"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

I was hooked from this line forward. This is the first line of the book, that's how intriguing I found this story.

At first, I thought this was going to be a mystery, a kind of who-dun-it mystery that the reader is expected to figure out. I was very surprised when Susie told us not only the who, but the when and where in the first chapter in the book. It was then that I realized this is not the kind of book that I expected.

The story is not one of suspense and mystery, rather a delicate story of love and grief. Susie, who is watching her family from Heaven, isn't ready to let go. She watches as her death, and her father's pursuit of her killer rips the family apart at the seams. I really can't give a lot of detail, because I don't want to ruin the incredible story told within this book.

The creation of Heaven that is presented is a great hope for all who have wondered what it will be like after death. The thought that our loved ones are not only watching how our life turns out, but protecting us, and still caring for us even years after our death.

The story is heartfelt and moving, and while I didn't cry through it, I was touched by the grief that surrounded the Salmon family after Susie's death. Her father's inability to past his loss, and his knowing that the killer lives in the neighborhood consumes him.

I loved the ending as well, and though I hoped that everything would end in Happily Ever After, that isn't how life is, and it would have been a tragedy to give this book such an ending. In a way, every one did get the happily ever after that was needed for them to move on even with the hole from the loss of Susie still in their hearts.

To read all of my reviews, go to my blog at the-pink-moose.com.