★ 12/23/2019
The lives of three women living in the small town of West Crow, Ore., intersect in the aftermath of a fatal car accident in this delicately crafted tale from Nelson (Swimming in the Deep End). After Addison Killbourn’s husband, Caleb, is badly injured and hospitalized in a car accident in which a woman is killed and Caleb appears to be at fault, it’s Deputy Emilia Cruz’s job to investigate. Emilia, meanwhile, is haunted by a fire that nearly killed her firefighter husband, leaving him distant from her and her teen daughter. Addison’s neighbor Brianne, a therapist, jumps in to help with the care of Addison’s three children in the wake of the accident—despite her own struggles with the death of a client and loneliness. Told in the distinct voices of each woman, the tapestries of their lives are presented in a deliberate and sensitive manner. Readers will find the characters’ struggles—parenting teenagers, dealing with substance abuse, and chronic medical conditions, among them— are rendered realistically, and their faith is subtle but provides an unshakable foundation. This is an excellent tale of how community and faith help people through difficult times. Agent: Cynthia Ruchti, Books & Such Literary. (Feb.)
