Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

Many books have been written about how a single day can change everything - but in this one, it's six days that forever change three lives.

Browsing at Pricemart, a man approaches 13-year-old Henry. He agrees to help the man and they meet up with Henry's mom, leave the store, and drive home. Hostages? Accomplices? It's all in how you view things. But for better or worse, things will never be the same again.

It's a small story, told with little drama and a quiet unfolding. More literary than thriller, despite the set-up to the story; still, there were several times I gasped out loud at the shock of it.