A woman in search of a new beginning is put to the test in ways she never imagined in an empowering and provocative page-turner by the author of Not That I Could Tell. Katie’s divorce was, in a word, humiliating. So when her friend Bess offers a fresh start — a resident caretaking job at a nature preserve — Katie accepts. No matter that she’s not exactly a “nature person.” How hard can it be? But from day one, something feels off. Katie’s new farmhouse looks as if the last caretaker barely moved out at all. When a frantic, terrified woman arrives late at night, expecting a safe place to hide, it’s clear caretaking involves way more than Katie bargained for. Suddenly, Katie is no longer sure who she can trust: the brooding groundskeeper, the daily regulars — hikers, dog walkers, bird-watchers, photographers — even Bess. As Katie digs deeper for clues in what the last caretaker left behind, she must discover courage she never knew she had — and decide how much she’ll risk to do the right thing.
Publication date: Lake Union Publishing (December 1, 2023)
Pages: 348 pages
ASIN: B0BSHGJT16
About the Author: JESSICA STRAWSER is the author of the book club favorites ALMOST MISSED YOU, NOT THAT I COULD TELL (a Book of the Month selection), FORGET YOU KNOW ME, A MILLION REASONS WHY and THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW (a People Magazine pick, new in paperback). Her latest, THE LAST CARETAKER, is coming December 1, 2023. She is Editor-at-Large at Writer’s Digest, where she served as editorial director for nearly a decade; a contributing editor at Career Authors; and a frequent speaker at writing conferences, book clubs, and women’s groups. Her career in publishing spans more than 20 years, and her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love, Publishers Weekly, and other venues. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, she lives with her husband and two children in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she was named 2019 Writer-in-Residence for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
