Even Steven : a novel

In this new page-turner from acclaimed suspense novelist John Gilstrap, a childless couple crosses paths with a lost boy -- and find themselves on the run from his deadly kidnappers. Bobby and Susan Martin want nothing more than to have a child of their own, the blessing that would make their marriage whole. Never did they dream that a restorative camping trip would change their lives forever -- when a tiny, filthy, freezing young boy dashes out of the woods near their campsite. The boy's violent kidnappers quickly come for him -- and in a chaotic, explosive moment, the Martins appear to be drawn into an unthinkable crime: the brutal murder of a police officer. Now Bobby, Susan, and the eerily quiet young boy must stay one step ahead of a vicious crime ring, and are unsure whether they can trust the police -- or if they were responsible for the death of one of their brethren. As the couple desperately plunges into the heart of danger to save themselves and the boy, deep emotions about their failed pregnancies come to the surface. Even if Bobby and Susan figure a way out of their spiraling circumstances, will they be able to surrender this child who has come into their lives and, in his own way, filled a painful chasm in their marriage? A galvanizing story of kinapping, murder, mystery and love, a page-turner that builds to a heart-stopping climax, John Gilstrap's gripping new novel enhances his reputation as one of the most ingenious and innovatiove of contemporary thriller writers. His works explore original territory, with characters that are refreshingly complex and aren't soon forgotten. Even Steven is a top-notch work of suspense fiction. BUNDLED TIGHTLY AGAINST the cold, the young couple lay on an outcropping over the Catoctin River, looking up at the cloudless sky, and wondering which of the countless millions of stars was truly the one that delivered wishes. A couple that longs for a child of their own stumbles into an apparent kidnapping attempt while camping and suddenly finds themselves in custody of a boy