MISSING ISAAC is not a book I would've ever picked up to read. In fact, I was dismayed when it showed up in my mailbox because it is not a book I wanted to read. This book is a historical - to me, although I am not sure it would be considered one by the industry professionals, simply because it is set before my time. It starts with the mandatory historical book death, but moves on to an unlikely friendship between a young eleven year old boy and thirty year old man, and a mixing of black and white. Which in the sixties was pretty much a very touchy subject. Never the twain shall meet, type thing.

Okay, so while I wouldn't have picked this book up on my own, I did start reading it, and wow, I can see why the publisher bought it. This is a topic that established authors would shy away from, and yet this brave debut author beat the odds with a book that some would consider a "hard-sell." And because it is so awesomely written, even if the editor didn't like the topic (and I don't know if he or she did or not) they, if they are anything like me, was hooked. Sold. Yep, I would've bought this if I was the publisher.

Young Pete is such a sweetheart, and so innocent. Isaac is stoic I guess is the word. He's used to others not liking him, treating him like so much trash because he's black, but Pete just doesn't get it. He sees Isaac as his daddy's best friend. A man to emulate, a man of honor. And despite Isaac's lack of formal education, he was a learned man thanks to his mama getting hands on books for him to read. I loved Isaac. And Pete. And what Pete and his grand-daddy does at the end of the book is just so dog-gone sweet.

Even if MISSING ISAAC is not a book you'd pick up, pick it up. These characters are so real they just walk right off the page and into your heart. And they are destined to stay there long after you close the pages of this book.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

A remarkable debut novel that highlights a slice of Southern living back in the 1960s. Missing Isaac is a coming of age story that put me in mind of the Waltons and I'm not quite sure I can explain why. Because this isn't a large family struggling to eke out a living in the Depression Era. Pete is an only child and though his family are farmers, they are the wealthy kind. I guess it's the southern small town atmosphere and a young man growing up and learning hard lessons along the way that creates the John-Boy/Pete parallel in my mind.

Fraser has a beautiful writing voice -- the kind that lures you into the pages and begs you to stay a long while. Pete's story spans years and during that time we get to watch as he matures into an honorable young man. All the while an unsolved tragedy shapes his present, defines his relationships and shadows his future. The subtle mystery plays out in the background as life goes on despite Pete's best efforts to discover why Isaac has gone missing.

The strength of this novel comes from its characters. Such a cross-section of live out-loud people who made me smile and squirm...and shed a tear or two. Especially as the mystery unravels. And there are two romances, though Missing Isaac is categorized as Historical Fiction. You know I love my romance and these two are sweet perfection despite (or maybe because of) the struggles along the road to their HEA.

Fans of Ann H. Gabhart's Heart of Hollyhill series will want to welcome newcomer Valerie Fraser Luesse's debut onto their keeper shelves.

Missing Isaac is Valerie Fraser Luesses first novel, and I hope it wont be her last. Her writing style runs counter to some of the modern writing conventions. She uses dialect and non-standard spelling. There are unnecessary adverbs and repetition. The dialgoue tags are often clunky. The point of view is often distant, and slips into omniscient at times.

Yet it works despite these errors. Or perhaps because of them. When Petes father dies in a farm accident, Petes relationship with Isaac is the one thing that keeps him going. It didnt matter that Isaac was only a field hand, or that he was blackeven in 1960s Alabama.

But when Isaac disappears, leaving only his truck, no one seems much inclined to find out what happened. Except Pete. Missing Isaac doesnt fall neatly into any one genre. Its part mystery, as Pete tries to find the truth of what happened to Isaac. Its part family saga, as Pete grows up, and part romance, as he meets Dovey. And its part historical fiction, in that its a story set in a time far removed from ours, in terms of culture and attitude, if not years.

The writing is strong, with a unique and lyrical style, and a lot of home truths, like the privileged white boy/man who doesnt understand his privilege because its all hes ever known. It could equally be talking to those in the modern world who dont understand why #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter are newsworthy.

Missing Isaac is a strong debut novel, with a solid story driven by strong characters and set in a time of great social change. Recommended. Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

There is no way to put into words how much I loved this story. It is clearly the best book that I've read so far this year. (I read 39 prior to this one in 2020)

It's not often that a story grabs your attention and you are immersed from the very beginning. This one does just that. The smoothness of the writing simply hypnotizes you to the point that you don't even realize you are turning the pages - you are that engrossed.

The characters from the main to the ones barely mentioned all come to life. Their personalities are so real that you feel as though you know these people outside of the pages. Some are super sweet, some are just plain nasty and you have everything in between (just like in the real world)

The scenes were painted so clearly I could almost see the leaves on the trees ripple from the breeze.

There are some very difficult subjects covered in this book. I mention this so that you don't pick it up thinking it is all roses and rainbows. It's not. It's extremely realistic for the time period.

My favorite take away from this novel is how important forgiveness and faith are in our lives. We must believe in the good and focus on it. Dovie is an amazing young lady and between her and Pete they have a lot to show the world. Their friendship alone will stir your heart.

I encourage anyone needing a boost in life and like stories that are deep and realistic, this heart-stirring novel will have you coming away in a much better spirit. Sure there are some tough situations throughout the book but isn't life that way? It's worth the hurdles to realize the end result - not only with the characters but how you will feel once you turn the last page.