No Dark Valley

"Celia sucked in her breath and stepped across the threshold. The hum of talk stopped, and she could sense that she was being weighed in the balances of their narrow minds and found severely wanting." A funeral brings Celia Coleman back to the small town she had hoped never to see again. Meanwhile, Bruce Healey is relocating to a basement apartment to be near his sister and niece. Neither can imagine the sparks that are about to fly as they confront their shame and lay hold of hope. About this book, the author says, "I'm still amazed at the turn the story took midway-something the characters insisted on, completely overriding my original intent."