368 pages / 9 hrs, 51 mins
"For Jackie Pierce, everything changed the
summer of 1979, when she spent three months of infinite freedom at her bohemian
uncle’s sprawling estate on the California coast. As musicians, artists, and
free spirits gathered at The Sandcastle for the season in pursuit of
inspiration and communal living, Jackie and her cousin Willa fell into a fast
friendship, testing their limits along the rocky beach and in the wild woods...
until the summer abruptly ended in tragedy, and Willa silently slipped away
into the night.
"Twenty years later, Jackie unexpectedly inherits
The Sandcastle and returns to the iconic estate for a short visit to ready it
for sale. But she reluctantly extends her stay when she learns that, before her
death, her estranged aunt had promised an up-and-coming producer he could
record a tribute album to her late uncle at the property’s studio. As her
musical guests bring the place to life again with their sun-drenched beach days
and late-night bonfires, Jackie begins to notice startling parallels to that
summer long ago. And when a piece of the past resurfaces and sparks new
questions about Willa’s disappearance, Jackie must discover if the dark secret
she’s kept ever since is even the truth at all." --from the publisher
This is a beautifully crafted story, imho. It made me smile and warmed my heart and reminded me what was great about the 1970s. For those who stay away from lurid subject matter (like me!), the "dark secret" is not nearly as disturbing as most books these days. I give it four out of five stars.
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