The Tender Mercy of Roses by Anna Michaels
Pony Jones is one of the main characters of this book, but she is dead. Her spirit lives on though, long enough to lead others to her killer. I know this sounds like an unlikely premise for a book but it’s such a good story about the human spirit and how the good ones can live on for as long as they are needed. Pony’s father is looking for revenge and Jo Beth Dawson, a former detective who finds Pony’s body, is badly in need of a distraction from her grief, self-pity and many bottles of whiskey. There is a connection between the dead girl and Jo Beth that penetrates Jo Beth’s alcoholic haze and makes her want to find the killer, even if it means spending time in Huntsville, AL where she grew up.
This is an impressive first novel from Anna Michaels. The characters are likable and as the book travels between the past and the present and the living and the dead you will have a hard time putting this book down.
Karen – Fort Mill ISBN 9781439180990
