The Lost, The Found and the Hidden: The Puzzle Box Chronicles Book 2($12.95Value)

Description

Amanda Malcom (or is she really Amanda Grant?) escapes to Boston after running away from a failed marriage. She brings with her a strange and delightful wooden box that she found washed up on the shore of Cape Cod. But opening that box has proven to be as challenging as untangling the multiple layers of her own life. Amanda finds sanctuary with a kindly older couple as she tries to reestablish herself in the city, remaining blissfully unaware that the man she left behind is trying to find her.At a raucous July 4th celebration, Amanda meets Jeb Thomas, a powerful but secretive labor organizer who travels where he wants and remains beholden to no city. For all his charm, Jeb does not seem to be her type. But as the ghosts of her past close in, he may be her only escape.America in the 1890s isn't a welcoming place for a separated woman, especially one who grew up in the poorest part of town. Some see her as a victim. Some as a predator. What she wants them to see is a woman who longs for a quiet normal life, even as past failures conspire to bring her down. This book series was great fun to write. I have a fascination with the 1890's because America was in a time of great transition, from the spread of electricity, to changing roles for women, to the emergence of early automobiles. Meanwhile the country itself was growing, with the addition of new states. Such changes had a huge impact on any person who elected to leave their traditional role in this era - to strike out on their own. I hope this series reflects the personal hopes and dreams that sometimes emerged along with those changes. Shawn P. McCarthy is a former journalist and Industry analyst who lives in Massachusetts. Some of his best ideas come while he's paddling a kayak.