Memory House Collection #5

By Bette Lee Crosby

 

 

Book Blurb

On the day Jennifer Green was born a pile of stones was placed alongside her scale of life. A few were the dark gray of sorrow, but most were a pale blush color. The largest stone was the rose hue of a sunrise. That one would be placed on the scale the day she married Drew Bishop. Even more brilliant but a wee bit smaller was the pink stone glistening with specs of silver. That one would bring Jennifer a baby girl named Brooke. The Keeper of the Scale smiled. Seeing such happiness laid out before him was pleasing to his eye.
Since the beginning of time, he and he alone has been challenged with the task of keeping each person’s scale in balance. A bit of happiness and then a small stone of sorrow, until the lives he has in his charge are measured evenly.
You might think such power is universal, but it is not. There are silver threads that crisscross the landscape of scales and connect strangers to one another. Not even the Keeper of the Scale can control the events traveling through those threads; the only thing he can do is try to equalize the balance once it has been thrown off. There is nothing more he can do for Jennifer; now he must find the thread that leads to Drew if he is to have the love he deserves.  (Blurb from Goodreads)

 

My Review

The Keeper of the Scale balances the scales of life for each person under his care, but sometimes a stray silver thread linking people and events can alter the outcome of events.  That is what happened one day in the lives of the main characters of this story.

Drew Bishop was out of town on business when his wife, Jennifer, woke up with a migraine. She got up and took their young daughter, Brooke, to school and planned to stop at the drugstore on the way home to get something to help her headache.  This is where everything went wrong and life for Brooke and her father would never be the same.

Tom Coggan needed money for drugs and decided to rob a liquor store that morning.  He believed in non-violence but carried a gun none-the-less.  His twin, Eddie, was serving time for a violent crime and he didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.  When he got to the liquor store it was closed but saw there was a drugstore nearby.  This is when things went terribly bad. Tom shot and killed Jennifer, an innocent bystander, and he, in turn, was shot by the store owner.

Drew and Brooke each bore their own guilt and sorrow.  Could they ever put these feelings aside and function as a happy family again?  My heart ached for both as they struggled to move beyond their grief and find happiness.  I felt a lot of empathy for this family in their struggle to return to normalcy.

Often, I can find something good in the unlovable characters, but the Coogan twins were of such ugly temperament and evil purpose that I could not find it in them.  They had no redeeming qualities.

I was so happy with the return of Annie at the Memory House.  I knew when Drew and Brooke ended up there, that they would be able to find their turning point with the help of Annie.

Once again, I cannot say anything bad about the author’s writing style.  I love the easy voice that permeates all of Bette Lee Crosby’s books. I always feel as though I am sitting in a chair by the fireplace with the author seated across from me, spinning a story.  Her books draw me in from line one to the last.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction and family sagas.

I received this book from the author for my honest review.  I did not receive any remuneration for giving this review.

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling and Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby’s books are “Well-crafted storytelling populated by memorable characters caught up in equally memorable circumstances.” – Midwest Book Review

The Seattle Post Intelligencer says Crosby’s writing is, “A quirky mix of Southern flair, serious thoughts about important things in life and madcap adventures.”

Samantha from Reader’s Favorite raves, “Crosby writes the type of book you can’t stop thinking about long after you put it down.”

“Storytelling is in my blood,” Crosby laughingly admits, “My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write.”

It is the wit and wisdom of that Southern Mama Crosby brings to her works of fiction; the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery, and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. She has since gone on to win twenty awards for her work; these include The Royal Palm Literary Award, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal, Reader’s Favorite Award Gold Medal, and the Reviewer’s Choice Award.

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