The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy

Before Audrey was the baker's wife, she was the pastor's wife.

Then a scandalous lie cost her husband a pastoral career. Now the two work side-by-side running a bakery, serving coffee, and baking fresh bread. But the hurt still pulls at Audrey.

Driving early one morning to the bakery, Audrey's car strikes something-or someone-at a fog-shrouded intersection. She finds a motor scooter belonging to a local teacher. Blood is everywhere, but there's no trace of a body.

Both the scooter and the blood belong to detective Jack Mansfield's wife, and he's certain that Audrey is behind Julie's disappearance.

But the case dead-ends and the detective spirals into madness. When he takes her family and some patrons hostage at the bakery, Audrey is left with a soul-damaged ex-con and a cynical teen to solve the mystery. And she'll never manage that unless she taps into something she would rather leave behind-her excruciating ability to feel other's pain.

My thoughts...

Wow!  I absolutely, hands down, LOVED this novel!  The Baker's Wife is a great story of redemption and hope, and an excellent choice for a book club!

In fact, a few months ago I won a book club prize pack from this author, Erin Healy, which included 10 books and a Skype session with the author.  I decided to donate the books to my local library, where I work part-time, and started a book club with 9 other ladies.  I was the only one that had read any of the author's previous works, and the ladies weren't sure what to expect.  Lets just say that by the end of the book, they were such fans of Erin Healy, that we will be reading her next book that comes out in early August, House of Mercy!

The Skype session was a lot of fun, some of the ladies were nervous, not wanting to offend the author with any of their questions.  Erin Healy is a great person to talk with, very down to earth, and answered all our questions, no matter how small they were!  If I hadn't been a fan before, after having chatted with her, I quickly would have became one!

The research she does for her books is amazing!  We asked of her bread making abilities, and were quickly informed that she does not bake bread due to the altitude of where she lives!  The fine details of the bakery had us asking many questions, and we were impressed with all the details she had learned and shared!

If you are looking for a great book to read (5 Stars), and an even better author to start following, make sure you check out Erin Healy's book, The Baker's Wife!