Who Is Shayla Hacker?

An apparently random collection of strangers become simultaneously involved in a search for the elusive title character of Kilgore's unengaging debut. From a high school girl eager to shake her small town to an unhappy man who leaves his new wife at the airport, everyone who touches something connected to Shayla Hacker can think of nothing but finding her. The five quests intertwine in a reasonably suspenseful but meandering story as they cross the country and circumnavigate the globe, but when they catch up with Hacker in a small Indiana town, the denouement is far less interesting than the initial premise. With so many distractions from the thrill of the hunt, readers will have a hard time sharing the protagonists' feverish dedication to learning the truth behind the mysterious woman.