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Many readers will know this author from his bestselling book and subsequent movie "The Horse Whisperer." I never read that book, but on a whim I recently re-read "The Loop" and remembered why I was so fond of it the first time. When I returned that book, Evan's new book "The Brave" had just been released and I realize now that I should have started "The Brave" immediately, instead of putting it on my "to-read" list. This captivating story stayed with me long after putting it down each night.

We first meet a young Tom Bedford when he is being escorted in to see his mother just before her execution. I really felt like I was in the room with him... I was hooked for that point on. The story jumps backward and forward in time throughout the book, and takes you through Tom's life from his entrance and unhappy existence into boarding school in 1959 at age eight to dealing with his own son's military turmoil later in mid-life. The timeline shifts initially bothered me and made the story seem disjointed, but the story's structure really made me want more, and Evans ties up all the loose ends nicely by the end.

I don't want to give too much away but I can tell you that I highly recommend this book. It contains some powerful themes, including: how regret and negativity can sour a life, how family secrets color your existence, how childhood idols aren't always so great, and how forgiveness trumps all.