Brenda's Reviews > Dovetail

The elderly woman who came to his rescue in 1983 was a stranger to Joe Arneson but she declared she was his grandmother. Joe had always been told by his father that his grandmother had died, but as he came to know Pearl, he knew that she was in fact his grandmother, and there was a past of secrets that both his father and grandmother were unwilling to tell him. With Pearl in a nursing home, and dying from cancer, she asked Joe to clear the family home ready for sale. The secondhand store in Pullman, Wisconsin was willing to take the old furniture that was too good to dump – and so Joe met Kathleen, owner of the store.

Joe told Kathleen about the recurring dreams he’d been having; dreams that he felt were too vivid to be anything but real. But they also frightened him. As Joe and Kathleen investigated findings among the old furniture, some parts of the puzzle came clear. Back in 1916 Pearl’s older sister, Alice had died under tragic circumstances, her death having a profound effect on those left behind. Would they find the answers that Joe needed to find peace of mind? And what was the danger that was coming closer to Kathleen, a danger that she was completely unaware of?

Dovetail is my first by Karen McQuestion but definitely won’t be my last. An outstanding read, I thoroughly enjoyed both timelines – 1916 with Alice, Pearl and her family; and 1983 with Joe, Kathleen and Pearl – with the connection between the past and present profound. A captivating read, the blend of romance with family secrets is perfectly done. Dovetail is a book I have no hesitation in recommending highly.

With thanks to the NetGalley, the publisher and author for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.