Two divorced strangers meet over a maggot-infested body during the Great Depression. Can romance be far behind? Freddy Pratter, divorced and determined to stay single, becomes acquainted with Glynis Hampton, a recent divorcee, and their shared love of photography draws them together. Glynis, with... more

Two divorced strangers meet over a maggot-infested body during the Great Depression. Can romance be far behind? Freddy Pratter, divorced and determined to stay single, becomes acquainted with Glynis Hampton, a recent divorcee, and their shared love of photography draws them together. Glynis, with her two children, has returned to her family farm in Dalebridge to put her life back together. She is reunited with her lifelong friend Laura Darvey, who is eager to have Glynis help teach riding lessons at her stable. The tranquility of the rural scene is disrupted by a series of barn fires, known to be arson. Is it the desperate act of bankrupt farmers, burning buildings rather than allowing banks to repossess and sell them? Could it be wanton destruction by vandals? Carelessness by vagrants? The fruits of vicious anti-Semitism? The more fires Freddy Pratter investigates, the more convinced he is that these parties are not to blame. The identity of the arsonist remains maddeningly elusive until the predator focuses his attention on Glynis’ father’s farm. Laurie Loveman tightly weaves intrigue and romance into the fabric of a skillfully-paced story that commands the reader’s attention from start to finish. While arson threatens area farms and lives, ghosts from the past threaten to derail the growing relationship between Glynis and Freddie. Loveman’s characters are strong and well-developed, people we feel we know. The Depression-era setting is a perfect backdrop for the unfolding drama, and helps the author spin the subplots that drive the action. We feel the pain that the decaying economy inflicts on all segments of society, the stress faced by farmers on the brink of losing their farms and the tension created by some unscrupulous activists. This third book in the Firehouse Family Series will leave readers waiting for Laurie Loveman’s next novel.