"Adam is a writer and stay-at-home dad in Bloomington, Indiana, drawn into an uneasy friendship with the charismatic and bestselling thriller author Connor Joyce. Conner is having trouble writing his next book, and when a menacing stranger approaches him with an odd and lucrative proposal, events quickly begin to spiral out of control"--P. [4] of cover.

Each of the Baxter children experiences trouble at school, and when Principal Bond announces a new Character Awards initiative competition breaks out between the siblings until they remember what being a Baxter really means.

"A storm builds as Elizabeth Baxter prepares to celebrate her daughter Kari's wedding to Tim Jacobs, and there are dark currents of conflict coursing through the Baxter family. In the midst of them, Kari Baxter is starting to panic. Is marrying Tim a mistake? And what about her family? Her brother Luke is angry and resentful of their sister Ashley, who has recently returned from Paris. At the same time, Ashley and their sister Brooke have lost the...