When Hope Spencer is thirteen years old, she and her mother move to the tiny community of Cutters Notch in forested southwestern Indiana to hide from Hope's dangerous and abusive father. Unaware whether he is still in prison or has been freed, they settle into a new life under new identities. The athletic young girl becomes close friends with two boys in her quaint neighborhood, and when she mysteriously disappears one Saturday afternoon, they take on the task of finding her. Racing against time, the boys join forces with their state trooper neighbor and three other very unusual allies to battle against the evil taking aim at their friend. Will they find and rescue Hope, or will they fall victim themselves?
Whatever happens, they are determined. They will not Abandon Hope.
It is late September when Hope disappears. After Maggie, her mother, and their neighbor, Rick Anders, find Hope's basketball in a nearby stream and her cellphone tossed in the weeds, an Amber Alert is sounded. She has been kidnapped. Rick, a state trooper, is assigned to team up with County Sheriff J.B. Dunlap to coordinate an intensive search.
Meanwhile, Hope's two best friends, Josh and Danny--both twelve years old--have a suspect in mind. After sunset, they decide to launch their own search by sneaking out through a bedroom window. Josh is athletic like Hope, but smaller and fearless. Danny is pudgy, nerdy, and hampered by fear, yet very loyal.
Hope awakens in a darkened room, bound to a chair. Suffering from terror, sedation, and dehydration, she finds the resilience to develop her own escape plan. Like her mother, she suspects that the kidnapper may be her father, but she is unsure. Regardless, she is determined to fight.
Watching through a dimensional portal manifested in a mirror are three beings from a parallel dimension. Inherently good, they are horrified by what they see and are moved to action. They decide to take dangerous risks to find a way to help.
Behind the whole event is a dark entity influencing evil minds with violent ideas for its own benefit. Driving those with susceptible wills toward malevolent actions, it draws energy from the pain its puppets inflict on others.
Will the rescuers find Hope in time? Can she survive until they reach her? Will they all fall victim to dark influences? Abandon Hope will keep you guessing, keep you on edge, and keep you turning pages.
