"One of the finest novels I've read . . . .a fiercely intelligent look
at childhood, marriage, families, the 1960s, the Cold War and the fear
and isolation that are part of the human condition.... it is not only
beautifully written.... it is equally beautiful in its conception, its
compassion, its wisdom, even in its anger and pain. Don't miss it." --
Patrick Anderson, Washington Post Book World
The optimism of the early sixties, infused with the excitement of the
space race and the menace of the Cold War, is filtered through the rich
imagination of high-spirited, eight-year-old Madeleine, who welcomes her
family's posting to a quiet Air Force base near the Canadian border.
Secure in the love of her beautiful mother, she is unaware that her
father, Jack, is caught up in a web of secrets. When a local murder
intersects with global forces, Jack must decide where his loyalties lie,
and Madeleine will be forced to learn a lesson about the ambiguity of
human morality -- one she will only begin to understand when she carries
her quest for the truth, and the killer, into adulthood twenty years
later.