Library

Collins is the police chief of a small town in Ireland. He has never handled a big case in his 15 years in office, until one day a male skeleton was dug up at a construction site in the town, and he was forced to investigate the first murder case in his life. The townspeople believe that the deceased is Tommy Burke, who disappeared many years ago. At that time, he was in love with two girls in the town, and the two girls fought in the street. The next day, Tommy drove away and flew away, and there was no news from him since. The girl back then has now become a middle-aged aunt, and she is still tight-lipped about the past. At this time, the DNA test results came out and the deceased was not Tommy, and construction workers dug up another skeleton...

A twisted tale of secrets and star-crossed love, this book once again demonstrates Norton's understanding of human nature and all its darkest flaws. The entire story unfolds at the intersection of past and present. Elizabeth Keen's father was an enigma, something about whom the people of Buqraga never understood, but not for lack of speculation and imagination. Elizabeth Keane's mother, Patricia, was thought to be a spinster until she began dating a mysterious man from out of town, leaving Bucaruag and marrying within a few months. Less than two years later, Patricia returned, with a new baby in her arms but no new husband by her side, a secret she had kept steadfastly silent about her recent past and carried to her grave. Now, as Elizabeth returns to town after her mother's funeral with her own regrets and hurt, she discovers a stack of letters in the back of a closet that will ultimately hold the key to unlocking the truth about her origins and the secrets of her mother's past.