About the book:
Look into the lace . . . When the eyes begin to fill with tears and the patience is long exhausted, there will appear a glimpse of something not quite seen… In this moment, an image will begin to form . . . in the space between what is real and what is only imagined.
Can you read your future in a piece of lace? All of the Whitney women can. But the last time Towner read, it killed her sister and nearly robbed Towner of her own sanity. Vowing never to read lace again, her resolve is tested when faced with the mysterious, unsolvable disappearance of her beloved Great Aunt Eva, Salem’s original Lace Reader. Told from opposing and often unreliable perspectives, the story engages the reader’s own beliefs. Should we listen to Towner, who may be losing her mind for the second time? Or should we believe John Rafferty, a no nonsense New York detective, who ran away from the city to a simpler place only to find himself inextricably involved in a psychic tug of war with all three generations of Whitney women? Does either have the whole story? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the swirling pattern of the lace?
My Review: I really enjoyed this book. The combination of pacing, unraveling the secrets of the past, and just incredible depiction of setting and casting of mood make it the kind of book you don’t want to put down. The setting of Salem, Massachusetts is so well utilized in the story and developed that I immediately jumped on the internet to check out making a trip!
Having said that, there are a few things to be noted. It’s a supernatural mystery and there’s a cult in the town called the Calvinists. This was really confusing to me at first because I just thought they meant people who believe in predestination! 
Also the book switches POV from present tense first person to third person which is something I generally don’t like. It’s not too disruptive but the first POV change doesn’t take place until about halfway through the book, so it does feel like a surprise!
From the beginning, I was quite interested in learning about Towner, who she was, why she’d stayed away from her hometown for so long and what had happened to her Aunt Eva. The story of the past unfolds in bits and pieces while the events of the present take place and you don’t feel that you have a really clear picture until the end.
Recommended to those who love character studies, supernatural mysteries, and rich settings.
The Lace Reader releases July 29, 2008 from William Morrow. You can read more about the book, including the first two chapters, here.
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