Valerie Fraser Luesse

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Ohio

Two Sisters. One Single Event. A Family Changed Forever. At the turn of the twentieth century, sisters Emmy and Callie Bullock are living a privileged life as the only daughters of a wealthy Alabama cotton farmer when their well-ordered household gets turned upside down by the arrival of Lily McGee. Arrestingly beautiful, Lily quickly--and innocently--draws the wrong kind of attention. Meanwhile, Callie meets a man who offers her the freedom to abandon social constraints and discover her truest self. After Lily has a baby, Callie witnesses something she was never meant to see--or did she? Her memory is a haze, just an image in her mind of Emmy standing on a darkened riverbank and cradling Lily's missing baby girl. Only when the sisters are separated does the truth slowly come to light through their letters--including a revelation that will shape the rest of Callie's life. Bestselling author Valerie Fraser Luesse weaves a complex and suspenseful tale dripping with intrigue, romance, and Southern charm.

Letters from My Sister

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Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

California

A Novel

Peyton Cabot's fifteenth year will be a painful and transformative one. His father, the heroic but reluctant head of a moneyed Savannah family, has come home from WWII a troubled vet, drowning his demons in bourbon and distancing himself from his son. A tragic accident shows Peyton the depths of his parents' devotion to each other but interrupts his own budding romance with the girl of his dreams, Lisa Wallace.

Struggling to cope with a young life upended, Peyton makes a daring decision: He will retrace a journey his father took at fifteen, riding his bicycle all the way to Key West, Florida. Part declaration of independence, part search for self, Peyton's journey will bring him more than he ever could have imagined--namely, the key to his unknowable father, a reunion with Lisa, and a calling that will shape the rest of his life.

Through poignant prose and characters so real you'll be sure you know them, Valerie Fraser Luesse transports you to the storied Atlantic coast for a unique coming-of-age story you won't soon forget.

The Key to Everything

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Louisiana

Alabama

Illinois

When Edie Gardner's life in New York comes crumbling down, her grandmother Adele "Punk" Cheramie urges her to return to Bayou du Chêne, a tiny hamlet in coastal Mississippi where Edie spent many happy summers growing up. Punk and her three closest friends introduce Edie to the Trove, a fascinating gallery and antique shop that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. The Trove's proprietor, Jason Toussaint, has a gift for reading his customers' needs. He gives Edie a Victorian parlor game called Confessions, which asks players a series of ever-more-personal questions. It seems like harmless fun at first. But the game has a way of uncovering secrets--including a heartbreaking disappearance that has haunted one of the players for decades. Banding together, these women are determined to mend each other's hurts, encourage each other's dreams, and find the answers that will bring healing.

The Light on Horn Island

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Indiana

"Luesse's multifaceted, lyrical tale dazzles with larger-than-life villains searching for a big payday, a mythical albino alligator, a mysterious 'esprit Blanc' that allegedly roams the swamps, and a lovable cast. . . Readers who enjoy Southern romances will love this."--Publishers Weekly starred review

"Luesse transports readers to the lush and hauntingly beautiful Louisiana bayou in 1949 . . . Readers who enjoy Lynn Austin's faith-filled historical romances will be pleased to discover Luesse."--Booklist starred review

***

Restless with the familiarity of her Alabama home, Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country. Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their culture, most of the people in tiny Bernadette, Louisiana, come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher as a boon to the town. She's soon teaching just about everyone--and coming up against opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives.

Acclimating to a whole new world, Ellie meets a lonely but intriguing Cajun fisherman named Raphe who introduces her to the legendary white alligator that haunts these waters. Raphe and Ellie have barely found their way to each other when a huge bounty is offered for the elusive gator, bringing about a shocking turn of events that will test their love and their will to right a terrible wrong.

A master of the Southern novel, Valerie Fraser Luesse invites you to enter the sultry swamps of Louisiana in a story that illuminates the struggle for the heart and soul of the bayou.

Under the Bayou Moon

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Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Florida

2018 Christy Award Winner *** There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac. It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete--and the people he loves most--will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.

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Valerie Fraser Luesse

Letters from My Sister

Valerie Fraser Luesse

The Key to Everything

Valerie Fraser Luesse

The Key to Everything

Valerie Fraser Luesse

The Key to Everything

Valerie Fraser Luesse

The Light on Horn Island

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Under the Bayou Moon

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Missing Isaac

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Under the Bayou Moon

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Missing Isaac

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Under the Bayou Moon

Valerie Fraser Luesse

The Key to Everything