Set in the 1970s, in the midst of the Watergate scandal, Joe’s best friend Brian goes missing. Is it considered kidnapping if the kid is taken by his father? Joe isn’t sure, but he’s determined to find out where Brian is and what happened.

The book is written very well, with a great storyline constantly moving forward, even when Joe is looking back. Brian’s story, and all that he has been through is often a part of life that is not talked about, especially in the 70s. The brilliance of the boys, and how Brian leaves hints that only Joe would understand.

Throughout the story, even though Joe is always wondering about Brian, and what’s happening, his own home life is beginning to fall apart. While it seems that Joe cannot see the forest for the trees, the glimpses of his home life let us know that even Joe’s life isn’t perfect.

The relationships between the characters are well developed, even between Joe and The Newtons, which seemed to be a very one sided relationship in the beginning of the book. I especially loved Karl and Joe’s dynamic as not only brothers, but friends.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, but know that it gets a bit out there. While there is quite a bit of foreshadowing, a lot of things didn’t “click” until Joe had discovered the truth as well.