The Bungalow on Pinecone Street

Little did Amanda Stoddard know that after turning over evidence to the police, she and her widowed mom Doreen (Dee) would wind up in protective custody miles from home with new identities and the continual dread of being recognized. When assured that the threat of retaliation no longer exists, Amanda, Dee and another family member relocate to Wexford Falls, Connecticut, where the women purchase a bungalow on a quiet street in hopes of finally leading a life of normalcy. However, they have been misinformed; the threat still looms large. Until the sale of the house is final, Dee stays at Hollis's B&B where she meets and falls in love with Sid, a photojournalist who claims to be in town for their Bicentennial celebration, but is he really who he says he is? Enter Mick Doran, Amanda's old boyfriend who appears in Wexford Falls as part of a master plan cooked up by Dee and his Granny, Gladys Doran. He accompanies his Granny to her friend Celia Drummond's homestead under the guise of doing some temporary work but the real reason is for the two lovers to be reunited. Familiar characters appear from Pilotte's other stories, to include Emil Baines, a special needs person and Amanda's inquisitive neighbor. Several entanglements ensue amid the backdrop of the Bicentennial, and tension rises to a terrifying climax as the threat to Amanda's life and limb becomes a reality. Betrayed! Spanning a ten-year period in the life of young Jodie Breault, the story begins with the accidental drowning of her parents when she is only sixteen. It is the struggle to accept her loss that leads Jodie to search for details of the accident. While her mother's body is recovered, her father's is not. Then, with the discovery of her mother's journals, she comes to believe that their relationship was not what she had always assumed. With secrets yet to be discovered and a well-crafted plot, author M. Pilotte spins a tale of mystery and suspense that will definitely keep readers entertained until the last page. ELLIZABETH SMITH, author of The Gift and The Sovereignty File