A passionate, sharply plotted story about a daughter’s quest to exonerate her estranged father, who is serving a life sentence for murder.
The past in its many incarnations figures prominently in The Summer That Changed Everything, an emotionally nuanced romantic suspense novel by Brenda Novak.
Lucy Sinclair’s life hasn’t been easy. When she was just 17 years-old, Lucy’s father was found guilty of murdering three locals in their small hometown of North Hampton Beach, Virginia.
In the aftermath, Lucy fled the town and lived a vagabond existence, ultimately becoming a professional poker player in Las Vegas. Unsettled, still traumatized and soul-searching, Lucy now feels the need to reconnect with her father, from whom she’s been estranged for 15 years.
Her father admitted to killing an old couple who lived in a trailer park. However, he vehemently denied killing the third victim, Aurora Clark, a ‘mean girl’ peer of Lucy’s, the “most popular girl” in her high school. This always haunted Lucy, who becomes determined to finally get answers and, if true, find a way exonerate her father for Aurora’s death.
Lucy’s quest reconnects her with Ford Wagner, an old beau whose own life is in flux. As Lucy and Ford revisit memories from the past, including the fateful murders, they ultimately unite to root out the real killer of Aurora Clark. But their investigation soon unearths surprising new details that suddenly endanger their lives.
Novak’s (The Banned Books
Club) premise hooks readers from page one. Her passionate story weaves
a ratcheting, suspenseful plot that intricately braids together elements of romance
and mystery.
The Summer that Changed Everything by Brenda Novak
MIRA
(HarperCollins), $18.99 paperback, 9780778387688, 368 pages
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
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