Silver Girl

Publishers Weekly Meredith and Connie's lifelong friendship broke apart three years ago, but their grief brings them back together in Hilderbrand's absorbing latest (after The Island). Connie is profoundly lonely following her husband's death and the estrangement from her daughter. Meanwhile, Meredith's husband's investment firm has been revealed as a Ponzi scheme, and the ensuing investigation has, in a very Ruth Madoff like way, separated her from the life she's known. The women retreat to Connie's Nantucket home, where they repair their relationships and their own broken hearts while a series of threatening events keeps Meredith in hiding. Though Meredith's guilty feelings about missing clues to her husband's dishonesty are overwhelming, the kindness shown by people who support her—including Connie's tentative new flame—encourages her to make good where she can. Much of the novel is told in flashback as Connie and Meredith work through their crises, but Hilderbrand's talents keep those memories as resonant as the present day. Longtime fans and newcomers alike will delight in this timely, touching story of loss, love, friendship, and forgiveness. (June)