Jilted

The last of the Mended Hearts trilogy, set in the small town of Trapp, Tex., centers on the unlikely couple of ex-convict Clyde Felton and Lynda Turner, whose husband abandoned her 15 years before this story takes place and who is the mother of Ruthie, the protagonist in Jaded. Clyde is attracted to the depressive Lynda, who cooks at the local diner and is startled to find her feelings stirring in return. Their relationship develops very slowly in the foreground as a mysterious finding of human bones in the area takes shape equally slowly. The two flawed protagonists give the story texture, even if Clyde's patience and grandparental skills occasionally strain credulity. Weather plays a biblically grand role in the denouement, a nice touch. Denman shows her cards in irritatingly obvious ways at times, but on the whole she builds a quietly heartfelt story that fans of inspirational novels will find memorable and not preachy. Agent: Jessica Kirkland, Blythe Daniel Agency. (June)