Summer's Child

Mara Jameson stepped outside on the first day of summer to water her garden and never came back. She was expecting a child, and her bright smile had won over nearly everyone who knew her. Years later, the people she left behind still cannot let her go.

Maeve Jameson carries the grief of losing a granddaughter she tried hard to keep safe. Patrick Murphy, a persistent police detective, has never been able to put the case down, and his obsession with the vanished woman keeps drawing him back. Lily Malone, meanwhile, is looking for a fresh start. She is drawn to the rugged coast of Nova Scotia, where she hopes to raise her nine-year-old daughter, Rose, away from the sorrow that has marked their past.

In the seaside town, Lily meets Liam Neill, a gifted scientist whose own path is leading him from heartbreak toward hope. Over the course of one summer, the novel weaves together a lingering mystery, a developing love story, and the ties between family members that loss cannot sever. Luanne Rice writes about ordinary kindnesses and the way they can open the door to something extraordinary.