The Madness of Crowds (Louise Penny)

  

I had to make a map of all the characters when I was reading this book.  There was a lot!! I learned, however, that if I had read some of the previous books it might have been less painful because some characters come up again and again. I'm almost tempted to go back and read some of her previous books - except that I need a little time to recover from this one. There was so much in this book - so many themes, so many characters....so many pages! LOL 

Apparently, the awful studies on people and animals that the story refers to really were something that happens in Canadian history.

While I was reading it, I would look up videos of Louise Penny now and then. I really like her. She is very down to earth and a really good speaker. It seems like her crowd is older folks. Maybe that's me now. I loved the fact that it's set in Canada and that she's a loved Canadian author.

I loved that this was set just after the pandemic. It made for some good discussions at book club - contagion, belief in false theories, the lemming effect. It takes 100 pages in before the murder that the book is centered around actually happens....and then at the end, there is 100 or so pages or circling around the suspect. 

Goodreads says: 

You’re a coward.

Time and again, as the New Year approaches, that charge is leveled against Armand Gamache.

It starts innocently enough.

While the residents of the Québec village of Three Pines take advantage of the deep snow to ski and toboggan, to drink hot chocolate in the bistro and share meals together, the Chief Inspector finds his holiday with his family interrupted by a simple request.

He’s asked to provide security for what promises to be a non-event. A visiting Professor of Statistics will be giving a lecture at the nearby university.

While he is perplexed as to why the head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec would be assigned this task, it sounds easy enough. That is until Gamache starts looking into Professor Abigail Robinson and discovers an agenda so repulsive he begs the university to cancel the lecture.

They refuse, citing academic freedom, and accuse Gamache of censorship and intellectual cowardice. Before long, Professor Robinson’s views start seeping into conversations. Spreading and infecting. So that truth and fact, reality and delusion are so confused it’s near impossible to tell them apart.

Discussions become debates, debates become arguments, which turn into fights. As sides are declared, a madness takes hold.

Abigail Robinson promises that, if they follow her, ça va bien aller. All will be well. But not, Gamache and his team know, for everyone.

When a murder is committed it falls to Armand Gamache, his second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and their team to investigate the crime as well as this extraordinary popular delusion.

And the madness of crowds.

If I Couldn't Be Anne (Kallie George)

 

Lovely. This spoke to my heart. Anyone who loves Anne of Green Gables will also love this book. 

Goodreads says:

A beautiful read-aloud picture book about the power of the imagination, inspired by the best-selling Anne of Green Gables.

In this whimsical and magical picture book, Anne's boundless imagination takes flight! She imagines being all the things she loves so dearly. If I Couldn't Be Anne, Anne with an e, what would I be . . . Anne wonders what it would be like to be the wind dancing round the treetops. A tightrope walker, breathless and brave. A princess in a palace made of apple blossoms. A magical frost fairy or a plain little wood elf. . . . But even as Anne's imagination soars far and wide, she comes back down to earth, recognizing that some things - like friendship! - are even better than the imagination.

With adorable illustrations, and a heartfelt message, this picture book is a perfect read-aloud introduction to L.M. Montgomery's beloved Anne and will delight her brand-new fans and lifelong readers alike.

The Great Dinosaur Sleepover (Linda Bailey)

 

6, no 7 dinosaurs show up in the middle of the night to have a birthday party with Jake. (did the author do that 6-7 bit on purpose?)

What's sadder than a cancelled birthday party? And what would be more exciting than playing with actual dinosaurs? Kids will love this book.

This author is Canadian! She is from Winnipeg. I love finding Canadian authors.

Re-read January 9, 2026 Another lesson in why reading with kids is better. I hadn't noticed the t-rex lurking in the background until reading it with them. So cute! 

Goodreads says:

A young boy's disappointing birthday party gets turned upside down with a blast from the prehistoric past in this hilarious, dino-mite picture book adventure.

Jake loves dinosaurs, so with his birthday coming up, he knows just what kind of party he wants — a dinosaur sleepover! Dino games, dino balloons, dino cake. Dino everything! But when the big day arrives, his friends all come down with the flu, and the party seems to be on the edge of extinction.

Then, in the middle of the night, Jake hears a strange noise and goes to investigate. To his surprise, he finds some prehistoric party guests right there in his living room! They've invited themselves in to make sure Jake has a birthday he'll never forget —just don't tell the T-Rex!

An unforgettable birthday tale with huge laughs and heart, this newest picture book from acclaimed author Linda Bailey celebrates friendship, inclusion and fun – and is brought to life with magnificent, cinematic artwork from award-winning animation director and illustrator Joe Bluhm.

The Crayon Stub (Marcus Cutler)

 

Siblings can be such a problem! This is a great story about turning a problem into an opportunity. Kids will love the grossness when the little cat throws up and the big cat makes art out of it.

Goodreads says:

A hilarious picture book about an artistic kitty’s search for inspiration—and the mischievous younger sibling who keeps getting in the way.

Big Cat has a fresh new piece of paper, a box of big, beautiful crayons, and a to create something TOTALLY SPECTACULAR and become WORLD FAMOUS! The only problem? All the crayons have gone missing except for one tiny red stub. What a disaster! And even if Big Cat could make something with the stub, what could possibly be spectacular enough to be worth drawing?

Making matters worse, Big Cat has a younger sibling who keeps getting in the way. Little Cat seems less interested in making SPECTACULAR ART and more excited about . . . food, mostly. What's a feline in search of inspiration to do?

Packed with sly humor and visual jokes in Marcus Cutler's bold, appealing artwork, The Crayon Stub tackles big questions about creativity, resourcefulness and collaboration—delivering big laughs along the way!

City Beet (Tziporah Cohen)

 

Super cute way of engaging in learning about cooperation and community.

Goodreads says:

When a notice for a community potluck is posted, Victoria and her neighbor Mrs. Kosta decide to bring a beet salad as their contribution. But first they need to grow this special vegetable for their dish. They plant the seeds in their garden plot, and throughout the summer they water, fertilize, weed, and mulch. And they watch their beet grow and grow and grow. On potluck day, it's time to harvest so they can make their salad. Victoria grabs the garlic and the grater and Mrs. Kosta steps up to remove the beautiful red veg from its underground home. But their care and attention has grown the biggest beet ever, and it stubbornly refuses to come loose. This beet won't budge! Will Victoria and Mrs. Kosta be able to make their special salad? Not to worry--help comes in all shapes and sizes. This clever, humorous take on an old folktale is a celebration of community and the ways we all come together. Back matter includes a beet salad recipe.

More Than Words (Roz Maclean)

 This author is Canadian and her bio says she is passionate about education, inclusion and the arts. I'd like to know her! She has many more books on her website that are perfect for learning about inclusion.

"You might think talking is the only way to say something. Well, it is one way."

I love the list of suggestions at the back to help everyone have communication access:

- Have an open and accepting attitude to all ways of communications

- Instead of ignoring someone with a communication disability, show an interest in getting to know them.

- Make sure you are directing your attention to the person you are communicating with, not their communication partner.

- Ask questions and learn about how someone communicates

- Remember that just because someone doesn't speak doesn't make they don't understand

- Presume competence: believe someone can understand you and express themselves if they have the right tools and they learn to use those tools

- Understand that learning to use a communication system takes time, practice and support.

- Using a communication system can take longer. Allow extra time and be patient with yourself and others.

- Learn some (or a lot of ) sign language.

- Be aware of your surroundings. Noise, distractions, stress or feeling overwhelmed may impact ability to communicate.

We can all work together to help everyone have communication access!

Goodreads says:

A CBC Kids Reads Competition Finalist

In the tradition of All Are Welcome and The Day You Begin comes a touching picture book about the many unique ways we communicate, and how we can better listen to and respect these different modes of expression.

Nathan doesn't say much.
He sure has a lot on his mind, though.

At school, Nathan quietly observes the ways his peers communicate. Even when they’re not talking, they’re expressing themselves in all sorts of ways!

By witnessing the beauty of communication diversity, Nathan learns and shows his classmates the essential Not only does everyone have something to say, but seeking to understand one another can be the greatest bridge to friendship and belonging.

This tender, stunningly illustrated picture book explores and celebrates the many forms of expression—signing, speaking, singing, smiling, among others—and culminates in a poignant story about connection and understanding.

Includes additional material at the end of the book with vocabulary, an introduction to various forms of communication, and information about communication access, perfect for back-to-school and classroom discussions.

One Dark Night (Hazel Hutchins)

 

I have been looking for mystery picture books to read to kids and this one fell into my lap. It was perfect. One page it seems like there's a cat that ran out but also a cat in the house. My class was quick to think the author made a mistake in the order of the pages. I told them we had to keep reading to try to figure it out. Turns out the stray cat is running off into the storm again because she is a mother cat! She left one kitten in the house and goes out to get the others one by one.

We also learned about counting from when you see lightening to when you hear thunder to know how far away the storm is.

Bonus: The author is from Alberta!

Goodreads says: As a strong summer storm approaches, Jonathan watches a stray cat looking for something in the bushes, but as the clouds darken, Jonathan wonders if the animal will be okay all by itself when the rain starts pouring from the sky.

So Loud! (Sahar Golshan)

 

Cute story about a girl who has a strong voice. Reminds me of some of my students! 
Lesson: it's okay to be yourself! 

Goodreads says:

A fun and touching debut that explores the power of finding your voice.

Rudābeh (Rudy for short) loves to talk, sing, jump and shout. There’s just one problem: the adults in her life are always telling her that she is SO LOUD. When her grandmother (Māmān Bozorg) visits from Iran for the first time, Rudy worries that she might be too loud for her. But as she tries to be quieter, Rudy starts to feel less and less like herself. Listening closely to the many sounds in her world—from husky howls and streetcar chimes to Māmān Bozorg’s roaring sneezes—Rudy tries to figure out the full range of her own voice, discovering along the way the joy in being loud.

With exuberant illustrations by Shiva Delsooz, this charming story will resonate with readers who love to make noise and are still learning where and when to take up space.

Why Humans Build Up (Gregor Craigie)

 

This book is written by a Canadian author and a host of CBC in Victoria. The book starts off with a story of the Calgary Tower - a tower we can rarely find anything written about!  I love how it is organized: by all the reasons towers are built: security, spirituality, ingenuity, utility, rivalry, beauty, industry, observatories, luxury, efficiency, and sustainability. It is perfect for our structure unit. Very kid friendly!

(Introduced to us through the CPL summer reading online event June 2023)

Goodreads says:

Why did they build it so high?

People have been constructing tall buildings for thousands of years, for many different reasons. Castle walls kept people safe. Utility towers transmit TV and cell-phone signals. Observatories give people a bird’s-eye view of the world. Beautiful buildings stand out in the crowd. Skyscrapers provide housing for a lot of people. There are some good reasons for building up, and a few bad ones as well.

With a growing global population, we will need more and more space to live, learn and work in. But what does that mean for the health of the planet? Can we do it sustainably? Tall buildings may be part of the answer. From the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the Burj Khalifa and the Shanghai Tower, Why Humans Build Up asks why and how we build higher and higher, and what that means for the planet.

The Innocents (Michael Crummey)

 

Honestly, I didn't finish reading this. I found it depressing and cold and even though I kept hoping something would happen that would compel me to read more....I finally just gave up. This book was for my book club and I was hoping when I went to the meeting I could get some inspiration to finish it. No luck. 

I did admire their ability to survive while alone and in such a brutal climate. I think there's an interesting connection in there somewhere between these children and the story of Adam and Eve (even their names....Ada and Evered). Ada's apple was a relic found and taken that she shouldn't take. 

There are too many good books in the world to continue reading ones I don't love.

Goodreads says:

From prizewinning author Michael Crummey comes a spellbinding story of survival in which a brother and sister confront the limits of human endurance and their own capacity for loyalty and forgiveness.

A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland's northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family's boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.
Muddling though the severe round of the seasons, through years of meagre catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.
The Innocents is richly imagined and compulsively readable, a riveting story of hardship and survival, and an unflinching exploration of the bond between brother and sister. By turns electrifying and heartbreaking, it is a testament to the bounty and barbarity of the world, to the wonders and strangeness of our individual selves. 

Oddrey Joins The Team (David Whamond)

 

We have read and loved Oddrey. I didn't know there were more books about her. This one is a great one. Sometimes it's best to listen to someone with unique ideas!

The author is from Calgary! He teaches at the Alberta College of Art.

Goodreads says:

Oddrey has always been the kind of girl who marches to the beat of her own drum, first in her school’s production of The Wizard of Oz and later when she pulls some impressive antics to rescue Maybelline, the new girl at school, from the monkey enclosure at the zoo. Now Oddrey’s back for a third adventure, this time bringing her exuberant spirit to the soccer field. Maybelline encourages Oddrey to join the school team, the Piccadilla Bees, and it’s not long until their big game against the Quagville Crushers. The Bees struggle to find their stride, but Oddrey is convinced she has a solution. True to form, she thinks that if her teammates bring their own individual talents — dancing, karate-kicking, and cartwheeling — to bear on the problem, they may just have a shot!

A Twisted Tale (Carolyn Fisher)

 

There are so many things I love about this book:

* The similes are vivid!! eg The wind howled like a prom queen steppin' on a cow patty. Having stepped on a not totally dry cow patty more than once in my life, it creates a hilarious image in my mind!
* The silliness is just right for kids
* The illustrations are hilarious and made us really look and we discovered so many cute little details
* The 'about the author' has great connections to the story 
* The author is from Alberta and now lives in Calgary!

Goodreads says:
Bailey Tarbell is in a pickle. A tornado swooped down and sucked all the animals on her farm up into the air. When it finally spat them out again, they were all mixed up. The cow now clucks and tries to sit on eggs, the cat chases the dog who hisses and runs up trees, the pig quacks, the duck moos, and the chickens are all rooting in the mud. What's a farm girl to do? The vet is stumped, demonstrating proper behavior hasn't helped, even hypnosis is a flop. But then eureka! Bailey gets a brainstorm to beat that tornado. She loads all the animals into the truck and heads for the carnival! After a wild ride on The Twister the animals are all singing the right tunes again. But now Bailey is a little mixed up.... 

Our Darkest Night (Jennifer Robson)

 

I'm a big Jennifer Robson fan and again, I'm not disappointed. This book had me hooked. I loved it and I'll probably read it again. Jennifer Robson usually has happy endings and I really figured this one was not going to have a happy ending...the twists were good and she had me tricked. I've read a lot of World War II books and I thought the question on her website was good: There seems to be a lot of these books the past few years. Why are they so popular? .....great question for book club!  I read it in just two days....two work days....so I did find it quite compelling and hard to put down.

Goodreads says:

To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer’s wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson—a story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II.

It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive—to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to leave the seminary to run his family’s farm. A moral and just man, he could not stand by when the fascists and Nazis began taking innocent lives. Rather than risk a perilous escape across the mountains, Nina will pose as his new bride. And to keep her safe and protect secrets of his own, Nico and Nina must convince prying eyes they are happily married and in love.

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico’s provincial neighbors are wary of this soft and educated woman they do not know. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico. The more he learns of Nina, the more his suspicions grow—and with them his determination to exact revenge.

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their feelings deepen, transforming their relationship into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart . . .

No Cure For Being Human (Kate Bowler)

 

Wow. This book was really compelling for me. The author is Canadian and refers to many places in Canada where she and her family have lived. It's quite current, published just this past September! She talks about the pandemic and the impact it has had. Also, just having lost my brother to cancer, I really related to the fear and the rollercoaster cancer treatments bring. Happily, she recovered. Hopefully, life continues that way for her. She also talks about what she will do when this pandemic is over. Sometimes I can't even imagine that....but we have to look forward. Have to!

This book has made me want to read anything else she has written. She talks about prosperity gospel preaching - a subject I have found fascinating for years. She seems to lean towards Christianity in a lot of her topics. 

I loved her appendix at the end....things people say: 

- things happen for a reason

- let go and let God

- be present

- No regrets

- facing the past is part of facing the future

- make every minute count

and more

All those things end up being questioned when someone gets cancer or a pandemic happens or your husband has a stroke and struggles to heal his heart issues or....so many things. 

Goodreads says:

The bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I've Loved) asks, how do you move forward with a life you didn't choose?

It's hard to give up on the feeling that the life you really want is just out of reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good, better, best. But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely?

Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices, until she discovered, at age 35, that her body was wracked with cancer. In No Cure for Being Human, she searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom (and absurdity) of today's "best life now" advice industry, which insists on exhausting positivity and on trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn, and out-perform our humanness. We are, she finds, as fragile as the day we were born.

With dry wit and unflinching honesty, Kate Bowler grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition, and her faith as she tries to come to terms with her limitations in a culture that says anything is possible. She finds that we need one another if we're going to tell the truth: Life is beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between--and there's no cure for being human.

Spectacularly Beautiful: A Refugee's Story (Lisa Lucas)

 

This is an amazingly simple book with a beautiful and true principle. Everyone is beautiful even though we all have scars from things we have experienced. Most of all, God loves us no matter what.

I'm curious about the style of the illustrations. It has realistic pictures as background and the characters are blobs of color. Maybe it is so that the people could be anyone? No skin colors or height or styles to get in the way. These characters could be any of us.

The author is a teacher who has taught children from difficult circumstances and clearly loves them as teachers do.

Goodreads says:

A young refugee living in America learns to see herself as beautiful, in spite of physical and emotional scars from her troubled homeland, thanks to a gifted teacher.

Spectacularly Beautiful tells the story of Shahad, a refugee who has moved to a new country and started at a new school with her new teacher, Ms. Truong. Shahad comes to school every day with perfectly braided hair tied in ribbons. But her hair can't hide the scars on her face and leg that are painful reminders of the country she fled, making her feel less than beautiful, and different from her peers. When a class project proves difficult for Shahad, Ms. Truong helps her come to see that her scars are only part of her story, and that she is not just beautiful...she is spectacularly beautiful. Little by little Shahad's confidence is renewed and she is able to return the same kindness to Ms. Truong.

My Grandmother Ironed The Kings Shirts (Torill Kove)

This reminds me of family lore that just gets better and better the more it is told. It's really funny! My favorite part is where they sabotage the enemy soldier's shirts and make them itchy....so all the soldiers end up naked and the war has to end because they have nothing to wear.

I'm not totally sure that the author is Canadian, but it does say she lives in Montreal and the book is part of the National Film Board collection. The film actually has a few more details than the book does (like a bit on Tonya Harding's skate in the 1994 Olympics where she was allowed to start over)

https://www.nfb.ca/film/my_grandmother_ironed_the_king_shirts/ 

Goodreads says:

One of three new titles in the Firefly Books-National Film Board of Canada partnership.

This tall tale of Kove's Norwegian grandmother was nominated for an Academy Award when first produced as an animated short film.

Torill Kove's grandmother often told stories to Torill when she was a young girl. One in particular revolved around ironing shirts for the King of Norway.

In My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts, Kove follows a thread of family history, embroidering it with playful twists along the way, imaginatively rendering her grandmother's life and work in Oslo during World War II.

In Kove's retelling, her grandmother leads a Norwegian resistance to the invading German Army who had forced the King to flee for his safety.

When the task of ironing the King's shirts was replaced by those of the German Army officers, Kove's grandmother and her shirt pressing sisters sabotage the enemy uniforms until morale among the Germans is so low that they lose the war and head home without a thing to wear!

Full of sharp humor and myth making, My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts is a great example of how small contributions to the greater good count for a whole lot.

My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts was nominated for an Oscar in 2000 and won 17 awards in all. It has also been produced as a book in Norway. 

Whimsy's Heavy Things (Julie Kraulix)

 

I think the analogy in this story of taking the heavy things that weigh you down and breaking them down works in real life. The illustrations will help children understand the concept. This is a book that could be good for adults, teens and children. The name Whimsy also reminds the reader that life is easier when it's whimsy rather than weighed down. It's a you can't hide from your problems type of story.


Goodreads says:

Whimsy's heavy things are weighing her down. She tries to sweep them under the rug, but she trips over them. She tries to put them in a tree, but they fall on her. She even tries to sail them out to sea, but they always come back. Eventually Whimsy decides to deal with the heavy things one at a time... and a surprising thing happens. With exquisite illustrations and delightfully simple text, Whimsy's Heavy Things is a sweet story about changing the things that weigh us down into the things that lift us up.

The King of Jam Sandwiches (Eric Walters)

 

This is a great story! I love stories of people who figure out how to not just survive, but succeed in life despite everything being against them. The author (who is Canadian!) says this was a very personal story and that he also grew up in poverty. I was left wondering how much of it was directly from his life and how much he made up and who is the girl?! Is she a real person? It sounds like she is, from the afterward.

In some ways, we're all the underdog and this story inspires me to think I can do anything! 

I recently heard it won a 2021 Govenor General's Award for Young People's Literature.

Goodreads says:

★ "Tug at the heartstrings and tickle the funny bone...This warm tale is definitely one for the keeper shelves. Highly recommended."--School Library Journal, starred review

Thirteen-year-old Robbie leads a double life. It's just Robbie and his dad, but no one knows that his dad isn't like most parents. Sometimes he wakes Robbie up in the middle of the night to talk about dying. Sometimes he just leaves without telling Robbie where he's going. Once when Robbie was younger, he was gone for more than a week. Robbie was terrified of being left alone but even more scared of telling anyone in case he was put into foster care. No one can know. Until one day when Robbie has to show the tough new girl, Harmony, around school. Their first meeting ends horribly and she punches Robbie in the face. But eventually they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought. Can Robbie's new friend be trusted to keep his secret?   

Sergeant Billy ( Mireilla Messier)

 

My students always love stories around Remembrance Day time that tell of animals that were involved with the war. This is a simply written story, but they'll love it. I wonder if anyone has ever written a chapter book on animals in war?

Goodreads says:

A delightful tale inspired by the true story of a brave goat war hero. Perfect for fans of Finding Winnie and Rescue and Jessica.

During World War I, a goat named Billy was adopted by a platoon of soldiers and made his way across the ocean to be part of the war effort.

Billy . . .
* Trained with the soldiers
* Was smuggled across the ocean
* Got snuck into the frontlines in a box of oranges
* Ate some secret documents and was arrested for treason
* Got trench foot
* Head-butted soldiers into a trench and saved them from a shell
* Came back home a decorated war hero

This charming true story follows Sergeant Billy from his small prairie town to the trenches of World War I and back, through harrowing moments, sad moments, moments of camaraderie and moments of celebration. This unforgettable goat and the platoon that loved him will capture your heart! 

The Couple Next Door (Shari Lapena)

This is one of those books that tempted me to stay up way too late reading (I resisted...my sleeping super-powers are stronger!).

I really enjoyed it. It has lots of twists and turns. Every character seems to have a secret and it just never stops right until the very end.

I felt sorry for Anne. I thought Marco was a push over. Detective Rasbach just lets the crime solve itself. 

The author was an English teacher turned lawyer. Two of my favorite kind of people to discuss books with!

Goodreads says:

It all started at a dinner party. . .

A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors--a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all--a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.

What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family--a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.