Synopsis Sarah Tolley's dying father makes a strange, though seemingly innocuous, request: that Sarah visit an old demented woman whom she had never heard him mention before. But the visit mysteriously leads to the suicide of Sarah's husband, an act witnessed by Sarah's daughter, Emma, who promptly goes mute. In order to untangle these dark mysteries, Sarah reunites with Emma's father, who never knew he had a daughter. Psychiatrist/novelist Diane Chamberlin writes with particular knowledge about the workings of the human psyche, and fills this suspenseful novel with countless twists and revelations.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1999-02-01 | | Series: | Love Inspired |
| Size | | Length: | 411 pages | | Height: | 7.3 in | | Width: | 4.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 7.2 oz |
Publisher's Note Laura Brandon had promised her dying father she would visit Sarah Tolley, but her own agony is drowning out the old woman's ramblings. Her husband killed himself, and the only witness--her daughter, Emma--now refuses to speak. Desperate, Laura turns to a man she met once nine years ago: Emma's real father. Together they search frantically for the key to Emma's silence, only to find it in an old woman's fading memories of love, despair and unspeakable evil.
Industry Reviews Chamberlain (The Escape Artist) explores psychiatric tensions in this disturbing story of dark secrets and redemption. Before astronomer Laura Brandon's father dies, he asks her to visit Sarah Tolley, an elderly woman he's never before mentioned. This seemingly simple request sets off a series of alarming events, most dramatically the suicide of Laura's husband, Ray, and the subsequent emotional withdrawal of her five-year-old daughter, Emma. Laura tries to help her daughter by contacting Emma's birth father, Dylan Geer. Laura and Dylan's affair had been short-lived, and Dylan never knew he had a child. A bond is formed when the three get together, and Dylan decides to help Laura solve the mysteries. Despite minor flaws (the connection between Sarah and Laura's husband is obvious early on), the story offers relentless suspense and intriguing psychological insight (Chamberlain is a former psychotherapist) as well as a satisfying love story. (Feb.) Fox
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