TRIBUTE
Nora Roberts
Putnam Adult
Romantic Suspense
ISBN: 9780399154911

• Read an Excerpt

Leave Hollywood for Virginia? That is exactly what Cilla McGowan does. As a well-known child star in a family television series whose acting career has not included other choice roles, Cilla describes her own childhood “as playing another child’s life.”  Acting is her family heritage --- a legacy inherited from her grandmother and mother. So just what is success these days anyway?

For the last five years, Cilla has been “flipping houses” for a living. She buys from her mother what is known as “Little Farm” in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Her grandmother, a legendary actress named Janet Hardy, had owned the house and acreage. Janet’s larger-than-life presence in her own lifestyle included parties with the glamorous and famous at her farm, and more than a few dabbles in affairs of the heart. When her grandmother committed suicide there, the house was left to decline. But Cilla plans to restore and sell it. She is more comfortable restoring old homes than she ever was as an actress. Her mother, who has been married five times, relishes living her life with the public viewing her every turn. Cilla, on the other hand, yearns for a more normal day-by-day life.

When Cilla starts the restoration of the house, she finds some unsigned letters that relate to her grandmother’s life right before her death. They allude to a love affair with a married man. Her grandmother has always been the ghost who dances into her life now and then. Therefore, Cilla is drawn into figuring out what really happened to her grandmother.

So much of Cilla’s family history is tied to the town where the farm is located. It is where her parents met and old family dramas are still playing out. Cilla is reminded of the tragic death of her young uncle, and another local boy, who lost their lives in a car accident. One family is still filled with bitterness over their loss. She also becomes re-acquainted with the father she never really knew, and gets to know his wife and her half-sister. Their neighbor, Ford Sawyer, was a student of her father’s and has become very successful in his career as a graphic novelist. He is fascinated by Cilla, the neighbor woman who demolishes parts of houses, rebuilds and refurbishes this old yet well-known farm. Ford wants to create a new character in his graphic novels based on her, but Cilla is not sure how she feels about playing another public character. She agrees, reluctantly.

Life seems to be going smoothly for Cilla. Then a series of intimidating acts occur, including a frightening assault. Why is this happening? Does it concern Cilla’s public past? Her grandmother’s past? Revenge surrounding the old car accident? Is her life in jeopardy? Or does someone just want her out of town? It is a race against time as Cilla and Ford come to realize who is behind the danger that threatens Cilla’s life and discover the truth about her grandmother.

Nora Roberts is a gifted storyteller. Her characters often bring laughter or tears, and their dialogue offers truth about life. Her settings add to but don’t overwhelm the tale, while the suspense keeps you turning the pages. But above all, her stories always return to the joys of the human heart. This book delivers it all, and is one to add to your bookshelves.

    --- Reviewed by Jennifer McCord

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