Sriley721

They were women whose lives began in slavery, who weathered the Civil War, and who grappled with the contradictions of emancipation through the turbulent early years of the 20th century. Through it all, they fought to unite their family and forge success on their own terms.

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents and an unusual breed of dogs on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. But when tragedy strikes the Sawtelle family, Edgar flees to the surrounding wilderness. He comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him.

When Beth Gunner begins teaching English at her high-school alma mater, she must confront a haunting secret from her past. Beth's return to Delaware's Seaton Preparatory Academy fills her with both nostalgia and trepidation. Since her graduation two decades ago, very little has changed - including her irrational fear of failure.

In this riveting novel of almost unbearable suspense, three fragile yet determined people become dangerously entangled in a relentlessly escalating crisis. Colonel Behrani, once a wealthy man in Iran, is now a struggling immigrant willing to bet everything he has to restore his family's dignity. Kathy Nicolo is a troubled young woman whose house is all she has left, and who refuses to let her hard-won stability slip away from her. Sheriff Lester Burdon becomes obsessed with helping her fight for justice.

This is what happened: I met him at the candy store. He turned and smiled at me and I was surprised enough to smile back. This was not a children's candy store, mind you, this was the kind of place you went to buy expensive imported chocolate truffles for your boss' wife because you felt guilty for having sex with him when you were both at a conference in Milwaukee.