Though the Bud Be Bruised

Can one little note, read at midnight, really trigger a chain of events that could shake the very foundation of Zara Heymer's life? Can she even grasp the horror of what has happened within her family? The shock of discovering that evil, cleverly disguised, has penetrated her home and her church. Feeling a total failure, she looks for a way to resign as a mother; a way to stop this nightmare.

But Issy, her daughter, desperately needs a good mother as she attempts to face life. Can Zara put aside her grief, her own need for acceptance, her narrow thinking, and deeply ingrained religiosity in time to help Issy? Will Issy even survive? How could God allow this to happen? Is God even there? Is her faith relevant or is it just a false crutch she has lent upon all these years? Can God use this nightmare and can any good come out of it?