By Lisa Carter
Tessa Goforth hasn't sung since the night of the fire that changed her life and the night that took her friend and the future she had planned. She's been working on her dissertation rather than focus on her operatic pursuits when she learns that her Aunt Dicy has been injured. Going home to help with her aunt and to help with the apple harvest she hopes to escape the pain and the guilt of that night.
Ezekiel Sloane has been Dicy's orchard manager for nearly a year and he is less than impressed with her niece who hasn't had the time to visit Dicy in a while. Zeke, as he prefers to be called, makes no bones about how he feels about Tessa's absence and his utter contempt of her. But there is more to Zeke than is first observed - his silence and taciturn nature is hiding a secret.
But Buckthorn, North Carolina, is a world unto itself, ruled by the Cozart family and at the mercy of the family's corruption. When Tessa's research into a forgotten folk singer leads her to an unexplained disappearance of a young woman she is determined to get to the truth. There is just one problem with her inquiries - they are about to bring her to the attention of the Cozart family.
The Sound of Falling Leaves takes the reader into the Blue Ridge Mountains and a world that is still well isolated from the modern world. This is a story about healing and forgiveness that is well wrapped in intrigue and suspense. It is interesting to get to know both Tessa and Zeke as they try to hide their true selves away from one another and those around them. Letting go of their pain is something neither of them is quite ready to do.
The pacing of the story is just right and one can connect with the characters as they navigate their lives and the secrets both hold close. If you are looking for modern fiction that you out of your norm you will want to give this one a try. No reader's remorse with this one so sit back and get ready to delve into a good read.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations - All thoughts expressed are my own.
About the Book:
After aspiring opera singer Tessa loses her voice in a fire, she needs both a place to heal and a way to keep music in her life. She retreats to her aunt's apple orchard in rural North Carolina to collect folk ballads. But amid the autumn splendor of this isolated Appalachian community, she uncovers an unnerving connection between a murder case and a long-ago disappearance. Tessa gets a glimpse into an almost-forgotten world, encounters a corrupt, small-town political dynasty, and finds superstition and prejudice at every turn.
She's also drawn to Zeke, the handsome but enigmatic orchard caretaker, who shows her that mountain justice is neither impartial nor just. But battling a conspiracy of silence, Tessa isn't sure if she can trust him. Yet somewhere in the mists of the Blue Ridge Mountains, evil lurks, and a killer is determined to keep the past where it belongs—dead and buried.
She's also drawn to Zeke, the handsome but enigmatic orchard caretaker, who shows her that mountain justice is neither impartial nor just. But battling a conspiracy of silence, Tessa isn't sure if she can trust him. Yet somewhere in the mists of the Blue Ridge Mountains, evil lurks, and a killer is determined to keep the past where it belongs—dead and buried.
