Scott Kersey speeds off to the park’s bike and run trail to help his mother. When he and his father arrive, Scott sees the police, an ambulance, and someone in a body bag. After realizing that the body in the bag is his mother, he regrets the fact that he deliberately didn’t answer her when she asked him to run with her that morning. Scott blames himself for her death. If he could just do the entire morning over again . . .if he could just retrace his actions, answer her or go with her. Consumed with guilt, Scott feels the only way he can correct his wrong is to bring his mother’s murdered to justice. But can he? Other than guzzling large pitchers of beer and whatever else at parties and bars, he’s never really done anything risky. Committing to the task, Scott begins a journey of discovery and self-fulfillment. Filled with mystery, gentle romance, and powerful suspense, That Ever Died So Young is an unforgettable story about a family’s struggles to maintain their humanity and their sense of forgiveness. This wonderful story explores the complexity of guilt and forgiveness and unveils the human need to seek truth and understand life.
Judy Kelly has a wonderful way of telling a story and getting her readers involved in her characters’ lives much in the same way that Jodi Picoult and Kristin Hannah do. Not everyone can do that. After the story is over, the reader is left still caring about the characters, wondering what’s happening to them as if they were one’s own family members.
—– Wendy Hart Beckman, author of several books, including Harlem Renaissance Artists and Writers and Founders and Famous Families in Cincinnati.
Love a Good Story 