The To-Do List

SUSPENSE/THRILLER/COMEDY:  After she catches her husband in bed with a neighbor, Maggie is understandably devastated.  Her beloved aunt's death is yet another blow, but this one also hands her a way to move forward - she returns to her hometown to take over her aunt's bookstore. However, someone wants her out. When a threat is made and she contacts the police, the detective assigned also happens to be the one person Maggie never wanted to see again. Cooper Stanton had big league plans before a shattered arm stopped them, and he had to readjust his dreams. Neither knows how to pick up and continue past all the lies between them.

Maggie and Cooper both made monumental mistakes the last time they saw each other, hurting each other and themselves almost beyond repair. While that sounds awful, it is a refreshing change from the typical "it's all one person's fault".  Each of them has to grovel a bit before they grow, and with that the author creates a balanced tale. They both had very good reasons for doing what they did, though that won't stop readers from wanting to smack them for doing it. However, memories need to be offset somehow—italics, verb tense, asterisks—so readers know to switch gears. Internal dialogue hints about what isn't known to the other once or twice works, but more than that doesn't build suspense, and can irritate readers. The whodunit, and how it all came about, is going to surprise readers. The forgiving and moving on Maggie and Cooper have to do for each other, but more importantly for them, is a journey worth taking.

Julie York