Mill River

Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, the widow Mary McAllister has spent almost 60 years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Most longtime residents of consider the marble house and its occupant peculiar, and few have ever seen Mary. But three newcomers - a police officer, his daughter, and a new schoolteacher - are curious about the reclusive old woman. Only the town priest truly knows the Mill River recluse, and the secret she keeps... a secret that, once revealed, will change the town, and the lives of its residents, forever.

From the outside, Mill River looks like any sleepy little Vermont town where everyone knows everyone and people never need to lock their doors. There are newcomers for whom this appeals, from police officer Kyle Hansen and his daughter Rowen, who are starting over after heartache, to Claudia Simon, the schoolteacher who is determined to reinvent herself. But on closer inspection, there are those in Mill River - including a stealthy arsonist, a covetous nurse, and a pilfering priest - who have things they wish to hide.

Josie DiSanti is starting over. Recently widowed, she has fled her New York City home with her two young daughters—spirited Rose and shy Emily—in tow. She takes refuge in Mill River, Vermont, to live with her only remaining relative, Ivy Collard, the local bookstore owner and a woman Josie barely knows. There, the young mother and her girls build a new life for themselves—until a shocking tragedy tears the sisters apart.

Writing in the tradition of Jan Karon and Maeve Binchy, New York Times best-selling author Darcie Chan returns listeners to Mill River, the charming town whose residents experience surprises and sorrows, witness acts of goodwill and kindness, embrace family love and friendship—and uncover age-old secrets and heartaches.