A Person of Interest

At the start of Hill's compelling fifth novel (after It's All About the Moon When the Sun Ain't Shining), recently widowed Felicia Fontenot, who has returned home to Brownsville, Tenn., to care for her elderly mother, looks out her bedroom window early one morning and sees that the house across the street has become a crime scene. Her neighbor, Luther Jackson, has come home to find the bodies of his wife and son both burned beyond recognition after being doused with gasoline. Having secretly loved Luther for more than 20 years, Felicia has a powerful urge to comfort him and proclaim his innocence, even though Luther is the prime suspect in the double murder. Harboring a shameful secret, Luther does little to defend himself. His aunt, Daphne Gipson, perplexed by his silence, enlists Felicia's aid in uncovering the truth. As the story unfolds through the eyes of Felicia and Luther, these unforgettable characters come to full, sympathetic life.