Haunting, sad, lovely, and occasionally incongruous.

In this collection of short stories, Alethea Black writes about relationships in all its many incarnations. Some of the stories are sad and others are surprising and show a moment of undisguised humanity.

Jennifer Stirling wakes up in hospital and does not remember who she is—or was—and has trouble connecting to the people in her life. Most of all, she has trouble connecting with her husband Larry. He is solicitous and does not press her, and the doctor tells her not to dwell on things and just live, but nothing feels right. Jennifer does not fit her skin any more and she is not sure whether it is because of the accident or if her body and soul are showing her what her foggy mind cannot.

Ron Connors, Washington State’s attorney general, has called in J. P. “Beau” Beaumont and his wife and partner, Mel Soames, to investigate what appears to be a murder. The possible suspect is Governor Marsha Longmire’s step grandson, Josh Deeson, a teenager living with the governor and her husband, Gerry Willis, who has just had heart bypass surgery.

Dwight is a manager of a sporting goods store in California, far from the scene of a fatal accident. After twelve years of prison and losing his family and position, he is still running, living a half-life that is respectable but nothing compared to what he had before the accident that changed his life.

Meena Harper is stuck in a very odd world. It used to be semi-normal; being an out-of-work soap opera scriptwriter with a Pomeranian named Jack Bauer who likes to save the world in a day, and the ability to never be able to find that perfect boyfriend. The slightly strange things about Meena include her “gift” – which is her ability to see the future. Which, of course, is why she finds herself in such a strange predicament; sitting beside her ex-boyfriend and trying to find a way to tell him that she has “seen” his death.

For any reader who has already had the pleasure of reading Spencer Quinn’s books, they will know that Chet – a dog – has a great deal to say in each and every one of them. In fact, he’s one of the very best narrators in fiction today. Chet is owned by Private Investigator Bernie Little and, as more than one reader has acknowledged, “You don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy this deliciously addictive series.” Truer words have never been spoken!

A few days before his wedding, Scott Chadwick goes to the top of a hotel his company is building and commits suicide. That is what the police tell Toni Matthews, and what her friends assure her was true. Scott, the man she knew so well and had planned a life with, was so despondent over the potential failure of his business that he took his own life. Toni does not believe them and she is determined to find out who killed Scott.