Sam needs a new kidney. Mallory's son (the father IS NOT in the picture) ate a poisonous mushroom at camp and lost kidney function, so he is now on dialysis three times a week. Everyone has been tested for a good match for him, but they have all failed, and their family is very small-basically Mallory and her sister Paige. Paige tries to get Mallory to tell Monk Adams, superstar singer and guitarist, that his now 13-year-old son needs his help, but Mallory won't reveal this secret of Sam's birth to him. They were good friends who became lovers after Mallory played nanny to Monk's father's children, the summer of their junior year in college, but that train has left the station. So as a last resort, Paige takes a DNA test to see if she can find any cousins who could genetically match Sam.
Hannah Ainsworth, a Hungarian refugee, is the wife of an English diplomat stationed in 1950s Egypt. She tries to be a good wife and fit in with the English ex-pat community but is usually a bored observer. The assistant manager of the hotel, a noted Lothario to his English clientele, falls for Hannah and they conduct an extremely erotic affair-she wants a child and he wants information.
The connection between the stories is a cuff bracelet in the shape of a cobra that Paige and Mallory's mother never removed from her arm and left to Mallory in her will.
As with any well-written alternating story, the author stops each narrative with a cliffhanger and starts the other character's tale. Both stories are so compelling that it takes a few seconds to catch up when she moves from the past to the present and back again, but she never disappoints. This is a great summer read....it is rich in history while also never cheating the audience by stinting on romance. Best read on a small island near Cape Cod.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
Publication date - June 25, 2024
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