Flaming Tree

Although Jody Hammond and his mother Ruth have survived a terrible fall off the ocean cliffs at Carmel, Calif., Jody can't speak or recognize anyone, and his tyrannical father, Tyler, gives up hope for his recovery. In the Hammond household at La Casa de la Sombra, life has never seemed hopeful anyway, troubled as it is with dark secrets from the past. Meanwhile, Kelsey Stewart, struggling to forget the death of her own small son, has arrived in Carmel to stay with her aunt, the owner of a local inn. A therapist for brain-damaged children, Kelsey offers to help Jody, but her efforts seem blocked by mysterious forces. Visiting Flaming Tree ranch where a Hammond friend was murdered, she unravels the shocking story that has kept Jody silent. A skilled and graceful storyteller, Whitney provides a romantic backdrop for the novel in her descriptions of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula. Paperback rights to Fawcett; Literary Guild selection. January 3