First book in The California Chronicles. I saw this on the shelf and recognized it as a WaterBrook Press publication, and the theme looked interesting so I picked it up. Even though it was a little more of a slow read than some of my books, it was quite interesting and I enjoyed the mystery of "is he alive or isn't he" throughout. The family is close, and that was nice to see. I didn't quite understand Spence's father's motives, it seemed almost like he was acting out of character with no huge reason. Overall, a good book, and I'd look forward to reading the next one.