Butterflies I Have Known by Kristoffer Gair was one of my top five favorite reads of 2023, and probably in my top five favorites from the last 10 years, so I was excited to read Snow Angels in the Dust. When an author writes a book that I love so much, like Butterflies I Have Known, I’m always a bit nervous to read their next book; I shouldn’t have been. While Snow Angels in the Dust is quite different from Butterflies I Have Known, it’s very similar in tone. The writing is beautiful and I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it.

This is another book that is very difficult for me to express my feelings about it in writing. There is a slight woo-woo/paranormal feeling to it but don’t let that scare you off from reading it. I’m sitting here trying to think of what else to say in this review so I read the blurb again hoping to stimulate my words. I finally decided that the blurb is so beautifully written, just like the book, that I don’t think there is anything else I could say to convince you to give this book a try other than you might get even more out of the story if you read Butterflies I Have Known first.

I must make time to read more of this author’s work.

Reviews for Kristoffer Gair

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#CommissionsEarned

Cristian powered up his laptop and plugged the thumb drive into the side of the machine. A single file folder contained a lone video file. He double-clicked on the icon.

Mr. Glass’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hello, Cristian. I’m sorry I’m not there to discuss this with you in person. I’d hoped to be, only, as you may have guessed from our time together, things don’t always go to plan. Still, I have no complaints. I lived a very full life, and you played a part in helping me right a wrong after seventy years of searching. I won’t forget that, your kindness, or you.

“But there’s another wrong out there, one I wasn’t able to help right, and I believe you can. So, I have one more job for you. A veteran contacted me a couple of weeks ago. You’ll find copies of his correspondences and my replies in the box Rebecca provided you, along with other documentation you’ll need. You’ll forgive me for presuming you’ll continue on with this, but I figure if you came this far, I’ve piqued your interest.

“The man who contacted me is one of perhaps tens of thousands who fought in Vietnam and fathered children there. Some of these servicemen died in the line of duty, got injured and sent home, or left and abandoned the women they were with, as well as the children born to them. Some of these families reunited—though most didn’t—and some hoped word would never reach home because of what an illegitimate child could mean for them and their families back here in the States, let alone an illegitimate Asian child. It was a different time, Cristian, and while that doesn’t excuse anything, the circumstances do help with understanding the situation.

“Master Sergeant Dale L. Ricci wrote to me and asked for my help in finding out what happened to one such child—his child. Dale left before the birth of his son and, because he had a girlfriend waiting for him back home who he married shortly after returning, he never contacted his son or former girlfriend. The mother of his child, Hai Anh, tried many times to reach him based on what little information she had. Her letters went unanswered. Dale received them and made the choice not to reply.

“The letters stopped for a good many years, then the Army base where he’d been stationed reached out to him. Hai Anh desperately tried to get word to Dale. Their son, then twenty-two, had been severely beaten, was in and out of a coma, and might not live. She pleaded with Dale to come and at least see their son once with his own eyes in case he never woke up again. This happened thirty-two years ago.

“Dale never went, and this decision has haunted him ever since. He already felt guilty enough abandoning them, but to not go in what might have been a matter of life or death, especially knowing how the children of these GIs were treated? Still, he kept his silence. His wife recently passed, and he now wants to know what happened. He wants to know if his son’s life continued, or if it ended.

“Yes, it’s guilt, but it’s also about mortality. Dale himself has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He doesn’t want to pass without knowing the truth, for better or worse. You once confided in me that your roommate taught you to speak Vietnamese during your college years, and you consider it your hidden talent. It need not remain hidden anymore.

“I chose you to work for me, Cristian, because your research and project management skills are second to none. You’re discreet, you have great instincts, and aren’t afraid to act on those instincts. I need your discretion and great instincts now. Not for Dale, though he will most assuredly benefit from your skills, but rather for you. There is a mystery here in what happened to his child, but an even greater mystery for you to solve, and one I feel you will recognize when you see it.”

Mr. Glass paused, then stared into the laptop’s camera as if Cristian truly sat in front of him and not a computer, and his former employer’s face softened. The hair on Cristian’s arms stood up.

“I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t feel it important. You helped me, and even though I’m gone now, I want to help you. You know I believe some things are simply meant to be, and this is one of them. A thread from your life here is intertwined with lives over there…

“Take care of yourself, Cristian. I know you’re not fond of taking chances, but I’m asking you to take one now. Your future is out there waiting for you.”

The picture turned black as Mr. Glass clicked the button to end recording.