On a summer night in 1932, twelve-year-old Joel Fitchett wanders into an East Texas diner badly beaten and carrying his unconscious brother, Clancy. Though both boys claim they have no memory of what happened, the horrific details are etched into their minds as deep as the scar left across Joel’s face.Thirteen years later, both men still struggle with the aftershocks of that long-ago night and … night and the pact they made to hide the truth. When they find themselves at the center of a murder investigation, they make a decision that will change everything. A second lie, a second pact and for a time, a second chance.
In 1991 college student, Garrison Stark, travels to Texas chasing a rumor that Clancy Fitchett is his biological grandfather. Clancy has been missing since 1946 and Garrison hopes to find him and in doing so, find a family. What he doesn’t expect to discover is a tangle of secrets spanning sixty years involving Clancy, Joel and the woman they both loved, Lorraine.
Told in alternating timelines from World War II to 1992, Enemies of Doves is a tale of family secrets, jealousy and deception perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Katherine Webb.
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Normally books that jump back and forth in time from one chapter to another irritate me. Not this one though. I’m not sure how Shanessa Gluhm manages to put together such a cohesive story this way. A story that I almost couldn’t wait for each chapter to change so I could see what was happening in the life of Joel and Lorraine OR the life of Garrison and Molly. Don’t get me wrong this is not a love story. It’s a story about 2 brothers growing up in in the 40’s and 50’s and a son in the 1990’s who has lost his parents and is looking for more family, just because of a few words from his very sick grandmother.
I think you have already deduced that I thought the characters were great. Each has his or her own personality and even the side characters are well-defined. This is almost like 2 stories with inter-relating threads. Once again, I’m having to mention I don’t know how an author could make all of this come together. Never once was this confusing.
What this book was, however, was that it was strong enough to make you want to have things turn out your own way. Diverse enough for different people to have different views and most of all…full of twists and turns you will never figure out til the end.
This is a doozy of a debut novel. Thought I’d use doozy for a little of that Texas atmosphere. That and I can’t think of a better word. You need to read this and Shanessa Gluhm needs to write more.
I don’t even know where to begin with my praise for this amazing book! Once I started it I couldn’t put it down and fiinished it within the same day! I’m not a big fan of mystery books, but this one certainly derailed my expectations! I definitely reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys a good page turner! I absolutely loved it and plan on reading it again soon!