Wildwood

Dana Cabot cannot remember the kind of person she was before May 29th, the day she became angry at God, at her workaholic attorney husband, and herself. The day her seven-year-old daughter, Bailey, disappeared. As the months wear on without a trace of her adorable but troubled child, Dana can't help blaming her husband's controversial defense of an accused abuser for playing a role in the abduction--and it shows in the strain on their marriage. But then a shocking event offers a clue to what really happened to Bailey--and Dana's unwitting part in it. Haunted by the unthinkable consequences of revealing everything she knows, Dana must decide whether to keep the truth to herself--or risk losing the rest of her family.

Suspenseful, searing, and poignant, this beautifully written novel offers stunning insights into the meaning of honesty--in marriage, in friendship, and in justice...

"The pull of family and career, the limits of friendship and the demands of love all come to vivid life."--Susan Vreeland, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue

"Resist the urge to turn the page to find out what happens next. Linger, instead, to savor the skillfully crafted writing."--Judy Reeves, author of The Writer's Book of Days

At thirty, Piper Kincaid feels too young to be dying. Cancer has eaten away her strength; she'd be alone but for a childhood friend who's come home by chance. Yet with all the questions of her future before her, she's adrift in the past, remembering the fateful summer she turned fourteen and her life changed forever.

Her nervous father's job search seemed stalled for good, as he hung around the house watching her mother's every move. What he and Piper had both dreaded at last came to pass: Her restless, artistic mother, who smelled of lilacs and showed Piper beauty, finally left.

With no one to rely on, Piper struggled to hold on to what was important. She had a brother who loved her and a teacher enthralled with her potential. But her mother's absence, her father's distance, and a volatile secret threatened her delicate balance.

Now Piper is once again left with the jagged pieces of a shattered life. If she is ever going to put herself back together, she'll have to begin with the summer that broke them all...