Redemption
By Nancy
Geary
Frances
Pratt receives an invitation to the wedding of her cousin, Hope
Lawrence.
The
wedding is to be held in Manchester-by-the-Sea where Frances had
spent many happy childhood vacations at the home of her aunt and
uncle.
When
Frances arrives at Manchester she finds that this is not the idyllic
setting she remembered.
Hope,
who is to marry her childhood sweetheart, Jack Cabot, is unhappy
about the forthcoming wedding. She is really is love with lobsterman
Carl LeFleur.
On the
day of the wedding Hope is found dead, hanged in her room.
The
original verdict is suicide, but further investigation rules her
death as murder.
Because
of her past experience as a prosecutor, Frances is drawn into the
investigation. Before the real murderer is unmasked, Frances uncovers
many dark secrets from the past.
This
is a well written, well plotted story.
The
affluent society with its social mores is well portrayed. The characters
are complex in their stresses and pressures of their way of life.
It is
difficult to decide how to evaluate Hope. Was she weak bowing to
her upbringing? Confused by the conflicts in her life? Or strong
in defense of her religious beliefs?
The
descriptions of the locale are beautifully portrayed.
It is
a story that presents many questions.
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