Tyler works a dead end, 9-5 job by day and drinks himself stupid by night. When the girl he has been talking to online for several months is suddenly on the 6 o' clock news, Tyler finds himself driving across the country in hopes of finding her. In search of the only thing he's ever really cared about, he would learn what it means to fight for something in his life that actually matters as apposed to letting life pass him by.

An interesting story that started rather slowly for my taste, but since it is a short book it was easy enough to persevere & stick with it until things began to actually move. Ultimately this book is probably best if read when not in a literal frame of mind. I found it a bit challenging at times to reconcile the main character, Tyler, to his actions. He is certainly a player, but since we have no clue what he looks like it is tough to see a different woman throw herself at him each night. Yet it is clear that he is physically attractive as he is the object of smiles, winks, and pick-up lines from women.

Then there are the discrepancies, of which these are just a few - he talks of his difficult financial situation and yet he is out drinking every night and buying his annoying co-worker drinks as well due to continually losing at their daily contest. Plus, why does he decide to drive across country rather than just hop on a plane if he's in such an all fired rush to get to Portland, Oregon to search for the missing Emily? He could have spent less time & money by flying there and had that much more time to search Emily. And then there is the comment made to him about not spotting the person railing him in the surveillance footage, which makes no sense since he is reviewing footage from before his arrival in the city. . .

Although this book presents itself as a suspenseful thriller it is much more complex. It is a multi-layered story about coming of age, soul searching, friendships, romance, and forgiveness. This is a book that requires that you pay close attention to the details, lest you miss something of grave importance. Having read two of Ms Lynam's books back-to-back I think it safe to say you need to drop any preconceived notions prior to beginning any of her works, as they are quite different on a number of planes. ( )