The Baker's WifeWhat doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, so why is Audrey weakening day by day? It's been a tough year for Audrey's family. Her husband Geoff, a pastor, lost his job after a scandal rocked their congregation. Audrey hasn't lost faith. She's held her family together. Their attempt to resurrect a failing bakery is an effort to heal the family wounds and restore their place in the community. Late to the bakery one dim, foggy morning, Audrey turns into the intersection in front of the shop and strikes a vehicle that she can't see even after the collision settles. Emerging from her car into the fog, she discovers she's hit a motor scooter. There's no rider in sight. There's blood, though, so much that she slips in it, injuring her wrists. The absence of the scooter driver is a mystery, especially to Sergeant Jack Mansfield, the detective and church member who drove Geoff from his pulpit. The scooter belongs to Jack's wife, Julie, a teacher at the local high school. She has vanished like morning fog. Though there is no evidence to support Jack's growing suspicion that Audrey and Geoff were involved in Julie's disappearance, the detective is convinced of their guilt. Jack's ability to reason slips as the leads on his wife dry up. When Jack takes the tiny bakery and its patrons hostage, Audrey must find Julie and unravel the secret of her own mysterious suffering before Jack comes undone. |
Contents
Chapter 1 | 1 |
Chapter 2 | 12 |
Chapter 3 | 25 |
Chapter 4 | 34 |
Chapter 5 | 44 |
Chapter 6 | 55 |
Chapter 7 | 65 |
Chapter 8 | 75 |
Chapter 21 | 192 |
Chapter 22 | 203 |
Chapter 23 | 210 |
Chapter 24 | 217 |
Chapter 25 | 226 |
Chapter 26 | 237 |
Chapter 27 | 245 |
Chapter 28 | 250 |
Chapter 9 | 86 |
Chapter 10 | 94 |
Chapter 11 | 101 |
Chapter 12 | 112 |
Chapter 13 | 121 |
Chapter 14 | 132 |
Chapter 15 | 143 |
Chapter 16 | 151 |
Chapter 17 | 160 |
Chapter 18 | 167 |
Chapter 19 | 178 |
Chapter 20 | 186 |
Chapter 29 | 261 |
Chapter 30 | 272 |
Chapter 31 | 282 |
Chapter 32 | 291 |
Chapter 33 | 299 |
Chapter 34 | 304 |
Chapter 35 | 312 |
Chapter 36 | 320 |
Chapter 37 | 332 |
Acknowledgments | 342 |
Reading Group Guide | 344 |