Pat Bertram's latest novel grabs you from the first page and holds on! There was no doubt that when that baby girl found her way to the home of Helen Jenks, she would be there to stay. And if that meant that Helen and her little girl would be forced to pick up and relocate on a moment's notice, then that would be what Helen would do to keep her safe.
She knew the child's intelligence was very high, even from the beginning. She didn't speak right away, but she was able to communicate. But nothing prepared Helen for the morning she heard singing--the song spoke of loneliness, of loss, and perhaps of love found, though the child spoke no words. It was the next morning, however, when the child answered "Rena," when asked what she should be called.
Helen was no longer alive when Rena came back home to the town where she had first appeared... At this time she was going by the name of Becka Johnson. She had moved into a little cabin that was known to be haunted. It was only later she would be shown the secret garden in which flowers grew with bright, almost brilliant colors that made all others seem colorless...
At the same time, not too far away, a young man, close in age to Rena, was trying to talk to the two men who had appeared at his door. He was, admittedly, nervous--after all, he did have something to hide. Or, rather, there was something hidden in his apartment. The men claimed they worked for the National Security Agency, but Philip still didn't know what to say. They apparently had not sent it. So finally, in the only way he had thought of, he showed what was there with them...
Only later was Philip pushed out of his apartment and into his car--into the passenger seat. He wasn't quite sure where he could go, but remembered an old friend who lived in the small town of Chalcedony. He thought he would be welcomed, at least for overnight.
It was there in Chalcedony that it would all come together. There in a beautiful little town, where at least one man claimed that he had seen a UFO, and others would laughingly argue with him, while telling what his own point of view about the world was. Indeed, this was an ongoing event that took place often at the Bookstore that Emery Hill, Philip's friend had. And where he settled in for his stay...
And where Philip bumped into a young girl, named Becka, that he felt he had known before. But how could that be since he had just got there. Fortunately for him, she felt the same way!
Philip had explained to Emery about needing to leave town, his visitors, and his concern that it was related to books he had loaned from the library and was reading. Emery thought that was unlikely, but asked what books had been studied. Philip explained about the ancient history, focusing on the Sumerian cosmology that showed there was a tenth planet in our solar system and that it was inhabited. And he'd also been reading a book by George Keeler on UFOs related to the 1970s when all sorts of strange things were happening there and that several people disappeared. When Emery told him she was in town, Philip immediately wanted to talk with Keeler...
So did Jane Keeler. Jane had also come to Chalcedony around the same time, She was there to visit her sister, hopefully to secure a loan. What she found, however, was that her sister was missing. Asking for a search to begin, Jane found herself falling into her sister's home and town as if she was meant to be there. While living in her sister's home, she was able to fulfill her own emergency need for supplies and a place to stay, still she wanted to find her sister!
And then the two men who had earlier sought out Philip came to town. This time, they said they were from the FBI and that they were trying to find Philip as a known associate of a criminal...
But soon, not only Jane's sister had disappeared. So had, Jane, Philip...and Becka!
Most importantly, the two men who had claimed they represented the government were also gone. But now the local police had the whole town wanting to help find those who had disappeared--and they felt they knew exactly where to look, if only they could gain access...
Merged into a quiet town, with the feel of small-town relationships, Bertram inserts a masterful tale of fantasy and science fiction. Does the government have secret sites established purely to study incidents of UFO's, perhaps even shielding such an off-planet ship deep below the ground and secured from all entrance from outside? And are those aliens who visited earth almost like us, except for a few little extras. Bertram brings light to the world through her brilliant characterizations. She brings the mystical fantasy right into small towns who consider the outsiders not the aliens--but those who lied and pretended to be what they are not. Government representative claims didn't mean much in Bertram's town...it's a lovely town that searches for those lost, no matter who they are...
Cool Book! No doubt about it.
Bertram has taken the old thrilling scifi tales and brushed them with her own touch of magic that results in characters that come alive and real to readers. Bertram has merged science fiction into literature that is worthy of notice across all genres. The Light Bringer awaits to bring not only great scifi suspense, but to share a beautiful love story like no other.
Highly recommended; for some, a must-read! You'll know who you are! Bertram's Best Yet in my opinion and that's saying a lot!
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