Recently divorced, Merilee Talbot Dunlap moves with her two children to the Atlanta suburb of Sweet Apple, Georgia. It's not her first time starting over, but her efforts at a new beginning aren't helped by an anonymous local blog that dishes about the scandalous events that caused her marriage to fail.
Merilee finds some measure of peace in the cottage she is renting from town matriarch Sugar Prescott. Though stubborn and irascible, Sugar sees something of herself in Merilee--something that allows her to open up about her own colorful past.
Sugar's stories give Merilee a different perspective on the town and its wealthy school moms in their tennis whites and shiny SUVs, and even on her new friendship with Heather Blackford. Merilee is charmed by the glamorous young mother's seemingly perfect life and finds herself drawn into Heather's world.
In a town like Sweet Apple, where sins and secrets are as likely to be found behind the walls of gated mansions as in the dark woods surrounding Merilee's house, appearance is everything. But just how dangerous that deception can be will shock all three women....
Praise for THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
“If Big Little Lies met To Kill A Mockingbird and had a compulsively readable love child, that book would be The Night the Lights Went Out. I couldn’t stop reading!” —New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig
“One of [White’s] best books ever and it is as fresh as a new-mowed lawn. She gives her readers a little humor, a little drama, a little romance, and a little murder. Put them all together and they spell fascinating.” —The Huffington Post
“Combines elements of Steel Magnolias with Gone Girl…touches all the bases of a chick-lit thriller, but White’s sense of history gives the narrative a perspective that few mainstream entertainments have anymore.” —StarNews (Wilmington, NC)
“Part Southern fiction, part women’s fiction, part psychological thriller, part sweet romance, and part historical mystery—White’s newest novel has it all….The deeper readers get in this story, the less they’ll be able to tear themselves away from the complex characters and exquisite prose.” —RT Book Reviews
“An atmospheric and entertaining look at the friends who keep your secrets—and the friends who keep you guessing until it’s too late.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Addictive, heartwarming, and suspenseful…a must read this summer! It is a read whose characters will stay with you long after the leaves begin to fall.” —Caffeinated Book Reviewer
“With well-developed characters, a strong sense of place, a suspenseful plot, and plenty of Southern axioms sprinkled in, this is a warm and engaging novel by prolific author White. Verdict: Recommended for readers who enjoy the stories of Beatriz Williams, Kim Boykin, and Mary Alice Monroe.” —Library Journal
“Part Liane Moriarty (for the gentle skewering of wealthy suburbia), part Kate Morton (for the connections between secrets of the present and the past), and part Mary Kay Andrews (charming and very Southern), White’s latest should find a wide readership.” —Booklist
After playing hooky one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, Karen White knew she wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, Karen pursued a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University. Ten years later, after leaving the business world, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a writer and wrote her first book. In the Shadow of the Moon was published in August, 2000. Her books have since been nominated for numerous national contests including the SIBA (Southeastern Booksellers Alliance) Fiction Book of the Year, and has twice won the National Readers’ Choice Award.
Karen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and currently writes what she refers to as ‘grit lit’—Southern women’s fiction—and has also expanded her horizons into writing a mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina. Her 23rd novel, THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, was published April 11, 2017 by Berkley Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing Group, and debuted at #15 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list.
Karen hails from a long line of Southerners but spent most of her growing up years in London, England and is a graduate of the American School in London. When not writing, she spends her time reading, scrapbooking, playing piano, and avoiding cooking. She currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two children, and two spoiled Havanese dogs.
jbnspotlights
“One of [White’s] best books ever and it is as fresh as a new-mowed lawn. She gives her readers a little humor, a little drama, a little romance, and a little murder. Put them all together and they spell fascinating.” —The Huffington Post
“Combines elements of Steel Magnolias with Gone Girl…touches all the bases of a chick-lit thriller, but White’s sense of history gives the narrative a perspective that few mainstream entertainments have anymore.” —StarNews (Wilmington, NC)
“Part Southern fiction, part women’s fiction, part psychological thriller, part sweet romance, and part historical mystery—White’s newest novel has it all….The deeper readers get in this story, the less they’ll be able to tear themselves away from the complex characters and exquisite prose.” —RT Book Reviews
“An atmospheric and entertaining look at the friends who keep your secrets—and the friends who keep you guessing until it’s too late.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Addictive, heartwarming, and suspenseful…a must read this summer! It is a read whose characters will stay with you long after the leaves begin to fall.” —Caffeinated Book Reviewer
“With well-developed characters, a strong sense of place, a suspenseful plot, and plenty of Southern axioms sprinkled in, this is a warm and engaging novel by prolific author White. Verdict: Recommended for readers who enjoy the stories of Beatriz Williams, Kim Boykin, and Mary Alice Monroe.” —Library Journal
“Part Liane Moriarty (for the gentle skewering of wealthy suburbia), part Kate Morton (for the connections between secrets of the present and the past), and part Mary Kay Andrews (charming and very Southern), White’s latest should find a wide readership.” —Booklist
You can purchase The Night the Lights Went Out at the following Retailers:
Photo Content from Karen White
After playing hooky one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, Karen White knew she wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, Karen pursued a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University. Ten years later, after leaving the business world, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a writer and wrote her first book. In the Shadow of the Moon was published in August, 2000. Her books have since been nominated for numerous national contests including the SIBA (Southeastern Booksellers Alliance) Fiction Book of the Year, and has twice won the National Readers’ Choice Award.
Karen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and currently writes what she refers to as ‘grit lit’—Southern women’s fiction—and has also expanded her horizons into writing a mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina. Her 23rd novel, THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, was published April 11, 2017 by Berkley Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing Group, and debuted at #15 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list.
Karen hails from a long line of Southerners but spent most of her growing up years in London, England and is a graduate of the American School in London. When not writing, she spends her time reading, scrapbooking, playing piano, and avoiding cooking. She currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two children, and two spoiled Havanese dogs.
"What were you doing at midnight last night?" Watching episodes of "Bones" on DVD!
ReplyDeleteSleeping
ReplyDeletesleeping
ReplyDeleteReading. I was at the very end of my book and had to finish!
ReplyDeleteReading the Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.
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