Truth of the Matter

Book excerpt: Starting over means looking back for a mother and daughter on the road to reinventing themselves in a moving novel about family secrets and second chances by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jamie Beck. Seventeen years ago, two pink stripes on a pregnancy test changed Anne Sullivan's life. She abandoned her artistic ambitions, married her college sweetheart before graduation, and-like the mother she lost in childhood-devoted herself to her family. To say she didn't see the divorce coming is an understatement. Now, eager to distance herself from her ex and his lover, she moves with her troubled daughter, Katy, to the quaint bayside town of Potomac Point, where she spent her childhood summers. But her fresh start stalls when the contractor renovating her grandparents' old house discovers a vintage recipe box containing hints about her beloved grandmother's hidden past. Despite the need to move forward, Anne is drawn into exploring the mysterious clues about the woman she's always trusted. Gram's dementia is making that harder, and the stakes intensify when Katy's anxieties take an alarming turn. Amid the turmoil, uncovered secrets shatter past beliefs, forcing each woman to confront her deepest fears in order to save herself.