The Secret Hour: A Novel

Luanne Rice

Feb 2003 · Sold by Bantam

About this eBook

From the acclaimed author of The Perfect Summer and other New York Times bestsellers comes the gripping story of a man fighting for his family, a woman searching for her sister—and the promise of a new life where both least expect it.

Beneath his controlled demeanor, attorney John O’Rourke is a man in turmoil. Since the death of his wife, he has been juggling the rigors of a controversial capital murder case and the demands of raising two children. As eleven-year-old Maggie and fourteen-year-old Teddy long for the past, they must also contend with the hostility that swirls around them since their father took on the defense of a despised killer—including a brick through their window one autumn morning.

But a quieter event also takes place that day. A woman arrives on the O’Rourke doorstep to find a house in chaos but brimming with love—and, she hopes, answers. Six months ago Kate Harris’s younger sister fled from home following a devastating confrontation. After mailing a single postcard from the New England shore, Willa Harris vanished. With only a postmark to go on, Kate comes to the seaside—and discovers the one man who may be able to help her. . . .

Ratings and reviews

The only romance novel I have in my collection and to think Mrs Rice is the best of them all. The way she writes makes you feel what her character's do.

About the author

Luanne Rice is the author of twenty-three bestselling novels, most recently What Matters Most, The Edge of Winter, Sandcastles, Summer of Roses, Summer’s Child, and Beach Girls. She lives in New York City and Old Lyme, Connecticut. Among other dramatic adaptations of Ms. Rice’s work, Silver Bells was a recent Hallmark Hall of Fame feature.