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Tracefinder: Choices (book 3)
By Kaje Harper
Beaten Track Publishing, 2020
Five stars

This third book in the Tracefinder series feels like a finale; but also possibly the beginning of a different kind of series. Brian Kerr (with a new surname, Carlson) has moved to somewhere in rural North Carolina to escape the aftermath of the last book. His friend Zander has gotten him shelter and a job at his mother Yasmin’s sheep farm, while Brian waits for Nick to join him from Minnesota. Meanwhile, former detective Rugo, joined by his best friend Charlie Connors, also an ex-cop, bring Brian’s very pregnant sister Lori with them.

In spite of the violent past and the new names, the broken Kerr siblings hope to find a new life. All they want is normal. Easier said than done, given that there are still secrets lurking about, along with Brian and Lori’s shady brother Damon. On top of that, Nick is haunted by memories of his own broken family.

Before Nick and his carful even appear, Yasmin’s farm is hit with random vandalism that has Brian worrying that he’ll never find the peace and quiet he yearns for. As the runaway Minnesotans begin to settle into what they hope will be their fresh start, Nick inserts himself into local troubles, unable to resist the call of police work.

As the plot unfolds around them, the author makes it clear that Nick and Brian are at the center of this story. Each man has to recalibrate his way of living in the world in order to become part of a couple. Both men are conditioned by their own damaged lives and insecurities. They have to learn to really see each other, and help each other on this journey—physical and emotional—to something better.

Harper is good with these characters. They’re not necessarily easy to embrace, frustrating in their flaws. Charlie Connors, interestingly, collateral damage in the mess in which the Kerr family was caught up, seems to be the calm, cheerful pivot in this plot. Despite his own misfortune, his good nature and unflappability are a constant reminder that Brian and Nick have more than just themselves and Lori to worry about now. They have forged a sort of off-kilter family in this new place, and it is their responsibility to care for their new community if they hope to have any sort of future there.

I can’t say this book is exactly funny, but there is a wry undertone that kept making me smile at odd moments. The awareness of the absurdity of their lives keeps everyone from becoming pitiful. These are young people who have had it rough. Their maturing self-awareness is a tool that guides them to wiser choices, but also a key to the promise of happiness.