In the prosperous oil fields of Lawton, North Dakota, rapid expansion of the business had resulted in short cuts from the companies doing the oil drilling and from providing housing for the many men who arrive in Lawton looking for work.
One company in particular has been overlooking safety in the workplace and has a number of serious injuries. If an employee becomes injured, the lawyers from the company attempt to buy the person off and have them sign a letter that they won't sue. The company is afraid of bad publicity and an investigation by OSHA.
In this atmosphere, two young men disappear. Their mothers come to Lawton separately to find their sons and get answers of what caused their disappearance. The mother's meet up when the second mother arrives and with the housing shortage, she is introduced to the first mother and they share accommodations
With the company who was their son's employer stalling the women, the look elsewhere but other employees fear for their jobs and are afraid to talk. Townsfolk are happy with the employment and scoff at the mother's inquiries. They feel that they young men are probably having a good time somewhere and don't want their mother's to know.
We are introduced to a young Native American with ties to a local reservation. Eventually the mother's search and the young man make a connection.
The mother's are opposite personalities and from different segments of society but manage to work together. They are easy to sympathise with. As they search, the possibility of what happened to their boys becomes clearer but then the author provides a surprise.
I enjoyed the writing but wish the story ended sooner. The last segment of the book was drawn out and lacked suspense and wasn't compelling.
As the father of a son with a learning disorder, I felt the treatment of one of the young men who had ADD, attention deficit disorder was well brought out. The author displayed the difficulty with this condition and the results that can effect the person effected and their family.
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