Unfortunately, M.I.A. takes a third tack: running a series of mildly interesting stock characters through some highly melodramatic motions in downstate Illinois. There’s Rhiann Fahey, the twice-widowed protagonist trying to see her troubled teenager through to adulthood. There’s young Jimmy Fahey, working through the loss of the only dad he’s ever known, even as his hormones start racing. There are Rhiann’s suitors, the noble owner of the trucking company where she works, and a snaky, mentally shaky sheriff’s deputy who claims to have been her second husband’s best friend. And, of course, there’s a mysterious stranger who moves in next door to the Faheys and takes a protective interest in both of them. There’s something so familiar about him, yet Rhiann can’t quite put her finger on it—even though most readers will crack the case immediately and then spend the rest of the book hoping they’ll be surprised by a less-cheesy ending.

Despite all that, the writing’s serviceable, Jimmy’s got enough spark to root for and Dymmoch keeps the pace brisk with short chapters narrated by alternating characters. In other words, it’s a decent read, but when it comes time to deliver narrative heft, this novel goes missing in action.