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Amber decides to take a hiatus from her life and the difficult changes that have happened. Leaving Denver for a vacation, she struggles to let go of her type A personality. Suffering the recent loss of her job due to downsizing and the abrupt breakup with her partner, she rents a cabin in a small town as the owners went on their own vacation. They left their huge dog Brutus, in her care; a dog she comes to love.
She meets her two neighbors, one a problematic rancher who hates the dog, and another man who is a recluse living in a shack and who keeps appearing on her deck. Other local characters include the town gossip and the two Sheriffs. Strangely, she begins to get odd cards from someone that apparently worked with her, finding these cards so puzzling that she talks with her best friend Olivia who was also a former co-worker. As things continue to go awry, including harm to the dog and the death of someone she knew, Amber stumbles into finding secrets in the little town, as well as secrets and insights from her own life.
An easy, laid-back book, this is a nice summer read. It offers mystery and intrigue and spins the story around the heroine and her desire to find peace and serenity after stepping away from the city. Amber is naive and codependent, and at times the reader may want to slap her for her stupidity, which merely reveals that the characterization is engaging. Following her growth as a human being also adds depth to her character. The descriptions of the beautiful natural area and her ongoing dialogue with the dog helps personalize the story, although the dialogue is sometimes too formal. Not an in-depth read, but a satisfying one, offering an engaging ending which may lead to other books to follow.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review