The Baker’s Wife by Erin Healy
How would you feel if you were unfairly kicked out of your church, due to false information given by one of your congregation members?
That’s what happens in The Baker’s Wife.
This was an intriguing, unusual and enjoyable read. Audrey and her husband, Geoff, are now running a bakery in their town. Due to a scandalous event, Geoff has been unfairly removed from his role as pastor of his church. Audrey and Geoff open a bakery to make a living. Due to the chain of events, their son, Ed, has lost his college scholarship and is now forced to live at home with his parents, assisting them in the bakery.
Jack, a bitter, demented police officer still holds Geoff’s family in contempt – he mistakenly blames Geoff for “supporting” Jack’s daughter, Miralee’s, abortion. When Jack’s wife, Julie, mysteriously vanishes, and Audrey is at the scene of the accident, Jack mistakenly accuses Geoff’s family for “kidnapping” his wife. Jack’s vengenace consumes him and he takes matters into his own hands – he’s desperate to find his wife and he makes some drastic decisions that result in a traumatic experience for Audrey’s family.
Audrey has a strange holy gift – she can feel the emotions and physical illnesses of certain people. She discovers that she has a connection to Jack’s wife, Julie. She finds that she has to call upon this gift to help locate Jack’s wife when Jack resorts to even more insane measures to make her family suffer.
This novel also has another interesting secondary character, Diane, who’s in her early forties and has just been released from prison. When she returns to her hometown, she finds herself suddenly enmeshed with Geoff’s and Audrey’s bakery while she tries to solve her own problems. She’s determined to find a diamond necklace that was instrumental in landing her into prison for 20+ years.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The suspense factor was high and it was the first book I’ve ever read by Erin Healy. I also enjoyed reading about the daily life in a bakery…kinda made me want to don an apron and bake a few loaves of fresh, tasty bread!
Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it?