"An emotional tale of discovery"
Jill Gregory's first contemporary novel had me turning
page after page until I reached that very satisfying last
page. It was a first not only for Ms. Gregory, but for me
as well, because I had never read her work before. Katy Templeton had grown up in Thunder Creek Wyoming
dreaming big dreams. She was a fortunate person in that
she was able to take her cooking skills learned at her
grandmother's knee and turn them into a highly successful
multi-restaurant chain spread across the country. She
comes home to try to heal from the devasting loss of a
baby and the dissolution of her marriage to her business
partner Seth. Back in Thunder Creek Katy starts to reconnect with many
people from her past. Some she's more than happy to see,
others she's not. One who doesn't please her is Jackson
Brent. He was her older brother Matt's best friend, and
for fourteen years she's been blaming him for Matt's
death. Even though it's never fully said I'm sure that
Jackson has also been living all these years with a sense
of guilt over Matt's death. Matt is the one person that Katy wishes she could see
again in Thunder Creek, but as I've said he's deceased.
In order to feel a connection to him she goes into his
room which is kept as a memorial to him just as he left it
that day fourteen years ago. It's going through his
things that Katie finds a sketch and a note. She shows it
to just a few people. One of those is Jackson Brent. Jackson and Katy are thrown together investigating the
events from fourteen years ago that eventually led they
believe to Matt's death. What they begin to uncover is
beyond their wildest imaginations. They begin to suspect
not only was Matt possibly murdered, but also a poor young
woman who happened to have fallen in love with the very
wrong person. This person still lives in Thunder Creek,
and does not like that Katy and Jackson are now digging
around in a past that should it be uncovered would ruin
his reputation, and standing in the community. Ms. Gregory wrote several wonderful suspects, and I'm sure
like me you'll be surprised who the actual killer is. I
felt that the climax to Thunder Creek was fast paced, and
well written. It was not drawn out, and in the end
Jackson became a true hero for Katy. There is a sequel
due out soon, and I can't hardly wait.
Reviewed by Sandi Shilhanek
Posted June 13, 2004
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