Books & Spoons Review: THE ONES WE TRUST by Kimberly Belle

A moving and evocative exploration of grief and guilt in the wake of one family's devastating loss.

When former DC journalist Abigail Wolff attempts to rehabilitate her career, she finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan -- with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it.

The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier's brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves.

Beyond the buried truths and betrayals, questions of family loyalty and redemption, Abigail's search is, most of all, a desperate grasp at carrying on and coping -- and seeking hope in the impossible.

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Even though this tale is told in first person, from only Abigail's point of view, it has the depth and clarity, to give a well rounded picture of the events that take place in this blood chilling story. And it's not the suspense that makes the story so thrilling, it is the idea, of how close to reality some of this could be, in any given day..
The web of lies, cover up, conspiracy, and evasion seems to never end when Abigail and Gabe starts to investigate the murder of Zack, Gabe's brother. The appearing and disappearing evidence, the spying, and veiled threats, phone calls, all are proving that something isn't right, and Abigail is determined to find the truth, no matter what the cost.
Until the cost of revealing the truth, seems just too much for anyone to pay.
This was such a powerful story, story about trust, truth, deceit, and love.
The relationships between the characters are realistic, and often raw. The family drama, loyalty, and protectiveness, the support of the friends, the connection Abigail has with her best friend, and colleagues. And with Gabe and his family. Abigail and Gabe, there's a lot of ups and downs in their relationship, but within the situation they live in, the close connections they both have to the case, it would be expected. Still, they learned to be honest with each other, even when it hurt, and finding a way to forgiveness, and a path they could walk together, supporting each other.
My heart went out to the families involved in the story, the consequences they all paid, for mistakes, cover up, and careless words. There's so much pain, agony, and sorrow with the death of Zack, and the events that lead to it, not to mention in the events after it. The healing process is not easy, at some instances not even possible. They all paid a price, and they all have to learn to live with it, learn to let go, and move on. Try to build some kind of future with the facts they know.
So many life lessons within the story, so much to take in, evaluate and study. I think it will take some time, until this story settles in with me, it is a one, that will not be easily forgotten and left behind.  
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

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Kimberly Belle grew up in Eastern Tennessee, in a small town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachians.
A graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, Kimberly lived for over a decade in the Netherlands and has worked in marketing and fundraising for various nonprofits.
Her debut novel, THE LAST BREATH, was published by Harlequin MIRA in September 2014.
She divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

Author's websiteI FacebookI TwitterI InstagramI Author’s Goodreads page

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