"Expertly Crafted Novel"

Many a historical romance author has tried to make the crossover to contemporary fiction. In rare instances, authors excel equally in both genres, and Susan Wiggs is one of those rare exceptions. With her latest novel, she explores the bond between sisters Jessie Ryder and Luz Ryder Benning.

After almost sixteen years traveling the globe on photojournalism assignments, Jessie is back to see her beloved sister Luz, three nephews, and fifteen-year-old niece Lila, who is actually the baby Luz and husband Ian adopted from Jess who took off years ago. Through the pain of separation and untold secrets, the sisters try to fit into each other's lives again, as Luz and Ian must decide whether to tell rebellious Lila the truth of her birth. And even Jessie has some secrets regarding Lila's conception. Amidst this very realistic glimpse into one family's drama is the surprising romance Jessie finds with local pilot and widower Dusty Matlock, who has a tragic story of his own.

Expertly drawn characters set against the beautiful Texas landscape are the life force of this compelling novel. Not only is the reader entranced by the unearthing of past secrets, but present-day secrets come to light in this thought provoking read with a unique and believable view of one family's ability to stay together despite personal trauma and tragedy.

Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted April 27, 2003

The hardcover debut of award-winning author Susan Wiggs, HOME BEFORE DARK is a contemporary novel that of the emotional story of the lives and loves of two sisters in the Texas Hill Country. Facing a life-altering crisis, Jessie Ryder returns home to Texas to find the child she gave up for adoption sixteen years ago, to her very own sister, Luz.

Summary

In her career as a photojournalist, free-spirited Jessie Ryder has seen the world through her camera lens. But she's never traveled far enough to escape a painful moment that has haunted her for the past sixteen years: the day she gave her baby daughter away. Now she faces a life- altering crisis, and she's decided to fix the broken pieces of her heart and seek out Lila, even if it means she has to upset the world of Lila's adoptive mother, her very own sister, Luz.

Jessie and Luz are drawn into an emotional tug-of-war filled with moments of unexpected humor, surprising sweetness and unbearable sadness. And for Jessie, life's bittersweet irony plays its hand. She meets Dustin Matlock, a young father who has survived devastating loss. Jessie begins to see the hopeful possibilities that lie buried in the most wrenching tragedies. But as the pain, regrets and mistakes of the past rise to the surface, a new picture emerges--a picture filled with hope and promise and the redeeming power of the human heart.