Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner is one of the books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this summer. I enjoyed the many twists and turns this mystery took especially when one plot appears to have ended only to show up again in a most dramatic way at the end! I love it when I can’t guess an ending. Well… I guessed part of the ending, but not all of it! This is another great weekend read for anyone looking for a nice mystery.

Publisher’s Summary: A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope.

Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms.

She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.

What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.
A captivating novel rich with detail, Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life.

Author’s Bio: Tina Ann Forkner is the author of Ruby Among Us. Originally from Oklahoma, she now lives with her husband and three children in Wyoming, where she serves on the Laramie County Library Foundation’s board of directors.

I don’t have a copy of this to give away, but local friends are welcome to borrow mine if they’d like.