April 12, 2021
In this serpentine thriller from Richards (the Ministry Is Murder series), Cassie Costas moves from Manhattan to Tarpon Springs, Fla., her hometown, with her 15-year-old stepdaughter, Savannah Westmore, after her husband’s death. Savannah detests the place and manifests her unhappiness by making friends with the wrong crowd. When the girl finds a handmade purse containing $800 in a parking lot, she lets her friends persuade her that the money should be spent on a party to be held at her house while Cassie is out of town. On returning to her now trashed home, Cassie discovers the distinctive purse among the rubble and determines its true owner: Amber Blair, the single mother of a 16-year-old son. As a result of losing the money, the pair have been evicted from their humble apartment. Deciding to right Savannah’s wrong, Cassie invites them to live with her until Amber can get on her feet. Both women are hiding dangerous secrets that will alter their lives. The carefully constructed entwining of Cassie and Amber’s stories offers some genuine surprises. This is pure soap opera of the best sort. Agent: Steven J. Axelrod, Axelrod Agency.
Starred review from May 1, 2021
Two women, each the parent to a teenager, are running--one toward the truth, the other from danger. After Cassie Costas's husband Mark dies, she learns that he's cleaned out their savings. She's determined to find out where the money went and what secrets were behind his personality change. Mark's rebellious daughter Savannah blames Cassie for her father's death. Meanwhile, Amber Blair, who has been on the run from her past for 15 years, finally lands in Tarpon Springs, FL. She and her son Will plan to stay, at least until Amber senses danger catching up to them. When Savannah disrupts Amber and Will's life with a rebellious act, Cassie invites them to stay in her home. Both families come to love Tarpon Springs and its strong sense of family, Greek American tradition, and close-knit community. The families become close, but their lives spiral out of control when a threat from Amber's past finds her, and Cassie learns what Mark was hiding. VERDICT Fans of suspenseful domestic drama will love Richards's (A Family of Strangers) tale of secrets, lies, and the ties that bind people.--K.L. Romo, Duncanville, TX
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 21, 2021
In the wake of the mysterious death of her psychiatrist husband, Mark, Cassie Costas has moved back from New York to her hometown of Tarpon Springs, Florida. After a convoluted meeting, previously homeless Amber Blair and her 16-year-old son, Will, are now houseguests of Cassie and her impossible 15-year-old stepdaughter, Savannah, who blames Cassie for her father's death. That aside, Cassie is searching for the truth about her husband's death and the bewildering disappearance of the family nest egg. Meanwhile, Amber has a closely guarded secret that has driven her and Will to move repeatedly over the course of the boy's life. But is it possible that she can now put down roots in Tarpon Springs and begin a relationship with free-lance journalist Travis Elliott? Richards' very long blending of women's fiction, romance, and mystery is cleverly plotted with appealing characters and an unadorned, accessible style. Although there is more about Cassie's extended Greek family than there is mystery here, the book is, nevertheless, highly readable and not without elements of suspense.
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