“Here If You Need Me” (ISBN 9780316066303) is Kate Braestrup’s account of rebuilding her life following the death of her state trooper husband.

She draws the reader in masterfully with her first sentence: “A six-year-old girl has wandered off from a family picnic near Masquinongy Pond, and she remains missing after a long day of waiting.”

Who doesn’t want to read on?

Braestrup was inspired by her husband’s sudden death to pursue his dream of becoming a minister. In her grieving, she returns to school and studies to become a Unitarian Universalist minister and ultimately a chaplain with the Maine game wardens.
I found the work to be very well-written.

It’s impossible to not feel the family’s pain as Braestrup and her four children learn to cope without their husband and father.

But ultimately this is a tale of moving on and finding joy again even in the face of unspeakable loss.

It’s a quick read, spiritual yet not preachy.

- Tricia Ambrose

P.S. To add to Jason's post about covers, I broke my own rule on "Here If You Need Me." Its cover features a photo of the author.

Generally the reason I don't like faces on a jacket is that I prefer to let the author's description of a character fill my mind and it's hard to do that when you've just seen a "picture" of them.