The Homecoming

The captivating sixth installment of Carr’s Thunder Point series (after The Promise) brings up big emotions in the tiny coastal Oregon hamlet. Hometown boy Seth Sileski left in triumph with a football scholarship and went on to play in the NFL—until a serious injury ended that dream forever. Iris McKinley, now a guidance counselor at the Thunder Point high school, is the girl he’s never been able to forget. When Seth returns to run the sheriff department substation in town, he can’t understand why his former friend is so icy, until Iris reveals a secret she’s carried around for years: in a drunken stupor in high school, Seth took Iris’s virginity. Seth, who has no memory of the encounter, is devastated by the revelation and is determined to make up for it, but Iris won’t accept his apology quickly. Carr’s gift for writing lovably flawed heroes and heroines is evident on every page, and she includes a host of enjoyable side characters and glimpses of the subjects of earlier books. While laying the groundwork for the next installment, she delivers a first-class happy ending. (Sept.)