Fans who have followed the escapades of the older Moretti brothers in All The Right Angles
and All That Matters
will enjoy meeting wild-child Mark, age 40 and facing a midlife crisis. While spending the summer in Ketchikan, Alaska, he’s thrown out of the Blue Note bar and into love with its beautiful proprietor, Danalee Jackson, a part-black, part-Chinese 28-year-old with a murky history, a young son and a policy against dating customers. When the Blue Note is cited for building violations, financially strapped Dana accepts Mark’s offer of help, and their relationship unfolds through verbal jabs that turn gradually into conversations. Tin-ear dialect and Mark’s alpha-male aggression will turn some readers off, but Holm’s affection for her characters and the beautiful setting lend a hint of savor to this sweet soufflé. (Oct.)
