B.J. Hoff

Whitney Sharyn, a frightened young deaf woman came to Shepherd Valley to escape the nightmare of her pasts when a suspicious stranger, Michael Devlin, a newcomer also claims he wants to help Whitney. (cover)

The three books in the American Anthem series, compiled into one volume.

An engrossng and heartwarming new novel from this beloved bestselling author.In 1943 two schoolgirls, Rachel and Meriel,best friends in the Gloucestershire city where they have grown up, amuse themselves by tracking down imaginary German spies. It all seems a harmless way of whiling away the long school holidays, until their game turns into a frightening reality, the consequences of which affect their whole lives. Rachel becomes a reporter on the local paper while Meriel, a GI bride, goes to live in Florida. But the bonds which hold them together can never be broken, as the secrets and scandals which first surfaced in those far-off wartime days eventually come to light.

A novel based on the life of the author's great-grandmother follows the story of Vyry, the child of a white plantation owner and one of his slaves, through the years of the Civil War and Reconstruction.