Places by the Sea

In the bestselling tradition of Barbara Delinsky, Jean Stone weaves an enthralling, emotionally charged novel of friendship and betrayal, forgiveness and love.

Glamorous newswoman Jill McPhearson leads a charmed life: with a hugely successful TV show, two beautiful children, and a fiance who just happens to be her sexy prime-time co-host.??Yet now, when Jill's future has never looked brighter and all her dreams seem to be coming true, her past is calling her back...to an island, a house, a life she wants only to forget.??Putting her childhood home on Martha's Vineyard in order takes all Jill's strength, but it will also give this savvy reporter her biggest break: the chance to go after the story of a lifetime...her own. For here on this celebrated island, a dark family secret is about to be revealed...one that could help Jill face her painful memories--or destroy everything she'd hoped to become....

Jill McPherson has it all--a successful career as a TV show co-host, a loving fiancé (retired baseball star Christopher Edwards), two teenage children she loves, and the money to enjoy the best life has to offer. When her mother dies, Jill decides to remodel then sell her childhood home on Martha's Vineyard. In order to do so, she needs to be in residence there for several weeks to consult with the contractor, Ben Niles, a handsome widower. Jill has such painful memories of her childhood--especially of her cold, distant mother--that she has never before considered returning for any length of time. Jill finds her mother's diary in an old trunk hidden in the attic, and the book reveals a secret and clues to her mother's behavior. Jill also realizes that she has doubts about her impending marriage, and Ben Niles isn't helping matters. Jean Stone has written a story with enough twists, turns, and surprises to keep even the most discerning reader interested. --Maudeen Wachsmith