Tallie Brown’s life has never made sense. Raised in isolation by her mother, Julia, Tallie was dragged suddenly and without explanation from one third-world outpost to another until life normalized seven years ago when Julia took a position on a mountaintop in the Pacific northwest. But when Julia unexpectedly dies, Tallie uncovers clues suggesting that Julia had a secret life. Journalistic … phenom Jackson James is still recovering from the devastating mistake that flatlined his promising career. Now he’s paying the price, working as the editor of a syrupy community rag in a posh D.C. suburb. But when the very man who destroyed him drops a tantalizing lead about a potential D.C. scandal, the reporter sees his chance for redemption and sets off to chase the story. Jackson’s investigation leads him to Cutler’s Ridge, a dying Virginia coal town, and directly into the path of the mysterious and beautiful Tallie. As these two mistrustful loners follow their leads, their stories begin to intertwine until they reach an alarming conclusion – something terrible happened in Cutler’s Ridge. As they doggedly pursue the story, the town’s cold reception spirals into threats and danger, proving that there are those who will stop at nothing to keep the past hidden forever –because secrets never die.
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“Sometimes to survive a thing we can’t fix, we go blind to it.”
The town of Cutler’s Ridge, Virginia has been re-built on secrets, secrets that somehow involve Tallie Brown.
Following the abrupt death of her mother, and considering their nomadic lifestyle, Tallie decides to take on the challenge of following several subtle clues embedded in an old photograph tucked among her mother’s effects. Hoping to find answers to the many questions that have plagued her through-out her entire life, Tallie arrives in what was previously a thriving coal mining town, only to discover that no one there wants her to stay.
Journalist Jackson James has just been handed a golden opportunity on a silver platter . . . . maybe. Following many poor choices on his short road to fame, Jackson can only speculate whether or not redemption might be claimed by taking off to a remote Virginia town to discover answers to questions that he that barely comprehends. When he crosses paths with a reclusive blond at the scene of a tragedy, he is tempted to jump to conclusions once again; for there are just too many coincidences in the town of Cutler Ridge.
It’s fair to say that this book weaves one of the most intriguing webs of mystery and suspense that I have read in a very long time. However, its inherent strength might also be considered its only weakness, for the complicated plot line and numerous intersecting characters are so intense, that it will take a patient reader to “hang on for the ride”. In the end, however, it was totally worth it!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated are entirely my own.