First published 2002
Sterling Brooks has waited forty-six years for his summons to Heaven. When the Heavenly Council finally calls him, they present a test. He must return to earth and prove his worth by helping someone in need. Sterling materializes at the Rockefeller Center skating rink in Manhattan, where he spots seven-year-old Marissa among the skaters. The girl carries deep sadness because she has been separated from her father, a gifted singer, and her beloved grandmother, who owns a restaurant. Both adults have entered the Witness Protection Program after the Badgett brothers put bounties on their heads to stop them from testifying in an arson trial. Sterling realizes Marissa is the person he must help. Using his ability to travel through time and space, he devises a scheme to neutralize the criminal brothers and bring Marissa back together with her family. His mission becomes a race against time that will determine both his eternal fate and a little girl's happiness.
Genres: fiction, romance, mystery, fantasy
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, guardian-angel
Setting: Manhattan, Rockefeller Center
Period: 20th-century
208 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster