Tender Mercy of Roses

Alice Sebolds The Lovely Bones meets Sarah Addisons Garden Spells in this striking southern debut featuring the ghost of a murdered cowgirl who guides her grief-stricken father and a disgraced former detective to her killerand a long-hidden family secret. When disgraced police detective Jo Beth Dawson comes to town, she wants only to watch the rodeo and crawl into a bottle, not necessarily in that order. But when she stumbles upon the body of young rodeo star Pony Jones, Jo Beth feels an otherworldly connection with the dead womanand an irresistible compulsion to find her killer. Pony herself, invisible to the eye but not to the sixth sense, guides her grief-stricken father, Titus, to Jo Beths side. Jo Beth and Titus are unlikely partnerstwo wary, broken people who are quick to judge and slow to trustand their pursuit of Ponys murderer unleashes a whirlwind of intense emotion and unexpected encounters. With every clue they uncover, dark family secrets are revealed, secrets that will tie the three of them closer than they could imagine. Featuring psychologically complex characters and a richly layered examination of family, grief, and redemption, The Tender Mercy of Roses is an immensely satisfying read.