Book Review: Missing 85 Days

Missing 85 Days was written by Randy Haglund and published in 2023. You can purchase it on Amazon/Kindle and you can visit the author on Amazon and on social media.

Missing 85 Days teaches us about life, love, loss, adventure and the power of prayer. I loved it!

Kootenai, Idaho, 1924: John Olson, a fire extinguisher salesman, leaves home on what should be a two-day business trip to Spokane, Washington. It's a trip that will take 85 days to return from because something happens to John that causes him to not even know who he is, and he loses all memory of what his life was before his trip. His wife, his family, all erased from his mind. He finds himself on a freight train dressed in a business suit with no idea what he will do next. To fit in he assumes an alias and begins working odd jobs but is reluctant to ask anyone for help, fearing that they wouldn't believe his story and that they might put him in an asylum or lock him away in jail, if he turned out to be a wanted man. With no one to turn to he writes about his personal turmoil in a diary. Back home, John's wife Helen struggles with the loss of her beloved husband and attempts to hold her young family together, despite ugly rumors that are surfacing in regard to what really happened to John and why he left. On top of everything else that Helen has to deal with, her seven-year-old son falls ill to diphtheria. Missing 85 Days is based on a true story. After many years of research, prompted by what was written in a diary, Randy Haglund, the grandson of John Olson, decides to compile the information into a book. He has crafted a tale that intrigued and captivated me from the start. My own personal preference, I wish that the identity of this man with no memory wouldn't have been revealed as quickly as it was but the how and why remained interesting to me and kept me turning the pages. There were other hooks in the story, along the way, that also made this a great read. I would encourage the author to continue with his writing. I appreciate the time and research he did in putting together this very important and personal tale about his grandfather. Missing 85 Days teaches us about life, love, loss, adventure and the power of prayer. I loved it!

I give Missing 85 Days 4 out of 5 stars.