RIGGS PARK

Author: Ellyn Bache ISBN: 0373230338 7/2005 MYSTERY Publisher: HARLEQUIN

We'd all grown up in the flourishing Washington, D.C. suburb—Marilyn, me, Steve, Penny and Wish...the boy I'd loved. It was during the baby-boom years, when the future was luminous. But things don't always turn out as expected. Riggs Park had secrets, and Penny was one of them. Sometimes there's a chance to go back and right a wrong. Marilyn is convinced Penny had had a baby, and that the child belonged to her family. My lifelong friend can't follow up—she's fighting cancer. Only I can search for answers. But would finding truth break my heart...or set us all free?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Barbara Cohen sets out to solve a mystery at the request of her best friend, Marilyn Waxman. Marilyn is currently battling cancer for the second time, and she asks Barbara to look into the past of their friend, Penny. There is a great deal of mystery surrounding Penny and her life. As Barbara seeks answers to this mystery, she learns a lot about herself, her friends, and the man she loves. As Barbara gets closer to finding out about Penny, she must decide whether or not the truth is worth the pain it could cause her.

Ellyn Bache captures readers and takes them back in time. The chapters alternate between present and past, but not to the point that the reader could get confused. I enjoyed this novel about friends, maturing, and lifelong secrets. I will definitely be reading more from Ellyn Bache.

Carrye Syma