The Necklace

In 2009, Cornelia “Nell” Quincy Merrihew’s great-aunt Loulou, who raised Nell’s mother, has passed away, and Nell finds herself in the company of an eccentric gaggle of Quincys, old-money Ohioans that her mother mostly avoided. She’s been made executor of Loulou’s will, and Loulou has left her a necklace of questionable provenance that she soon learns is very special indeed. Nell must fend off the Quincys, who have other plans for it. Nell, a successful lawyer, plays defense with her overbearing family, who see her as an outsider, but she finds an ally in Loulou’s estate lawyer, the handsome Louis Morrell. A glittering, Gatsby-esque second narrative set in the 1920s explores the love triangle between Nell’s grandmother, May, and two brothers, Ethan and Ambrose Quincy. When Ambrose returns from two years abroad bearing a stunning necklace bought in India as a gift for May, she’s already married Ethan, but her love for Ambrose has never dimmed. McMillan (The Gilded Age) expertly weaves the narratives together in an emotionally resonant, captivating tale of love, loss, and family secrets that culminates in a satisfying finale. (July)