Читать онлайн «The Shadow Wife»
Автор Chamberlain Diane
Praise for
“So full of unexpected twists you’ll find yourself wanting to
finish it in one sitting. Fans of Jodi Picoult’s style
will love how Diane Chamberlain writes. ”
“This complex tale will stick with you forever. ”
“Emotional, complex and laced with suspense, this
fascinating story is a brilliant read. ”
“A moving story. ”
“A bittersweet story about regret and hope. ”
“A fabulous thriller with plenty of surprises. ”
“A brilliantly told thriller”
“An engaging and absorbing story that’ll have
you racing through pages to finish. ”
“This compelling mystery will have you
on the edge of your seat. ”
“Chamberlain skilfully … plumbs the nature
of crimes of the heart. ”
The Shadow
Wife
GETS TO THE HEART OF THE STORY
To my extraordinary sibs,
Tom, Joann and Rob.
What a year, eh?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
What fun it’s been to research a book filled with the natural beauty of the California coastline, the struggles and hopes of compassionate people … and a little bit of magic. Michael Rey nolds helped me understand what life is like on the Monterey Peninsula. Mike Woodbury and Karen (KK) Sears gave me virtual sailing lessons.
Suzanne Schmidt, one of my dearest friends and an ob/gyn nurse practitioner, guided me through the medical aspects of my story. Fellow author Emilie Richards provided feedback on my story line with talent and wisdom.I am also indebted to Richard Bingler, Liz Gardner, Tom Jackson, Craig MacBean, Patricia McLinn and Katherine Rutkowski for their various contributions to the story.
I’m grateful to my former agent, Ginger Barber, for her confidence in me, and to the editor who worked with me on this book, Amy Moore-Benson.
THE FOG WAS AS THICK AND WHITE AS COTTON BATTING, AND it hugged the coastline and moved slowly, lazily, in the breeze. Anyone unfamiliar with the Cabrial Commune in Big Sur would never know there were twelve small cabins dotting the cliffs above the ocean. Fog was nothing unusual here, but for the past seven days, it had not cleared once. Like living inside a cloud, the children said. The twenty adults and twelve children of the commune had to feel their way from cabin to cabin, and they could never be sure they’d found their own home until they were inside. Parents warned their children not to play too close to the edge of the cliff, and the more nervous mothers kept their little ones inside in the morning, when the fog was thickest. Those who worked in the garden had to bend low to be sure they were pulling weeds and not the young shoots of brussels sprouts or lettuce, and more than one man used the dense fog as an excuse for finding his way into the wrong bed at night—not that an excuse was ever needed on the commune, where love was free and jealousy was denied. Yes, this third week of summer, everyone in the commune had a little taste of what it was like to be blind.
