Shattered

~~Terry Bickford has everything he could ever want. He is the proud owner of a large two story house in the Phoenix suburbs. His wife, at forty, is petite, trim and gorgeous. His two children are both of above average intelligence. His Chief Engineer’s position at LucasCom allows him ample world travel and a significant income. He can easily afford the high end SUV his wife drives and the house full of expensive furniture. Yes, Terry Bickford’s life is perfect, but --

SHATTERED is about being traumatically shocked into reality. Bickford’s fantasy existence is literally blown to oblivion along with his son, Brian, when Brian straps on a bomb and takes revenge on a high school rival. For Bryan was a depressed loner, a drug addled hard rock guitarist, and antisocial to the core. Brian was also suicidal. Terry never saw it. He also never saw his wife’s cheating ways and her latest tryst with their church pastor. He considered Sharon to be self centered and selfish, but never a bed jumper. Surprise! And then there is Amanda, Brian’s sibling. She has never commanded much notice within the family. No one has ever SEEN Amanda.
 
This is what Terry Bickford finds when he is forced to face the truth. His struggle for career success has left his family in shambles. And his career will soon abandon him as well when his shattered family is thrust into the public limelight. LucasCom is a government contractor and can ill afford negative publicity. Terry Bickford is now the center of negative publicity. Terry Bickford is now unemployed. He is also now without a son, a wife, a home, all of his belongings, and his dignity. Will he also be without a daughter?

Yet, there might just be one saving grace. Renee Rich was once Bickford’s high school sweetheart and best friend. But that was a long time ago. Something had gone terribly wrong back then and Terry had never understood what. She suddenly vanished. And now, just as abruptly, Renee Rich is back in the picture. Her offer of a helping hand may be the only chance Terry Bickford has to reassemble his life and reclaim the one thing he has left, his daughter. And Amanda, terribly distressed in her own right, will not let anyone get too close, especially her father. Renee tries to reach out to the sixteen year old, but has her own world of troubles, including a troubled past and a present permeated with unsavory and dangerous people. 

Renee Riche’s sincere attempt to help Amanda and Terry Bickford could backfire and place them in considerable danger. It could cost someone their life. No-one can see that the fuse is lit and the powder ked is about to blow.