Howard R Reiss

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
I'm so glad I did!
I thought this book was great, a definite page turner.

The story takes place almost entirely within a court room.
Susannah is the widow of Ben. Ben was 88, Susannah 24. They were married less than a year when he died and left everything to her.
His family is very skeptical, they think their dad was tricked into changing his will. The previous one of course would have left everything to his kids and grandkids.

Then a bombshell is dropped, Susannah says she is the reincarnation of Ben's first wife Rose who died over 25 years ago.

Can either side really prove their side to be correct and the other side wrong?

I thought both sides were likable characters and both sides making good points. Was Ben reunited with his first wife? Or was he taken advantage of? Does Susannah deserve everything? Even if she is Rose, wouldn't her/Ben's family deserve something when he died?

A lot to think about and you'll be tearing through the book very anxious to see what the final outcome will be.

I enjoyed it very much and I loved the last few pages.… (altro)

A great story about the trials and tribulations that occur within a family. This novel tells the story of an epic fight over an old man's estate. When the elderly man dies and leaves his entire estate to his new, very young wife, his sons are understandably upset. They hire an attorney to fight this will in court, however the man's young wife surprises everyone when she claims to be the reincarnate of his first wife who died many years ago. This leads to a fast-paced and exciting trial to determine who should get the estate. I loved learning about each character as the trial unfolded.
And I love, love, loved the ending.
(I won’t say anything else so I don’t give away any spoilers.)… (altro)

I loved reading this book. Once I got into the book, I could not put it down. The characters come alive and I felt like I knew them all--a friend, a family member, a work colleague. The author does a great job in making you care about the characters and keeps you coming back wanting to know how their lives turn out. A funeral of a beloved grandmother sets off a series of events that will change Ira's life. Just as in real life, one random moment can alter life's course. Ira's discovery of a long held family secret does just that, at least for a while.

When he is unsuccessful in pushing his secretive family for answers to the mystery he has uncovered, Ira sets off on his own journey of discovery which takes him away from his comfortable middle class life with his wife and two kids in the burbs, to a mental hospital and a dingy transient apartment shared with a bleached blond lonely but kind nurse. His quest for some answers leads him to even more questions and unravels what he thought he knew about himself and his family but then ultimately leads him to some self-evident truths that were in fact always constant and true.

In addition to loving the story, the author does a great job outlining the little known (at least to me) details about the treatment of the mentally ill throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. This historical family novel is most definitely a page-turner and will not disappoint.… (altro)

I love this book! This story has something for everyone.
If you like reading about relationships, friendships, love, loss, history, small towns in New England, or delicious soup, this book is for you.

The relationships in this book truly come alive, as do the characters. The author creates wonderful characters with such depth. He is incredibly talented at writing from multiple perspectives and does so in this novel.

I got so invested in this story, that I became a part of the Circa community. So much so, that when I finished the book, I was sad to be done spending time with Tess and the gang at Circa. And I wanted some soup!

A truly wonderful story from start to finish!… (altro)