No River Too Wide

Richards (One Mountain Away) builds a complex, yearning saga of broken families and damaged trust in the latest in her Goddesses Anonymous series, this time based on the hair-raising escape of battered wife Janine; the disappearance of her abusive husband, Rex; and an insurance-fraud scheme. After leaving her home in flames in Topeka, Kans., the traumatized Janine, with the help of a group of advocates for abuse victims, resettles in Asheville, N.C., to quietly reunite with estranged daughter, Harmony, and grandbaby Lottie—a relationship nurtured by Harmony’s friend Taylor. With the simultaneous arrival in town of Alex, who offers to run a defense course for women at Taylor’s newly opened health and fitness studio—fanning the flames of Alex and Taylor’s immediate red-hot attraction—Janine rediscovers her self-confidence. Alex is hiding his own secrets, however, and their revelation, along with the depth of Rex’s betrayal, threaten to end both Janine’s and Taylor’s newfound happiness. Richards deftly juggles an intriguing thriller with an exploration of domestic violence and reinvention. Still, it’s the quirky, gritty characters in and out of Goddesses Anonymous—all determined to help women in need—who power this tale of forgiveness every step of the way. (July)