William Tecumseh ‘Tucker’ Gibbons, a doctor, is the grandson of Lillian Harrington-Ross. The father of two young daughters, Tucker feels guilt over his wife’s suicide and the fact that he gave his sister Helen measles when they were younger, which caused her to go blind.  Though he loves his daughters dearly, he finds himself uncomfortable around them and dealing awkwardly with them.  He has temporarily given up his practice and is living with his grandmother, along with his daughters and his sister Helen.

 

When Piper’s grandfather dies followed shortly thereafter by her grandmother, who suffered with Alzheimer’s, Piper is left with some items bequeathed to her by her grandmother as well as the box which has lain buried all these years. Some of the items appear to be clues; the key to a hidden room, pages torn out of a scrapbook, which includes a newspaper clipping of a dead black baby boy found in the river years ago and a blue baby sweater.  As one question leads to more questions, Piper finds a reason for living again in trying to figure out the woman who was her grandmother.  Finding pictures of three friends in the scrapbook, Annabelle, who was Piper’s grandmother, Lillian and Josie, Annabelle’s two best friends, she sees a jubilant girl who is not at all like the grandmother Piper knew and she is determined to find out what happened to change her.  After writing to Lillian several times, trying to talk to her about her grandmother, she finally receives a letter from Tucker.  He tells her that his grandmother is bedridden and too ill to speak with her.  However, Piper knows he is lying.  Therefore, she calls and rents their cottage using the name Earlene Smith, a genealogist.  As she begins to investigate, Helen becomes her confidante.  Soon Tucker joins Helen and Piper in their search for the truth.  As they work together and get to know each other better, Tucker and Piper begin to have deep feelings for each other.  Though Helen has warned Piper to come clean and tell everyone her real identity, Piper is afraid everyone will turn against her.  Do the others care enough for her that they will overlook her deceit?  Who was the baby?  What happened to him?  With Annabelle and Josie dead, Lillian is the only one alive who knows the terrible secret that has been hidden all these years.  Will the secrets die with Lillian?  Will she reveal her secret and finally find peace?

 

THE LOST HOURS is an intriguing, suspense-filled romantic suspense.  I absolutely loved this book.  I could not put it down as I watched Piper dig through the evidence and put the actions of the three friends into the mindset of the times when everything took place.  Though Helen is blind, she seems to be very intuitive to the point that one does not notice her blindness and Piper goes beyond her grief and hurt to help Tucker bond again with his daughters.  After losing all the members of her family, Piper develops a rapport with Lillian’s family and she relieves some old fears as she sees her grandmother in an entirely different light.  The characters are so well drawn that the reader almost expects to see them walk right out of the pages.  By the end of the book, Ms. Karen White wraps everything up nicely, leaving every question answered.  I highly recommend THE LOST HOURS to anyone looking for a wonderful read with a very satisfying ending.

By Romance Junkies Reviewer: Dottie Click here to Buy this Book Now!   Romance Junkies Content Editor: Teri Romance Junkies Publishing Editor: Chrissy   Top of Page