CHARACTERS Protagonist- Main: Miles Ryan- Miles was the husband to Missy and is the father to Jonah. He is a loving father and will do anything for Jonah. Miles is also very hard working. As sheriff he works some funky hours and that puts a damper on hang out time with his son. Sarah Andrews- Sarah was new to town. She came for a fresh start in a town where no one knew her. She had moved from a big city and was ready to live on a small town. She moved because of an ex-husband but he was not happy when he found that Sarah could not have children, so he ended things. Jonah Ryan- Jonah is the son of Miles of Missy. He was very young when his mother dies and still does not quite understand it all. Minor: Charlie- Is also a sheriff who is one of the good friends of Miles that help him in solving the case of Missy.
Antagonist-
Main:
Brian- the brother of Sarah who was the one who hit Missy on the road that kept it his secret until Sarah tells him about Miles' obsession and violent threats against Otis Timson.
Minor:
Otis Timson- A long time enemy of Miles that he even confessed to a local drunk that he was the one who hit Missy even though he was not really the one.

SETTING
The small town of New Bern, North Carolina (At Present)

CONFLICT- The unsolved Case of Missy Ryan who was the wife of Miles Ryan that keep Miles not to move on to his life with Sarah Andrews and Jonah. (Eternal Conflict)

PROBLEM- Who is really the one who hit Missy that keep Miles from moving forward for the best of his future with Sarah and his son, Jonah?

PLOT
Exposition: Miles lived in New Bern his whole life and married his high school sweetheart, Missy. The death of Missy caused Miles grief for many years especially because it was a hit-and-run accident. He felt lonely and was not happy without a partner in his life. He is a loving father that would do anything for his son Jonah. He is the deputy sheriff at New Bern. Eventually, he starts a new relationship with Sarah Andrews and they both have strong feelings for each other.
Initial Action: Just when it seems that everything will work out for them, the past comes back to haunt Miles. After arresting a local drunk, Miles is told that a long time enemy of his, Otis Timson, confessed to the murder of his wife.
Rising Action: Miles goes crazy, arresting Otis on his own and going back over the investigation to the exclusion of everyone, including Sarah and his son, Jonah. When Miles is suspended from his job for his actions, he refuses to back off of the investigation.
Climax: When Sarah tells her brother, Brian, about Miles' obsession and violent threats against Otis Timson, eventually, Brian, tells her that he was the killer but explains that everything was an accident. Sarah thinks about how to tell Miles and when she finally does Miles is furious and wants to punish Brian.
Falling Action: After hearing Brian's version of the story he went back to the crime scene and discovered that Brian's story might be true. At first Miles becomes enraged, making accusations and attempting to arrest Brian. However, as time passes, Miles comes to realize that it was simply an accident.
Denoument: He later followed Brian to the cemetery and made him promise that he would do something important with his life and eventually lets him go free. Brian later became an emergency room physician and had saved six lives. Sarah and Miles said their goodbyes for each other but later on, after what happened, Miles and Jonah seek for Sarah and keep moving forward.

LITERARY DEVICES
Figures of speech:
Simile- Missy Ryan, like her husband, Miles, grew up in New Bern.
Imagery-Her body, I noticed right off, was lying at an unnatural angle. One leg looked bent somehow, sort of crossed at the thigh, the knee twisted at an impossible angle and the foot facing the wrong way.
Euphemism- on the morning of August 29, 1988, a little more than two years after his wife had passed away, Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house, smoking his cigarette.
Onomatopoeia- The shower groaned and hissed.
Point of View:
First Person: “It’s nearly dawn now; and my story is almost over. It’s time, I thin to; let you know the rest. Believe it or not letting me go that day was a crime. A sheriff who has absolute knowledge that someone has committed a crime must turn that person in.

VOCABULARY * Precarious- Miles, suddenly realized the precarious nature of his position.
Dependent on uncertain premises or dangerous.
Ex. Jules was stressed out because of his precarious situation. * Choking- biting back the wave of choking rage, he rasied himself, keeping the gun pointed at Otis.
Unable to breath by squeezing the throat.
Ex. Mr. Parker was choked to death. * Vestibule- Unlike the vestibule, the church was silent except for the sound of the sniffling.
An entrance hall inside a building.
Ex. Please leave your wet books in the vestibule. * Ethereal- Mist floated just above the ground, ethereal and ghostlike; small puddles formed along the street.
Resembling heaven: seeming to belong to another world.
Ex. Charisma is the ethereal attribute that every performer should have. * Brood- He didn’t, however, brood over it as he had before.
Kept for breeding.
Ex. After the argument, she sat in her bedroom, brooding. * Lush- the road swung through an older part of town, where the oaks are full and lush, and the sun was dipping low enough that the glare was finally gone. having a pleasingly rich quality
Ex. The frequent rainfall encourages the lush growth of trees, ferns, and shrubs. * Manacled- Earl was manacled in the typical way, his wrists chained together and connected further to his ankles.
Either one of a set of two metal rings designed to lock around a person’s wrists or ankles
Ex.
* Stifle- Miles turned around, stifling his anger when he heard Otis’ voice
To not allow one’s feeling to be expressed.
Ex. I go back to my room stifling my anger. * Dormant- Instead they had simply gone dormant, like a bear hibernating in the winter, feeding on its own tissue, waiting for the season yet to come.
Not doing anything at this time.
Ex. The bears lay dormant in their bed during the winter. * Frantically- Sarah finally registered the implication, and she suddenly, frantically, began shaking her head.
Feeling or showing a lot of fear and worry.
Ez. The parents were searching frantically all over the fairgrounds for their lost child.

THEME: One theme in the book is not to jump to conclusions. I think this because Miles often was set on one thing and could not see all the possibilities. Miles was so set that Otis hit Missy that he did not suspect anybody else. Another theme is to not forget the ones that love you. Miles had the most trouble with this. When he first found out that Missy was dead, it was all he could think about Miles forgot about Jonah during this time. Not completely of course, but enough to not know what Jonah was up to at school or after school. Another theme is to forgive. He found out that the person who hit missy was Sarah’s brother. Miles must make an important decision. Either he gets revenge against the killer, and loses Sarah, or he forgives the killer, and keeps Sarah, the new love of his life but chose to keep Sarah. QUOETES:
"Where does a story truly begin? In life, there are seldom clear-cut beginnings, those moments when we can, in looking back, say that everything started" – Brian
"There are some simple truths in life, and this is one of them: Whenever someone dies young and tragically, there's always interest in the story, especially in a small town, where everyone seems to know each other" –Brian