Flying Solo

This sweet and entertaining story from the New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over follows a lady who returns to her tiny Maine village and discovers family secrets that set her on a path of self-discovery and new love.

Recovering from the recent cancellation of her wedding and approaching her fortyth birthday, Laurie Sassalyn goes back to her birthplace of Calcasset, Maine, to manage her great-aunt Dot's estate. Great-aunt Dot was an adventurous woman who lived to reach ninety-three. A strange wooden duck appears at the bottom of a cedar chest, surrounded by boxes containing Polaroids and crockery. When Laurie comes upon a love letter to the unmarried Dot that closes with the words "And anyway, if you're ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling," her curiosity is peaked.

Laurie is informed that the duck is worthless financially. She is forced to investigate why Dot had the wooden duck stashed away in the first place and why someone would take it when it vanishes under unusual circumstances. Abruptly, Laurie finds herself enmeshed in a morally virtuous scheme that involves haggling with scam artists and antiques dealers, going on late-night dates at the neighborhood library, and making up with her first love and longest friend. In the end, Laurie must accept her own vision of flying alone and face her own history and future in her desperation to learn her great-aunt's secrets.

Flying Solo is a beautifully creative narrative about growing up, going home, and learning to create a life for yourself on your own terms. It has an amazing cast of characters and a heroine you will cheer for from the first page.