by Kelly Simmons
Simon & Schuster, $14.00, 272 pages
A bright, charming story with profound undertones of deceit, adultery, and death as it describes the life of a woman who struggles to preserve her family. From the first page there are clues teasing the reader about what is to come. Once finished with the book it is easy to miss the characters as one would miss family who has moved away. Every family has secrets, and the suspense in this story is both intriguing and compelling. It’s a joy to open a window into the life of a woman as she tries to deal with unpredictable relatives, old loves and regrets. Even while finding joy in daily life, the dark past keeps cropping up, making this tome hard to put down. Finding clues about her parents in old trunks in the attic opens a mystery with surprising results. The hints of what happened keep the reader curious right to the end. Yet the story told is full of fun and love entwined with future hope and the pain of old sorrows. Surprising twists fill the pages. All the suspense is answered by the end of the book. Altogether a very satisfying read.
Reviewed by Fran Byram