Charlie is a young boy who dreams of being close to his Dad. So he is exhilirated as he and his father are about to leave on a hunting trip with his uncle and cousin. But Charlie's Dad quickly descends to his usual drunken state. Only this time he causes a severe accident, and the man he hits is determined to have revenge. The humiliation is heartbreaking for Charlie.

Upon returning home, Charlie decides that his father's arrest for drunken driving his his fault and is determined to get away before he completely destroys his father. He takes with him his beloved dog, Taffy, and the coin collection left him by his uncle. Charlie, of course, fails to understand the collection's value which is quickly spotted by a dealer. Other criminal minds enter the fray and decide the boy and even his family will be eliminated if they can't get hold of this valuable collection.

Meanwhile, Charlie meets a friend who will help him through some extremely tough spots, including an attempt at kidnapping and even murder.

While the plot seems fairly predictable, the author manages to maintain the tension and predictability of the typical criminal minds by paralleling it with the unpredictability of an endearing young boy, his loveable pet, and a very special old friend, Quill.

Once again, evil is confronted with wisdom and Peter Rennebohm's deft descriptions of scenery, concise and powerful dialogue, and thoughtful reflections on the age-old conflict of greed versus generosity and love versus hate.

Nicely done, indeed!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on July 7, 2006

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